Myles’ Christmas single highlights homelessness
An award-winning Cork singer songwriter has released a touching new Christmas song about homelessness.
Three time Grammy nominated artist Myles Gaffney’s new single ‘Bring Me a Home For Christmas’ tells the story of the true and harsh reality of child homelessness in Ireland today.
Speaking about his latest release, Myles says it started with a request to write a Christmas song a few years back, something he knew he could do as long as the theme was right.
“When I started writing the song, I had the film ‘Home Alone’ in mind and how a boy named Kevin misses his family at Christmas,” explains Gaffney.
“I was tinkering with the idea around many Irish boys and girls who have emigrated to far off shores and long to be at home for Christmas,” he adds.
However, unable to find the right flow of lyrics to do the project justice, Gaffney says he put it “away in my folder” for the time being.
Fast forward to April of this year when Myles came across a YouTube video of Mary Lou McDonald reading out a letter to Santa Claus in Dáil Éireann which, to his astonishment, was written by a child named Kevin.
“The letter stated that he was living in a single hotel room with his family and could Santa Claus bring him a home for Christmas,” says Myles.
That was all the inspiration Myles needed and straight away he got to work penning what would become the final lyrics for ‘Bring me a Home this Christmas’.
He says: “Being an Irish folk singer, I always sing for the underdog and it's a folk singer’s job to write and sing the songs of topics that are not supposed to be sang about.
“There should be no Irish child or any child for that matter forced to live in hotels, emergency accommodation or worse case on the street.
“I admired young Kevin for his bravery in writing his letter to the Dáil as he highlighted exactly what it's like on a daily basis for now thousands of children in Ireland without a home,” adds Myles.
Through his music, Myles hopes to highlight the current homelessness situation in Ireland for his fellow country people who mean so much to him. The song is available to download from Bandcamp. Myles plays Cobh Ramblers Lounge on 22 December with tickets available from Eventbrite and Cobh Ramblers Lounge.