U2: watch Bono and Imelda May sing “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” on the streets of Dublin

During Busk, the Christmas Eve charity event that fills Dublin's streets with live music every year, Bono returned to perform one of his favourite Christmas classics, "Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home)". The U2 frontman made a surprise appearance alongside Imelda May, in front of a crowd of buskers and passers-by gathered in the Irish capital's city centre.

Introduced on stage as Mr. Bono, the frontman adapted parts of the lyrics to reflect the charitable spirit of the evening and directly involve the crowd, inviting them to join in the singing. An informal, communal moment, perfectly in keeping with the atmosphere of the Busk, which for fifteen years has been one of the most beloved events of the Christmas season in Dublin.

Watch the videos of Bono's performance with Imelda May below.

“Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” is a Christmas song written by Phil Spector, Ellie Greenwich and Jeff Barry, originally recorded in 1963 by Darlene Love. The track was included on the compilation “A Christmas Gift For You From Philles Records” (also known as “A Christmas Gift For You From Phil Spector”).

Over the years the song has become one of the musical symbols of Christmas, helped in no small part by the version recorded by U2 in 1987 for the charity compilation “A Very Special Christmas”. The band has revisited it many times since, most recently during their 2023 residency at the Las Vegas Sphere.

The 2025 edition of Busk raised funds for the Dublin Simon Community, an organisation dedicated to supporting homeless people. As usual, artistic direction of the event was entrusted to Glen Hansard, who was joined on stage by numerous artists, including Danny O'Donoghue of The Script, The Riptide Movement, Danny O'Reilly of The Coronas, and Shosby.

The evening closed with a collective jam on The Pogues's "Fairytale Of New York", with Imelda May paying tribute to Shane MacGowan, who would have turned 68 on Christmas Day, capping off an event in which music and social commitment once again struck a natural balance.

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