Belvo SleepOut raises thousands
“SleepOut was both an eye opening and amazing experience which I learnt so much from. It really put into perspective the real problems being faced by society today. While it was a draining and tough few days, it was also a bonding experience for our year group as a whole and is something that I’m sure will stick with us forever.” So said one student of Belvedere College SJ, as students, staff, and past pupils marked another hugely successful SleepOut, raising over €330,000 for the homeless. It was the 42nd annual Christmas SleepOut, that took place, as usual, outside the GPO in Dublin’s city centre, 22 -24 December 2025.
All the money raised will go to Focus Ireland, and the Jesuit Refugee Centre Ireland. The JRS will use the welcome funding to help asylum seekers in dire straits accommodation wise. Belvedere transition year students ensured their colleagues get off to a good start money-wise when they raised over €70,000 the week before in a SleepOut in their gardens.
As well as huge support from the public in general, a number of celebrities also dropped by to encourage the boys. These included sports stars such as former Belvedere pupil, now Connaught rugby player, David Hawkshaw, Caelin Doris, Ireland’s Rugby Captain, and Stephen Bradley, the manager of Shamrock Rovers.
From the artistic world, actors Niamh McCormack, (House of Guinness, Netflix) and Domhnall Gleeson, (Star Wars – see image below) also made an appearance, as did former Belvedere student and Minister for Public Expenditure, Jack Chambers.
Students were also grateful to former professional footballers, Roddy Collins and Paul McGrath, who supported the SleepOut25 on their social media platforms. There is still time to Click the following link to donate to the Belvedere SleepOut42 fund », and follow the progress made throughout the whole event, on Instagram, by clicking here ».
In a statement the SleepOut25 team said, “We thought we had hit record homeless figures in 2022 when there were over 11,000 homeless. That figure jumped to over 12,000 in 2023, almost 15,000 in 2024, and now in 2025 its even higher at almost 16,500. We are just grateful that we were able to do something to help. Because of the huge generosity of the Irish people this Christmas our charity partners Focus Ireland and the Jesuit Refugee Service can continue to help those who have no place to call home.”
