Former homeless man: ‘Stranger inspired me to return home’

Sixteen years ago, Glenn Gannon was homeless and alone, sleeping rough on the streets of Dublin, when a kindhearted stranger gave him the inspiration he needed to turn his life around.

Today, he is an actor, a writer, a director, and an ambassador for the Dublin Simon Community — none of which would have been possible, he said, if a mystery woman and her boyfriend hadn’t stopped to talk to him on New Year’s Eve 1999.

Mr Gannon told his story to photographer Peter Varga, who runs the Humans of Dublin Facebook page. Within a few hours, the story went viral, with tens of thousands liking and sharing the story.