Dream fades as reality dawns

Last night I had a dream that a thousand candles shone brightly from the windows of Áras an Uachtaráin, welcoming home all those homeless poor souls eking out a pitiful existence within earshot of Phoenix Park in Dublin.

President Michael D Higgins, with boundless generosity, and driven by a sense of deep and innate humanitarian philanthropy, had thrown open the doors of his sumptuous and expansive abode to offer succour and shelter to the most destitute in our society.

Children played on the vast manicured lawns safe in the knowledge that they were, at last, well fed, cared for and human.

This extraordinary gesture and leadership, sparked off an immediate wave of kindness throughout the land and.

Alas, as with all dreams, I woke up to the harsh reality of life in Ireland today, a land permanently skewed between those on the inside who have plenty and those unfortunates outside the pale who have nothing, and, as ever, never the twain shall meet.

John Leahy

Wilton Road

Cork