Viral video shows local barber cut hair of homeless in Dublin

A local barber recently decided to put his barbering skills to good use by cutting the hair of homeless people living in Dublin.

In a viral video on TikTok and Facebook, Robbie Connaughton, the owner of Barber Bobs in Monksland who has been living in Athlone for the past twelve years, travelled to Dublin to cut hair and hear the stories of the homeless in the capital.

Robbie met a man homeless man from Limerick named John and gave him a fresh haircut on Grafton Street whilst hearing about how he became homeless in recent months through his struggles with addiction but is now sober.

Robbie said that John said he 'felt part of society more so than I did an hour ago' following the haircut. “It gave him a huge lift,” added the Roscommon man. “He said thanks a million and looked a lot better. He was thrilled.”

In the video, John told Robbie how he became homeless seven months ago and now has to sleep rough. He also said that it is hard to get food in the soup kitchens because of the larger numbers of people going to these services in need of food and shelter.

Robbie said that he was “delighted” that he did it and that it was an “amazing experience. I want to do more of it.” He added that he has always been curious as to how people end up homeless.

“So many are homeless due to not being able to pay rent and not being able to find work. As a barber you get to know people's story. You end up getting to know people and build trust with the customer. We all have a story and it varies for everyone.”

Robbie explained that the cost of living is driving the problem of homelessness and that increased rents combined with the cost of living is out of reach for many people.

“It's nice to be able to give them a haircut and to give back to them. They're saving €20 and it gives them back a bit of dignity. The local barber added that when you change how someone looks, you change how the person feels about themselves."

Robbie said that the reaction to the video of him cutting John's hair has been “absolutely crazy.” The video now has half a million views on TikTok and over 24,000 likes. He said that there has been a great response from his customers who have praised his 'act of kindness and compassion.'

Robbie believes that getting haircut improves people's overall well-being and self-esteem. “From 15 years of barbering I know how much of a positive impact it can have.” Robbie was blown away by the reaction from people to him providing the simple service. “I didn't think as many people would be in awe. I was very happy with how we communicated.

Robbie is hoping to help the homeless by providing more haircuts in the future but is considering getting in contact with a homeless charity to see what location would be best to provide haircuts. “I'm certainly going to do it again to see if it's feasible to continue.”