Over 600 generous taxi drivers turned off their meters today to ferry over 2,000 children with special needs around the capital.
Hundreds of eager children and carers milled around Dublin's Parnell Square hoping to meet pop star Samantha Mumba and the American R 'n' B singer Sisqo as they launched the cavalcade of taxis.
Dillon McMahon (10), from Clondalkin in Dublin, said: "Samantha signed my T-shirt. I couldn't breathe it was so exciting."
The 44th Dublin Taxi Drivers Special Children's Outing collected people from over forty centres around the Capital for a day of festivities at Leopardstown Racecourse.
Ms Mumba said her boyfriend Sisqo, who shot to success with The Thong Song, had just travelled straight to Parnell Square from the airport for the event.
The 21-year-old singer said: "It is amazing it is a much bigger deal than I ever realised. It is a wonderful event for the kids the atmosphere is great. My speech was a little bit last minute but the crowd were fantastic." The US singer added: "It is great for the kids."
Mr Tom Colgan, who has been organising the event for 25 years, said it had first started when a woman travelling in a taxi told the driver her child rarely went on an outing.
The taxi driver gathered together a few drivers and they took just five or six children out for the day.
Mr Colgan said: "In the last 25 years it has grown from around 250 to 300 kids to today. "It has been getting bigger and better every year."
Dublin's Lord Mayor Michael Conaghan waved off the hundreds of beeping taxi drivers en route to Club 92 in Leopardstown, as the Garda Band from the Phoenix Park led the cavalcade into the city centre.
Mr Conaghan said: "The whole city owe a debt of gratitude to the taxi drivers for the event. They are giving up a days work and a lot of their time. "It has become a tradition."
PA