A Dublin tattoo studio is aiming to make its mark on the city's homelessness and drug abuse issues this Christmas.

Dublin Ink is offering a special 'LifeLine' tattoo to customers - with "every last Euro" going to Merchants Quay Ireland.

In a post online, the Temple Bar studio urged the public to get involved, get tattooed or simply donate to the cause.

This morning, Dublin Ink manager Danielle Robinson said the recent homeless deaths in Dublin have highlighted the need for greater supports:

"Homelessness seems to come a light around Christmas time when it starts getting a lot colder," she said.

"It is a prime topic in Ireland at the moment, so we wanted to see if we could help out a little bit."

Ms Robinson said the LifeLine symbol, "represents humanity" adding that "a heartbeat is something that belongs to all of us."

"The main thing is trying to help people who've been pushed out by society," she said.

"We are all human, we all have a heartbeat and we should all be helping each other out."

The tattoo will be offered to customers on December 22nd for a 'minimum price' of €40 - with all proceeds going to the charity.

Ms Robinson said there will be up to seven artists at the studio on the day and they will be tattooing customers on a first-come-first-served basis.

The event runs between 11am and 6pm on December 22nd, with an evening of celebratory drinks and music to follow.

With reporting from Niall Colbert ...