DAOINE
The foireann today was Bróna, Órla, Seán, Diarmuid, joined later by Steve.
A lot of youth signing today. The annual Pride march was on in town so of course the city centre was really busy. Not so long ago the Irish state was far from “cherishing the children of the nation equally” and even further from guaranteeing “civil and religious freedom” as laid out in the 1916 Proclamation. Two Republican lesbian couples had to keep it quiet in their day, though they risked their lives in the national struggle and fought hard for working people. It has taken many years, many struggles, sacrifices and suffering to even get to where we are today – as a poster declared in Moore Street: “PRIDE IS A PROTEST”. In our history also, every commemoration implies a protest also and here in Moore Street on a Saturday we are in our seventh year and 405th week.
We nearly used the last of our leaflets today and shall be putting in an order for a reprint. It will be a reprint rather than issue no.5 or 6, given that we don’t have our techie around to do a new design for us and also because we don’t have much of an update to call for a different text.
We had Pride supporters sign our petition today, along with people from Belfast and from near Manchester but who are living in Dublin now. People from Manchester are called “Mancunians” which is interesting, given that the Irish for the city is “Manchuin”, as we were telling them. They were very much against the speculator’s plan and even the location and design of the ILAC shopping centre (which arguably began the destruction of the street market area there). Also a couple from Larne, who signed the petition too.
We were passed running by a man with a bundle, chased by a Dealz security guard who caught up with him in Henry Place. There an energetic tug-of-war ensued for some time until some people from outside the African hairdressers’ there intervened, the security guard got the item back and was escorted by the Africans back to the shop (presumably to prove that the security guard was on the level). From what we could see, everyone involved was of migrant background – except the thief, who seemed Irish by appearance and accent.
Supporters from Kildare dropped into us so that a primary school boy could present us with a project he had completed at school and home. The work was a collection of excerpts from witness statements – two observers, a male and a female, along with a male fighter who surrendered from Moore Street. We were honoured to be presented with the folder and of course it is great to see such interest and conviction in the youth, to whom we must bequeath the struggle.
AIMSIR
We had a brief cith (shower) but that was all on a grianmhar but gaofar day (the kind where we get sunburned without noticing).
UPDATES
We are STILL WAITING FOR THE O’RAHILLY MONUMENT SIGNPOST TO BE REPLACED.
Dublin City Planning Department, from which the senior manager approved two Hammerson planning applications, has asked the speculator to reply to objections regarding the third application. The issue is the planned height of hotel and other buildings which would block the sunlight from the eastward-facing balconies of the block of apartments at the north-west end of Moore Street (across from the Lidl supermarket etc). High or low, it’s all bad.
Meanwhile, as we reported recently, An Bord Pleanála has notified us of their extension of their deliberations on our appeals until perhaps August.
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