DAOINE
Bróna, Orla and Diarmuid were the foireann Saturday and Eileen dropped in to say hello and to wish us a Nollaig shona.
Daniel, nephew to Orla and son to Eileen, died during the previous week and we included a photo taken of him last December with his son, his aunt and his mother in Moore Street. Daniel’s funeral service was on Monday and his activism with us for a number of months on a weekly basis was mentioned in his eulogy by Eileen at his funeral service to a crowded church.
As usual we had conversations with people about the status of the campaign, about Irish history etc, along with relatives of people who worked in Moore Street or who fought in the 1916 Rising or War of Independence.
One of the latter was Deiric Ó Maoldomhnaigh, great great grand-nephew of Helena Molony, suffragist, actress at the Abbey, trade union organiser, editor of revolutionary newspaper, founder-member of the Irish Republican women’s organisation Cumann na mBan and 1916 Rising fighter in the Irish Citizen Army. Moloney was the surviving commanding officer of the ICA detachment that captured Dublin City Hall, a garrison that was 50% female.
Helena Moloney had a close enough connection to the Moore Street area, being born at 8 Coles Lane, off Moore Street (now buried under the ILAC shopping centre), to Michael Molony, a grocer, and Catherine McGrath. Her mother died early in Helena’s life. Later
Molony was Editor of Bean na hÉireann, Secretary of the Irish Women Workers Union, Manager of the Shirt Factory in Liberty Hall, the second female president of the Irish Trades Union Congress and remained active in the republican cause during the 1930s, particularly with the Women’s Prisoner’s Defence League and the People’s Rights Association.
Molony had a relationship with Bulmer Hobson (IRB officer and, with Markievicz, founder of the Republican youth organisation Na Fianna Éireann) but from the 1930s, Molony was in a relationship with doctor Eveleen O’Brien, with whom she lived until her death in 1967.
A man who was a relative of traditional fresh fruit & vegetable stall-holder Annie Delaney on the street was Stephen Callaghan who brought his children by with his wife, originally from the Czech Republic. Annie Delaney’s stall was up near Hanlon’s fishmonger’s, which is now gone, like most fishmonger’s shops in Dublin. Not many of the traditional stalls remain since the children of the stall holders do not seem to wish to take up the trade but thankfully the newer stalls bring a lot of life to the street from Wednesday to Saturday.
A man dropped by talking about a new political party (perhaps not created yet) which had the words “Kingdom” next to “Republican”. When asked was there not a contradiction between the two words, given that Republicans are (or at least supposed to be) against monarchy, he muttered something and walked off.
EILE
Some of the new market stalls were missing from the street this Saturday, also the tables and benches, apparently because of high winds expectation. But you’d think they could organise to overcome that problem?
Santa Claus appeared on the street, supported our campaign and danced with a Santa Helper to some live traditional Irish music played by pixies; took a turn at a guitar himself.
UASDHÁTÚ
As of last week: “We have no information on whether Hammerson made an appearance at the High Court in pursuance of their complaint that Dublin City Councillors have “interfered with their planning permission” by recognising a number of buildings in the Moore Street area as of historical preservation importance.
“We will be pursuing this matter with the Legal Department of Dublin City Council which is a public entity and answerable to the citizens rather than a private legal firm or supposed to be a friend to property developers.”
AIMSIR
It was a lá Geimhridh ach bog go leor and though the wind set our leaflets flying a couple of times, the threatening rain stayed off.
