Times Large Scale Protests & Collective Action Made A Difference In Ireland

PROTESTING is famously a dirty word in Ireland but collective action and community led demands for reforms and societal change influence policy making and positive outcomes for ordinary people.

As a reminder of how powerful peaceful, targeted and sustained protests can be, here is some of the most stirring examples ever seen in Ireland:

Abortion

Even if the system is on the verge of collapse according to experts tasked with contributing to a report on the implementation of legislation, and conservative ‘pro-life’ organisations remain committed to reversing the outcome through stealthy lobbying of politicians, protests staged over the years made the repealing of the 8th amendment possible.

Fredo bars

OK, the price still continues to rise but who can forget the €300mn worth of damage caused during the riots.

Brian McFadden

Vigilance and constant large scale protests are key to keeping ‘McFadden rejoins Westlife’ headlines a work of fiction.

Housing

Protests advocating for solutions to Ireland’s housing crisis has definitely given investment funds, developers and the government a good chuckle.

Eastenders’ recasting Ben Mitchell again

“18 different actors is enough” went the chants and so far it seems the BBC has listened.