One of the country’s longest-ever protests, the weekly Ballyhea No To Bondholder Bailout protest, reached a landmark 100 last weekend and was marked by huge turnouts at a meeting in Charleville Park Hotel on Saturday evening and marches in Ballyhea and Charleville on Sunday. The group have diligently marched each week, alternating between Ballyhea and Charleville. every Sunday since March 6th 2011, against what they see as the immoral, unjust imposition of bank debt on the shoulders of the people of the country. The weekly protest, organised by local man Diarmuid O’Flynn, has grown as the weeks and months have gone by and last Sunday probably represented one of the biggest marches with protesters descending on the area from long distances.
Proceedings got under way on Saturday night when up to 400 people crowded into Charleville Park Hotel to hear the views of some heaveyweights of Irish life. Among the speakers were
Michael Taft, Constantin Gurdgiev, Luke Ming Flanagan T.D., Declan Ganley, Peter Matthews T.D. and others.
The following day, huge crowds braved very inclement weather and assembled in Ballyhea and Charleville and marched in protest. It will be business as usual this weekend when march number 101 takes place at Ballyhea at 11.30 a.m.