This afternoon.

Dublin city centre

Scenes from the Raise the Roof march to protest the housing crisis from from Parnell Square to O’Connell Street followed by a rally outside the GPO featuring performers including Damien Dempsey (above).

Rollingnews

Above from left:  Orla O’Connor (Director, National Women’s Council of Ireland), Sheila Nunan (President, Irish Congress of Trade Unions) Anthony Flynn (Inner City Helping Homeless) and Colm O’Halloran (Vice President, Dublin, Union of Students in Ireland)

This afternoon.

Mansion House, Dublin 2

Members of the Raise the Roof umbrella group launch a major Housing Conference and Spring street protests for Cork and Galway.

Anthony Flynn, a founder member of Inner City Helping Homeless and representative of the National Homeless & Housing Coalition, said:

“The motion that was passed in the Dáil in October to implement a Right to Housing, as well as action against evictions and increases in rental prices across the country, hasn’t yet been implemented by government.

We intend to take the Raise the Roof campaign across the country as the homeless and housing crisis impacts everyone, from students looking for accommodation to pensioners evicted from the private rental market. This is a national emergency with 4,000 children living in emergency accommodation.

While official homeless figures sit just under the 10,000 mark we know that the real figure is much higher and with 50,000 mortgages in arrears we need immediate action from the government before the situation worsens – and we need the people of Ireland to join us in demanding a fairer country for all.”

Raise The Roof campaign planning protests to build up to major mobilisation over housing crisis (Irish Examiner)

Rollingnews

This morning.

Leinster House, Kildare Street, Dublin 2

The launch of a cross-party private members’ motion on the housing and homeless crisis supported by Sinn Féin, People Before Profit, Solidarity, The Social Democrats, The Green Party, Labour, Independents for Change and Independent members of the Oireachtas.

An ICTU-led ‘Raise the Roof: Homes for All’ rally” will take place outside the Dáil on October 3 at 12.30pm coinciding with a debate  on the motion in the Dáil.

Raise the Roof Rally

Leah Farrell/RollingNews