O'Connell Street in Dublin, site of the beginning of the Easter Rising 90 years ago this year, witnessed violent scenes of a different sort today as youths throwing missiles and chanting pro-IRA slogans faced lines of gardaí in riot gear outside the GPO, writes Elaine Edwards
Several hundred people gathered this morning at Upper O'Connell Street and the south side of Parnell Square to protest against a planned march through the city by unionist groups under the banner of FAIR (Families Acting for Innocent Relatives).
From around noon, it was evident the planned parade, which was to include loyalist bands, would not pass off peacefully. The atmosphere was tense and very ugly. Men roared abuse up Parnell Square, where the unionist would-be marchers were gathered out of sight. The sound of marching band drums could be heard from around the corner though.
"Remember Bloody Sunday", read one huge handwritten banner held aloft by four youths wearing scarves around their faces.
There was a heavy presence of mainly youths and men claiming republican ties. Some of those gathered carried printed placards bearing the names of people who died just a short distance away in the Dublin and Monaghan bombings more than 30 years ago.
Some of the young men wore tricolours around their shoulders and scarves around their faces to mask their identities. One, face covered, raised two middle fingers to this reporter as she took a photograph of him.
A protester at Parnell Square
"Love Ulster - All 9 Counties", one handwritten placard read. Another said: "Hundreds of nationalists killed by loyalist death squads in collusion with the British state."
An ireland.comreporter asked a garda for permission to access the north side of Parnell Square in order to speak to the unionist marchers, but was told to move on.
Ironically, the first of the protesters to whom ireland.comspoke, was a New Yorker studying in Dublin. He said he had come because he was "opposed to sectarian causes". "I think it's ridiculous that they can march through here after everything that's gone on in Northern Ireland and Ireland in general. How terrorists can march through Ireland's capital," said Tim Putzke.
"I'm here to demonstrate, to show my solidarity with the rest of the Republican people," said Denis Murphy, who identified himself as "a member of the IRSP - the Irish Republican Socialist Party".
Asked whether he thought many people in Dublin were bothered by the proposed Love Ulster march, he said those who weren't were "the non-thinking people".
Denis Murphy, protester
Mr Murphy said he had relatives who had been injured in the Troubles. "And we never got an interview with The Irish Times, ever," he said.
Another man with a strong Dublin accent, wearing a tricolour, said the proposed unionist march was "a bloody disgrace". "Do you think we would be allowed march up in Portadown? Civil rights? It's a bleedin' disgrace. I'm going mad standing here. The people of the Six Counties are getting walked on for years."
As he spoke to , whistles were blown and an ominous roar went up in the crowd. The man ran off shouting "this is it, let's go lads". "Up the Continuity IRA," someone shouted.
From then, the scenes became uglier. Men threw missiles, including glasses and bottles, at gardaí. The small number of gardai in riot gear attempting to corral what was initially a small group of rioters at the Parnell Street corner of Upper O'Connell Street, was quickly supplemented with reinforcements.
Before long, the capital's main street was in chaos. Much of the upper end of the street had been, in any case, a building site, as improvement works have been ongoing. Skips full of the usual building site debris, including pieces of wood and plastic piping, provided ready-made missiles for the rioters.
An elderly woman speaks to a line of gardai in riot gear near the GPO
Steel fencing and crush barriers were trampled to the ground as the riot moved down O'Connell Street in a slow wave, pushed forward by the gardai in riot gear. Dozens of uniformed gardai remained behind their colleagues and some made arrests, handcuffing youths before leading them off to Garda vans.
Bottles and pieces of what appeared to be broken street tiling were thrown at gardai and over the lines of riot shields, causing bystanders, journalists and photographers to run for cover.
The riot squad lined up along side streets, including Cathal Brugha Street, Henry Street and Princes Street, next to the GPO. It appeared in some cases this was to prevent the rioters moving down those streets, but also to keep members of the public attempting to go about their normal Saturday business out of the violence.
"We haven't done anything. Why are you here?" one elderly woman protested to a line of riot shields across Princes Street. "It's for your own protection," the garda responded.
One garda indicated he believed extra gardai were being drafted in from Louth and Meath to cut the rioters off at the bottom of O'Connell Street. However, the rampaging crowd reached the bridge and began to disperse, up Westmoreland Street and to the south side of the city, towards Kildare Street and Leinster House, where a unionist delegation had been due to meet Minister for Justice Michael McDowell.
Gardai in riot gear remained in a line across O'Connell Street at the junction of Abbey Street and the scene became confused. The street is strewn with debris. Shops and businesses in the capital's main street were nearly all shuttered for what is traditionally their busiest time of the week.