Between a 100 and 150 people march through Cork on Saturday evening in one of most buoyant May Day marches in many years. The annual May Day march took the route from Connolly Hall along Patrick Street to Daunt Square.
Between a 100 and 150 people march through Cork on Saturday evening in one of most buoyant May Day marches in many years. The annual May Day march took the route from Connolly Hall along Patrick Street to Daunt Square.
There were banners from the Cork Council of Trade Unions, Householders Against The Service Charges, Workers Solidarity Movement, Socialist Party, Cork Women For Choice and Save The Bog Campaign.
Bring up the rear was the huge and proud banner of Cork’s independent anti-globalisation alliance – this proclaimed "Capitalism Kills".
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After the speeches there was vibrant and a well-attended ‘anti-globalisation’ celebration and protest at Daunt Square.
Among a number speakers, particular support was expressed for a Turkish comrade S. who drew attention to the ongoing political hunger strikes in that country which have, to date, claimed over 30 lives. She called for solidarity and support for the struggle in Turkey.
Also on the same weekend was the Willam Thompson Summer school held in the Firkin Crane centre on the theme ‘Making the Links’.
Sheila Rowbotham gave the annual William Thompson Lecture on ‘Aspects of Emancipation: Self-determination and Women’s Livelihood Protests’
The Saturday morning session was Radical Irish Lives with Rosemary Cullen-Owens on ‘Louie Bennett: pacifist and internationalist, 1915-30’, Donal Ó Drisceoil on ‘Peadar O’Donnell: republicanism, communism and the pursuit of socialism in Ireland’ and John Horgan on ‘Noël Browne: a "refugee from the camp of success"?’
Satruday afternoon saw a session called Class and the ‘Celtic Tiger’ with papers by Kieran Allen on ‘Class polarisation in the Celtic Tiger: the myth of social partnership’ and Des Derwin on ‘ILDA, ALDI, TAXI and ASTI: new rebels, new consensus’
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The Sunday morning session turned out to be well worth getting up for. It was on ‘Community activism and feminist politics’ with Sheelagh Broderick on ‘WACO: Women, Activism, Community – Outcome’ and Cathleen O’Neill on ‘"From wits’ end towards humble beginnings": an activist’s view of community development and politics in Ireland’
The final sessions ‘Globalisation and resistance: making the links’ attracted the largest attendance of the weekend (around 75 people) with three speakers (pictured below). Peter Linebaugh spoke on ‘Historical materialism, indigenous people and the failed republic’ by presenting a story that had arrived in Ireland via the RDS in 1803. Journalist Michael McCaughan spoke on ‘Making the links: the Zapatistas and the global pro-democracy movement’. Laurence Cox spoke on ‘Globalisation from below? – "ordinary people", movements and intellectuals’
WORDS Andrew Flood (Follow Andrew on Twitter )