'Shame on this government': Raise the Roof housing protest takes place outside Leinster House
|
39 mins ago
HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE have gathered for a rally outside Leinster House this evening calling for urgent government action on the housing crisis.
The 'Raise the Roof' protest on Molesworth Street was coordinated by the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, which has described the crisis as 'the greatest political failure of our time'.
The protest is supported by most opposition parties.
People Before Profit's Paul Murphy says today's Raise the Roof housing protest outside the Dáil has to be a launchpad for further action.
'We cannot wait for the next election, we cannot wait until there are 20,000 homeless people.'
@thejournal_ie
pic.twitter.com/RgMFlzMel6
— Jane Matthews (@janeematthews)
June 17, 2025
Flags for the opposition parties, as well as a number of trade union groups, could be seen among the crowd this afternoon.
A number of opposition leaders and TDs addressed the crowd, including Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald, Labour leader Ivana Bacik, Social Democrats TD Rory Hearne and People Before Profit TD Paul Murphy,
who arrived back in Ireland from Egypt earlier today
.
People gather outside Leinster House today for the protest
Alamy Stock Photo
Alamy Stock Photo
The rally is timed to coincide with a private members' motion tabled by opposition parties in the Dáil, which calls for emergency action on the housing and homelessness crisis – including increased investment in public housing, action to protect private renters, and a reintroduction of the ban on no-fault evictions.
Advertisement
The protest also featured speeches and performances by folk singer Lisa O'Neill, punk singer Meryl Streek, writer and artist Veronica Dyas, folk singers Jimi Cullen and Martin Leahy.
Musician Meryl Streek kicked off the protest with a performance of his song about the housing crisis 'If This is Life'
#RaisetheRoof
@thejournal_ie
pic.twitter.com/8brPuq7GpY
— Jane Matthews (@janeematthews)
June 17, 2025
Speaking at the protest, Mary Lou McDonald said: 'We are here because we are sick and tired of the housing emergency.'
'Look to the hostels and the B&Bs in this city and beyond and what do you see? Children who in their childhood call a hostel or a B&B home. Shameful.
'I grew up in the 1980s and this city was poor, we battled with a drug epidemic, with poverty, with mass emigration, with unemployment.
'But I tell you, we didn't see the like of that.
'I never thought that I could feel so much shame here in this city that I love when people are sleeping in doorways and in tents and on the banks of canals, and somehow that has been normalised. Shame. Shame on a government that normalises homelessness at that scale,' she said.
The protest comes shortly after opposition TDs
accused the government of implementing changes that will lead to rent hikes for tenants
.
Mary Lou McDonald told Taoiseach Micheál Martin that incoming changes to the rental sector will be a 'blueprint to boost the profit of the big boys and to screw over renters'.
Ivana Bacik also asked Martin when the government will 'take political responsibility for the housing crisis', and said that Labour does not support a 'hollowed out version' of Rent Pressure Zones 'that offer no real protections for renters.'
With reporting from Jane Matthews
Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone...
A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article.
Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation.
Learn More
Support The Journal
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Extra.ie
3 hours ago
- Extra.ie
Domestic violence register to be made publicly available
The Justice Minister has assured the family of the late Jennifer Poole the new domestic violence register will be publicly available. He also said the legislation around it will be known as 'Jennie's Law' in her honour. understands that under the current draft amendment to the Domestic Violence Act, the new register will be published for the public to access once a victim consents to their abuser being named. While Department of Justice officials are working through potential data protection complications, the amendment presented to the Poole family has been cleared by the attorney general. If passed, the amendment will go further than legislation backed by Fianna Fáil in the last Dáil term, which required gardaí to act as middlemen. The Justice Minister has assured the family of the late Jennifer Poole that the new domestic violence register will be publicly available. Pic: Gareth Chaney/Collins Photos A source close to Jim O'Callaghan reaffirmed the Justice Minister's preference for the register to be made public but noted that the GDPR concern must be resolved before the amendment's final wording can be nailed down. They added it is unlikely the provision will be brought forward to Cabinet before the summer recess, with autumn pinpointed as a more realistic timeframe. Legislation was proposed in the last Dáil by the family of Ms Poole, who was 24 when she was killed by her former partner in 2021. The law, which was supported by Fianna Fáil, called for the establishment of a register whereby gardaí could alert the public if their partners had previously been convicted of sexual violence – but only when asked. Jennifer Poole was unaware that Gavin Murphy, her ex-partner, who murdered her, had a history of abusive behaviour. Pic: Collins Courts Jennifer Poole was unaware Gavin Murphy, her ex-partner who murdered her, had a history of abusive behaviour. Her family only learned he had several convictions – including two years for attacking a former partner and her mother with a knife in 2015 – when he was being tried for her murder. Jennifer's brother, Jason Poole, welcomed the progression of the legislation and said that the register will be made publicly available. 'My family will never get justice for Jennie's death… we will never get Jennie back, but now other people could be saved because of this register. This will be Jennie's legacy,' Mr Poole said. He praised Mr O'Callaghan for his work on the law, but acknowledged concerns around data protection must be teased out. 'I do have faith that this will be approved by Cabinet in the autumn,' he said. It comes as the minister told the Dáil that 'repulsive' social media content directed at young men is 'driving' an increase in domestic violence across Ireland. Jennifer's brother Jason Poole welcomed the progression of the legislation and said that the register will be made publicly available. Pic: TG4 The Dublin Bay South TD said the Government must be alive to the volume of 'completely malign' images, videos and narratives boys are being 'exposed' to online. Mr O'Callaghan committed to establishing a new register for offenders of serious sexual assault in February, noting: 'We publish a list of tax offenders, but not for people convicted of rape.' He said at the time it is 'incomprehensible' the only way the public learns of convictions of 'serious indictable offences in this country… is through a journalist being present in the court or a victim waiving anonymity'. A source in the Department of Justice at the time said the minister was working towards a publicly available list but warned that the proposal may be struck down. Subsequent reports cast doubt on the register being published, stating information would only be disclosed to carefully selected members of the public in very specific circumstances. The Justice Minister has assured the family of the late Jennifer Poole that the new domestic violence register will be publicly available. Pic: Leah Farrell/© Speaking to senior sources said that this information was 'inaccurate'. They confirmed the attorney general had signed off on a draft amendment presented to the Poole family, paving the way for the list to be publicly available. The source noted that Department of Justice officials were discussing any potential issues relating to data protection, which will be teased out in the coming weeks. They said that victims must consent to their abusers being included on the register before they are added and that safeguards will be implemented to ensure anonymity of victims. The source also confirmed that while it is not possible in Ireland to formally name a piece of legislation after an individual on the statute books, the legal provision, when passed, will be referred to as 'Jennie's Law'. 'It is unlikely the Domestic Violence Act amendment will go to Cabinet for approval before the summer recess – it will be included in a Miscellaneous Bill, similar to the sex for rent laws, so there are a lot of moving parts there. It will likely be brought forward in the autumn,' they said. Fears surfaced in May 2023 that the proposed Bill could be shelved after legal advice to the Department of Justice warned of 'a number of legal, policy and resource implications to the introduction of a DVDS [Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme] which require careful consideration.' Documents obtained by a newspaper show the plans to log convicts 'invokes constitutional and fair procedures rights'. Concerns reignited earlier this year when the register was omitted from the Programme for Government. It comes after the latest Women's Aid annual report revealed the highest number of complaints in 50 years. It highlighted increased reports of all forms of abuse against women last year, with physical abuse up 22%; sexual abuse up 30%; emotional abuse up 15%; and economic abuse up 5%. Mr O'Callaghan said the fact 32,144 contacted Women's Aid in 2024 is 'very concerning'. He said the revelation 44% of women who were in touch with the organisation were not satisfied with the response they got in the first instance from gardaí 'indicates there is an issue in ensuring gardaí are suitably and adequately qualified in responding to the scourge of domestic violence'. The Fianna Fáil minister said last week that a rise in the number of domestic violence victims who feel like they can come forward is playing a role in the rise in reported instances. But he said higher levels of violence against women is also fuelling it. 'It is probably an alignment of both, I regret to say,' he said. 'The increase in violence against women seems to be driven from the completely malign and repulsive presentation on social media to young men and boys as to how relationships should develop. We need to keep an eye on what is happening with boys and young men owing to what they are being exposed to online.' However, Mr O'Callaghan also said 'the attitude of society, politics and people in this House to domestic violence has changed remarkably… There is strong resistance to tolerating it any further', he said. Rachel Morrogh, chief of the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre, said that as a frontline service, it 'sees the downstream effects of [social media] in the form of additional psychological and physical violence that is carried out alongside sexual violence against our clients'. She said to tackle the 'epidemic' of sexual violence, the Government must view social media as a threat to public health. 'Research shows that algorithms which drive these platforms too often promote toxic, misogynistic, and harmful content that distorts reality and fuels violence, abuse, and fear,' she said. 'Our Government has put public health above commercial interests by tightly regulating the tobacco and alcohol industries…We must take the same approach to social media as they do to other harm-causing industries and bring in tight regulations. 'This requires them to be much braver and tougher by putting in place meaningful measures that shut off harmful content.'
The Journal
10 hours ago
- The Journal
Quiz: How well do you remember the career of Michael Madsen?
IT WAS ANNOUNCED this week that Michael Madsen, who starred in a number of Quentin Tarantino films, passed away at the age of 67. While his acting credits span four decades, Madsen was perhaps most famous for his role in Reservoir Dogs and Kill Bill. Advertisement Let's take a look back at his life and some of his starring roles, and see how many you can remember. In Reservoir Dogs, what song played during Mr Blonde's iconic ear-cutting scene? Alamy Stock Image Stuck in the Middle with You - Stealers Wheel Go Your Own Way - Fleetwood Mac Cruel to be Kind - Nick Lowe You Can Never Tell - Chuck Berry In Free Willy, Madsen played Glen Greenwood. What was the name of his on-screen son? Alamy Stock Image Jack William Jesse Ben Madsen portrayed Joe Gage in The Hateful Eight. Spoiler alert: Joe Gage was just an alias. What was the character's real name? Alamy Stock Image Simon Moore Grouch Douglas John Berry Noel Murphy What was Budd's codename in Kill Bill: Vol 2? Alamy Stock Image Sidewinder Snake Charmer Cottonmouth California Mountain Snake What James Bond film did Madsen appear in alongside Pierce Brosnan? Alamy Stock Image GoldenEye Tomorrow Never Dies The World is Not Enough Die Another Day Who did Madsen play in Donnie Brasco? Alamy Stock Image Lefty Sonny Bruno Nicky Madsen voiced Toni Cipriani in which edition of video game Grand Theft Auto? Alamy Stock Image Grand Theft Auto III Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Grand Theft Auto IV Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas Who did Madsen portray in Tarantino's Once Upon a Time in Hollywood? Alamy Stock Image A judge A spy An actor A sheriff What was Madsen's first acting credit? Alamy Stock Image The Natural Against All Hope WarGames Thelma and Louise True or false: Mr. Blonde's Cadillac Coupe de Ville actually belonged to Michael Madsen Alamy Stock Image True False Answer all the questions to see your result! Alamy Stock Image You scored out of ! You're an expert Full marks - well done Share your result: Share Tweet Alamy Stock Image You scored out of ! You know your stuff You nearly got full marks - good job Share your result: Share Tweet Alamy Stock Image You scored out of ! You did well You're halfway there Share your result: Share Tweet Alamy Stock Image You scored out of ! You did okay You got a few questions right Share your result: Share Tweet Alamy Stock Image You scored out of ! Really? Better luck next time Share your result: Share Tweet Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
The Journal
17 hours ago
- The Journal
Minister Patrick O'Donovan thought he might die after collapsing in the Dáil
MINISTER PATRICK O'DONOVAN has said he thought he might by dying during an epileptic episode in Leinster House two years ago. He said he was 'terrified' when he collapsed in an aggressive fit while speaking in the Dáil chamber in June 2023. He said today that, at the time, he did not know whether he was going to live or die. O'Donovan, who recently revealed to the Sunday Independent that he has a photo sensitivity that manifests itself into epilepsy, elaborated on the experience on the Anton Savage Show on Newstalk. The Arts Minister said he was revealing his disability following criticism around his level of participation at cultural events. While speaking in the Dáil chamber, he said he started to feel the sensations in his body 'beginning to go' and he started stuttering 'really badly'. Advertisement While he has had a stutter on occasion since childhood, he added: 'But this was a really bad one. 'And the next thing, before I knew where I was, all of the power in my limbs was beginning to leave me.' The situation deteriorated by the second and he ended up lying down on one of the Government benches. 'I could hear everything but I couldn't see anything and I couldn't speak and I had no sensation anywhere.' Asked if he thought there was a chance he was dying, he said: 'Yeah, I did. I thought this one was so big and was lasting so long, it was so violent and aggressive, that they couldn't get it under control.' O'Donovan added: 'I've often jokingly said at home that I thought I was going to be a table quiz question: 'Who was the first TD to die in the Dáil chamber?'' The minister said he had lived with the condition for years without it being diagnosed, suffering a number of episodes. He said it felt like the 'bottom had fallen out' of his world when he was eventually diagnosed, but the confirmation also came with a sense of relief: 'I always knew there was something physically wrong with me, as did my wife, because I could feel it.'
