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Irish Independent
5 days ago
- Business
- Irish Independent
Cork protest attracts hundreds frustrated with housing costs – ‘Everyone was under the same banner'
The Raise the Roof protest was comprised of people from Munster and further afield who made their way to Cork to protest against Ireland's worsening housing crisis. Sinn Féin TD for Cork North Central, Thomas Gould, told The Corkman that those in attendance, despite coming from various backgrounds, marched as one. 'There was a really good crowd and a great cross section of trade unions, opposition parties on the left, some members of the Traveller community as well,' Deputy Gould said. 'Thousands of people marched, and they didn't just march under the tricolour. 'They marched under every flag from different political parties, all the different unions and the Travellers had their flag. 'A lot of people used their voice on the day.' According to the House Price Report for Quarter 2 of 2025, released on Monday, June 23, the average house price in Cork county is €325,999 while the average house price in Cork city is €369,938. In the county, house prices were 12pc higher in Q2 than the same time last year, while city prices increased by 8.6pc in a year. The report stated that house prices in Cork county are 44.4pc higher now compared to before the Covid-19 pandemic. House prices have risen by 32.6pc in Cork city, since before the pandemic. Mr Gould said the figures are 'another blow' for young people and their families. ADVERTISEMENT 'Today's report shows that home ownership is not a viable option in Cork for many of these people either. The price of buying a home is now so far out of the reach of most ordinary people in Cork, they may as well plan for a trip to Mars,' he said. '12 months ago, housing was unaffordable. Today, it is astronomical and entirely out of reach of most people in this state,' he added. Mr Gould said the Raise the Roof protest in Cork has shown the 'fight back' has begun. 'We saw people come out in Cork this weekend to say enough is enough. We need to build on that momentum. We need to offer young people a chance at hope and a future here. They are our future. We cannot continue to wave them off from airports,' he stated. Cork singer Martin Leahy performed at the protest. He performed his song 'Everyone Should Have A Home', which is his own personal protest to the housing crisis. Mr Leahy has performed his song outside the Dáil for the past three years. He described the Cork protest as 'cohesive', and energising. 'It felt very cohesive, and it was great that everyone was under the same banner,' the singer said. 'I felt energised by being there, and it is always good to put [the song] out there in front of people. 'Everything that I would like to say to people, I talk about in my song, so it's always good to play it in front of a crowd.' Mr Leahy has attended and performed at several housing demonstrations over the years, and he said it feels like protesters are 'building towards something'. 'There has been a lot of big protests happening in the last while, and it is great that they are happening,' he said. 'I would love to see them continue because it really does feel like we are building towards something.'
RTÉ News
21-06-2025
- Politics
- RTÉ News
Up to 1,000 people partake in Raise the Roof rally in Cork
Up to 1,000 people took to the streets of Cork this afternoon calling for urgent Government action to end homelessness and the housing crisis. The rally, under the umbrella of the Raise the Roof campaign, followed last Tuesday's protest outside the Dáil in Dublin. The national campaign is organised by a coalition of trade unions and Opposition political parties. Among the unions present were SIPTU, Fórsa, the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation and the Community Action Tenants Union. Joe Kelly of the Cork Council of Trade Unions said it was great to see people coming out in force to demand that there is a change to the housing policy of the Government. "People are very angry. We have workers on all sides of the economy and they are just priced out of housing. People have good jobs and they still can't a roof over their head," he said. TDs and councillors from Sinn Féín, the Green Party, the Labour Party and the Social Democtrats marched as did members of People Before Profit, the Socialist Party, the Irish Traveller Movement and Derelict Ireland. Jude Sherry and Frank O'Connor of Derelict Ireland carried a banner showing dozens of photographs of derelict homes from across the country. Ms Sherry said: "The whole of the country is crumbling. Every town, village and city has vacant and derelict properties in it. "So we have enough homes in Ireland to meet the emergency of getting everyone a home, even just the amount of council homes in the country is enough to ensure there is no child in emergency accommodation or going without a home." Labour Senator Laura Harmon said the State has to step in to build houses. "Something absolutely has to be done, we are losing teachers, gardaí, nurses, key workers from this country because of the housing crisis. I believe the housing crisis is the biggest threat to our economy here in Ireland, we need to treat it like an emergency," she said. Social Demoncrats TD Pádraig Rice said their message is that the Government's housing policy have failed and they need to change, while Sinn Féin's Thomas Gould said the clear message from today's rally is that "we need homes, and we need them now".
Irish Examiner
21-06-2025
- Politics
- Irish Examiner
More than 1,000 march in Cork City to demand urgent action on housing crisis
More than 1,000 people marched in Cork City today, demanding that the government urgently address the housing crisis. The rally followed news that new home construction is at a 10-year low, while rental prices continue to climb beyond the reach of many. The 'Raise the Roof' protest was organised by the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) along with left-wing political parties. Aileen Murphy, a pensioner from Clonmel, Co Tipperary, said she used her free travel pass to attend the march. 'I have the bus pass, so it didn't cost me anything, but I felt I had to be here because I'm worried about the younger generation ever having a home of their own. I'm lucky I have. But if I was stating out today it might be a very different story. We have to worry about the future generation,' she said. Raise the Roof protest macrh against government housing policy at Grand Parade Cork City. on Saturday afternoon. Picture: Larry Cummins Sean Norberd, from Freemount on the Cork/Limerick border, said he came to support young people struggling to find homes, including nurses. Theresa Mehegan from Kanturk said her son has saved a house deposit but can't buy a home due to lack of supply and high demand. He's currently renting shared accommodation in Cork City, but wants to live independently. However, she said he can't afford to do so with the sky-high rents currently being asked. 'Michael Martin would want to stop and think about the damage he's doing to those who can't get their own home,' Ms Mehegan said. Protestors highlight #DERELICT IRELAND at the Raise the Roof protest march against government housing policy at Grand Parade Cork City on Saturday afternoon. Picture: Larry Cummins Amy Lynch from Carrigaline said attendees were sending a message that the government 'can't turn a blind eye anymore' to the housing crisis. Her friend Sarah Murray-Fitzgerald from Bishopstown, attending her first protest, said the housing situation 'is making it hard for young people to survive.' Protesters gathered at the National Monument on Grand Parade at 2pm, but the event was delayed by 20 minutes as some attendees had also joined a separate rally in the city supporting Palestinians. Crowds attending the Raise the Roof protest march against government housing policy at Grand Parade Cork City on Saturday afternoon. Picture: Larry Cummins ICTU's Paul Gavin said many workers now face retiring without owning a home and paying high rents on a meagre pension. He criticised the consistent failure of successive governments to build public housing on public land. Mr Gavin proposed immediate solutions, including restoring the Tenant-In-Situ scheme and imposing an effective tax on owners of vacant or derelict properties to encourage refurbishment. 'There are tens of thousands of these properties across the country that could be brought back into use,' he said. Musician and activist Martin Leahy performs for the crowds at the 'Raise the Roof' protest march against government housing policy at Grand Parade Cork City on Saturday afternoon. Picture: Larry Cummins Fórsa trade union campaigns officer Kevin Donoghue called the housing crisis the 'number one social issue' for union members. He argued the only real solution is to give local authorities the funding and authority to build sufficient social, affordable, and cost-rental housing. Labour TD for Cork North Central Eoghan Kenny described the situation as 'completely unacceptable,' noting that 15,000 people — 5,000 of them children — are homeless. 'Governments have ignored the crisis for over a decade. What is needed now is a State-run construction company as private developers hold the monopoly on house-building,' Mr Kenny said. STOP BLAMING MIGRANTS poster at the Raise the Roof protest march against government housing policy at Grand Parade Cork City on Saturday afternoon. Picture: Larry Cummins Thomas Gould, Sinn Féin TD for the same constituency, said protestors were putting pressure on Taoiseach and "Corkman Micheál Martin" to act. 'There are too many boarded up houses all over the place. There are three generations living together in overcrowded houses because there are not enough being built. All the groups represented at this protest are here to highlight solutions,' he said. Currently, there are more than 300 vacant council houses in Cork City. Protesters later marched a short distance to Cornmarket Street, where more speakers addressed the crowd. The event also featured live music from legendary Cork singer-songwriter John Spillane.
The Journal
21-06-2025
- Politics
- The Journal
Labour TD calls housing crisis 'a national scandal' as protest takes place in Cork today
A TD SAYS the housing crisis is a 'national scandal' affecting young and old ahead of a housing rally taking place in Cork city later this afternoon. An 'All Out for Housing' rally is taking place at the National Monument on Grand Parade at 2pm, as political parties try to mount a public campaign on the issue. Labour TD Eoghan Kenny noted that the average rent in Cork city is now over €2,200 per month, adding that people are at risk of being 'squeezed out' of the private rental sector into homelessness. The 25-year-old Kenny, who was elected to the Dáil for the first time last year at the general election, said the issue affects various groups in different ways. Earlier this week , hundreds of people gathered for a rally outside Leinster House calling for urgent government action on the housing crisis. A challenge facing campaigners is how to capture the public mood in a way that could mobilise similar numbers to the water charges protests or the 'Repeal the 8th' movements of the past decade. Advertisement 'It's difficult to capture every single group and personal story that you have come across, because there's so many different ones,' Kenny told The Journal . 'I suppose the main focus is on the issue of policy – ultimately, the policies of the two main government parties that have been in power for the best part of ten years and the fact that homelessness figures are only increasing, house prices are only increasing,' Kenny said. 'From a very personal point of view on, I'm 25 living at home with my grandmother. Albeit the fact that I'm on a good wage now, the reality for me is over the next five years or so, until I'm at least 30, I probably won't be able to move out home, and that's a difficult position for me to be in.' The 'Raise the Roof' protest in Dublin this week was coordinated by the Irish Congress of Trade Unions. Today's rally is also organised by the Raise the Roof coalition and Kenny hopes that it will help get people out on the streets. 'During the week of 21-27 April of this year, 888 men, women and children were depending on emergency accommodation in Cork and Kerry, 193 of whom were children,' he said. 'We know that it is people squeezed out of the private rental sector who are most vulnerable to entering homelessness. It's a national scandal.' 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
RTÉ News
21-06-2025
- Politics
- RTÉ News
'Combined opposition' to continue for now, but for how long?
The sight of Opposition leaders gathering together on the plinth at Leinster House has become very familiar in recent weeks. The so-called "combined opposition" emerged as a force during the heat of the speaking rights row back in January when the Dáil failed to elect a Taoiseach. Since then, the group has pooled its weight and resources repeatedly to advance issues of mutual interest. In recent weeks, this has included joint motions on Israeli war bonds, the Raise the Roof protest and the support of disability campaigner Cara Darmody. At times, the collective approach has included leaders from Sinn Féin, the Labour Party, the Social Democrats, People Before Profit, Independent Ireland and the Green Party. But what is really going on behind the scenes? One party source said it all flowed from the speakers' rights controversy, but added that it is also an evolution of co-operation in the last Dáil. They said: "It will continue where there are issues of common concern. But each individual party will want to maintain its own identity. "It's quite easy to agree to be against Government at the moment, there will be more nuances and policy differences as the Government goes on." One Sinn Féin TD said he saw real potential for co-operation on the issues of housing and the Middle East and that the move was about "combining and maximising collective strength". And all agree that the overlap with Independent Ireland is limited and they are diametrically opposed on key policy areas. But it is also clear that for Sinn Féin, this is about demonstrating to voters that there is a viable alternative Government - one made up of parties on the left. One party source said this hurt its vote in the last general election. "This is about showing that there is a viable alternative government in the medium term," they said. They point to the presence of Opposition spokespeople on stage at the Raise the Roof protest this week. "The physical presence of us stood together on the platform, that is a powerful symbol for those who want to see more cooperation and a potential alternative," they added. "Looking to the next election, the question is what is the alternative government?" A Social Democrats source also contended that this is partly about offering a realisable option to voters who do not support the current Government. They said: "The dynamic in this Dáil is unique. This is the second Fianna Fáil-Fine Gael government plus independents. These are two parties in decline over time, with a largely older voter base. "Looking to the next election, the question is what is the alternative government? A lot of people say to us that it is good to see you working together and that there appears to be an alternative." But all are clear that individual parties will continue to maintain their own identities and forge unique policies. Some in Labour and the Social Democrats said the whole dynamic has been overstated. A Labour source points out that they have "serious" differences with Sinn Féin on migration, housing and some tax issues. And it is clear that some have concerns about being perceived as tied to Sinn Féin. The Social Democrats has also rebuffed a few suggestions of joint appearances amid concern that the device could be overused. Behind the scenes, there have also been moves to change up the order of speakers at events so that Sinn Féin is not the assumed first speaker. This has been part of a concerted move to ensure Mary Lou McDonald is not seen as the de facto leader. Another source in a smaller party queries Sinn Féin's assertion that it is the "leader of the Opposition", suggesting this is language imported from Westminster where one large opposition party dominates. "Certainly there should not be a situation where Sinn Féin thinks it can call the shots," they said. Some Labour members have also fed back to party leadership that they are not happy with the joint approach on issues. Another source suggested that Sinn Féin has it "totally wrong" if it thinks it can present a picture of an alternative government when there are "sharp differences" between the parties. In response, a Sinn Féin source acknowledged that smaller parties are always worried about being carved up by larger ones. Presidential election a looming test of cohesion A looming test of cohesion is the bid for the combined left to nominate a joint candidate for the presidency. Smaller parties see this as a crucial decision point for Sinn Féin as it has the numbers to select its own person if it wishes. Some Sinn Féin TDs have privately suggested the party should not run its own candidate as they believe the position is not winnable for one of its politicians But another source said that fielding a party person would present the opportunity to "frame the debate", particularly on its core issue of a united Ireland. Although they add that they are aware there would be "consequences" if the party did badly. And it is not all harmony. A Labour source said he has picked up some disquiet from individuals who could run as a civil society candidate but who do not wish to be jointly nominated by Sinn Féin. Overall, there are mixed views as to how long the combined opposition will last. One source said they could not predict what would happen in a year, but it would continue for now. Another contends that disharmony will be rife as it gets closer to election time. For now though, many of the Opposition parties feel it is a useful device to combine strengths and make a bigger impact.
