Dublin Catholic Worker Two years On!

The Sunday before May Day we headed into Temple Bar to help kick off the Speaker’s Corner (Cearno’g na gCainteoiri). The dream of Kila muso Rossa O Snodaigh was finally taking fruition. The initial period was an enjoyable vibe of preaching to the choir of “usual suspects” with small forays into trying to get a 2nd and 3rd soapbox going simultaneously. Then capital fought back, with nearby pub doors wide open and a cover band drowning us out with rebel songs. Someone remarked, ‘isn’t it sad that those songs that one inspired people into action are now about sedation and inspiring no more than the next pint!’ Attempts to negotiate with the bar manager gained only the info. that the band plays to 2 pm when they can start serving alcohol. So it’s a 2 pm start every Sunday from here on in!

The vibe was dissipating under the audio onslaught enhanced by the talented-wired-for-sound-guitar-wielding comedian Dave McSavage busking nearby. We thought it important to hang in and keep the experiment going so we moved nearer to the automatic teller machine, where we were guaranteed a captive audience. When McSavage concluded his crowd turned around and became ours! We were joined in our attempt to go the distance by Rosanna Flynn from “Residents Against Racism” and Smith, a Johnny Depp looking-zen influenced-beatnik rapper. The last hour or so was a different vibe with a circle of innocent bystanders who just happened to be in Temple Bar and a circle with encouraged interjections and moments of debate. Lots of potential here!

The Catholic Worker movement began in a similar setting in 1933 with Peter Maurin reciting his Easy Essays in the Speakers Corner of Union Square on the Lower East Side of New York. Peter’s reflection and analysis met Dorothy Day’s “sure-can-do” activism and our movement was born! Predominantly based in the United States (90 houses), we have communities in Canada, Australia, New Zealand & half a dozen in Europe. (www.catholicworker.org)

We landed in Ireland 2001 when Treena Lenthall formerly of the Liverpool CW took up residence. Treena hooked up with “Reclaim the Streets” and scored work with a homeless charity. I landed in Ireland a couple of days before the 2002 May Day Dame St. Garda Masacreeee when the cops went crazy on a bunch of peaceful folks reclaiming the street. Somehow I ended up on police liaison with Treena at Pearse St. as riot cops ran out of the station, the wounded protesters and bystanders limped in with head and body wounds.  I remember trying to chill out the desk sergeant as he leaped over his desk and threatened to bash us all. His Robo-Cop baton-wielding son was to become a media icon on the street that day. Two years on, there still hasn’t been a satisfactory investigation into the well-televised events of that day.

I was house and dog sitting for a friend who had gone to East Timor for the Independence celebrations and started to get relief work at a shelter for young people using heroin. I began a weekly peace vigil and house liturgy with Mike Schorsm, a Catholic student from US and Buddhist Danny/Situationist Fergus and Action Faction Cathy. In August our profile got lifted with the visit of Fr Dan Berrigan SJ who did a speaking gig for us. 1,000 people turned up. On the strength of this, RTE did a “Would You Believe” documentary and Catholic Anarchist Pacifism had landed on the Irish political landscape (dominated by political parties seemingly distinguished by at which point in history they have accepted the British partition of the island!). We began to meet locals with past U.S CW experiences – Paul & Benny at LACW, Fr Steve & Caoimhe at NYCW, Mary at Milwaulkee CW, Petria at Oregon CW and a lot of folks who had heard something of the tradition.

By the end of 2002 the world was fast tracking to war and the U.S. war machine had transformed the civilian Shannon Airport into a militarised pitstop on its way to the invasion, occupation and plunder of Iraq. In the last two months of 2002 I met Deirdre Clancy, Damien Moran, Nuin Dunlop and was reacquainted with Karen Fallon. By the first week of February 2003 we were all together in Limerick Prison after enfleshing the prophecy of Isaiah “to beat swords into ploughshares” by disarming a U.S. Navy war plane (www.ploughsharesireland.org). The reaction to this action was immense - the government deployed the Irish Army & Navy to secure the airport, three U.S. companies transporting some of the 10,000 troops a month through Ireland pulled out within 3 weeks. It was “warm friends cooling” as the moderate peace movement distanced itself,  and oppressive bail conditions banning us from County Care and demanding we sign on at a Garda station daily were put in place.

The past 15 months have been a Kafkaesque ride though the Irish prison and judicial system as we have awaited trial. It has been a struggle to hang together as a community and to continue to confront Irish complicity in the US/UK war on Iraq. The trial judge ordered the Prosecution to provide evidence in relation to U.S. military flights through Shannon leading up to the outbreak of the bombing campaign on March 20th, 2003. Instead of providing this the Prosecution has initiated a judicial review of the Judge’s order. A manoeuvre that would mean either of two things:  1. The Irish government were so sycophantic and negligent that they didn’t bother collecting this information or 2. They  have got it but don’t wish to be transparent about what weapons are moving through Shannon to Iraq.

On Ash Wednesday 2004 we burnt $US at the Dail marking the entrance with ash and proceeded down to the Aviation Authority which we also marked. We kept a daily vigil outside the Authority throughout Lent. At Easter, Damien and I went to England to complete the 50 mile walk from London to Aldermaston Nuclear Weapons Factory. We kept vigil throughout the night outside the Israeli Embassy as Justin went to Ashkelon prison to welcome the release of Mordechai Vanunu after 18 years incarceration. Each Dublin court appearance is preceded by a peace vigil and walk through town. We continue to celebrate the disarmament with gigs – the next big one with Steve Cooney on June 8th, at Mother Redcaps pub, near Christchurch Cathedral.

Damien, Treena and I have moved into a house in Kimmage to explore CW life and action. We are having a housewarming, mass, music and craic on Peter Maurin’s birthday May 8th, and hope to establish a regular rhythm of liturgy, celebration, reflection and conspiracy! We keep in contact with the homeless through our work with various Agencies. It ain’t perfect but it’s a start.