Ballyhea Says No

Ballyhea Says No was a protest movement[1] based in the north County Cork townland and parish of Ballyhea. Each week after 11 AM Sunday Mass,[2] and between Sunday 6 March 2011 (the weekend after the general election that overturned years of Fianna Fáil rule and brought a Fine Gael-Labour coalition to power) and Sunday 8 March 2020 when the final protest march took place, residents protested against the bailout of unidentified bondholders by the Irish state.[3][4]

A prominent spokesperson for the movement was its founder, sportswriter Diarmuid O'Flynn, creator of the Bondwatch blog[5] in which he documented bank bailout payments as they happened. Among those to have offered their public support for the ideals of the movement were the economists Constantin Gurdgiev and Stephen Kinsella,[6] as well a numerous other public figures.[7][8][9][10][11]

History

On 1 November 2011, members of the protest movement created a human roadblock on the main Cork-Limerick road against the following day's payment of a US$1 billion Anglo Irish Bank bond.[12] In May 2012, the Fine Gael TD Áine Collins stirred controversy when she claimed at a private meeting with people representing the movement (also her constituents) that she found it difficult to live on €140,000 a year.[13]

On 18 September 2012, the people of Ballyhea arrived at Leinster House in Dublin where they met with Sinn Féin finance spokesperson Pearse Doherty. Independent TDs John Halligan and Luke 'Ming' Flanagan marched along with them through Dublin.[11] On 27 January 2013, the people of Ballyhea held their 100th march.[14][7]

On 27 March 2013, protestors from Ballyhea and neighbouring Charleville arrived in Brussels to meet members of the European Parliament's Economic and Monetary Affairs committee, including chairman Sharon Bowles.[15] On 2 March 2014, Diarmuid O'Flynn announced at a march to mark the third anniversary of the campaign that he would run as a South constituency candidate in the 2014 European Parliament election.[16][9]

In addition, marches were held in solidarity throughout Ireland, as far away as Falcarragh in County Donegal.[17]

The final march took place on 8 March 2020.[18]

Media coverage

The persistence of the villagers, who carried a banner each week declaring: "Ballyhea says NO! to bond-holder bailout", led to increased attention from international media.[19][20][21] By the 100th week of the event, the protest movement had attracted the attention of international media, including Aftenposten, Al Jazeera and The Washington Post, with camera crews travelling from as far as Australia, France, Germany and Korea.[7][2] Der Tagesspiegel said that in Ballyhea "beats the heart of the Irish resistance."[10]

The lack of media coverage given to the movement in Ireland itself was noted both at home and abroad, with some publications choosing not to refer to it at all.[22][23] However, such was the association between this place and the word "no", that it was used when referring to other events relating to Ballyhea.[24]

Michael Clifford wrote that Ballyhea was the "conscience of a nation".[6] Eoghan MacConnell of the Westmeath Independent cited Ballyhea as a fine example of "the people of Ireland tak[ing] to the streets to voice their discontent".[25] Wrote Fintan O'Toole in The Irish Times: "Theirs is a dignified, persistent and good-humoured protest against the bailout of bank bondholders that has had such profound consequences for Ireland. Theirs is a voice from an Ireland that is not yet vanquished: an Ireland that values common sense and basic justice."[26] Wrote Gene Kerrigan in the Sunday Independent: "When the history of this ignoble little era is written, Ballyhea will be a byword for honour."[27]

References
  1. Gubbins, Eoin (24 November 2014). "Ming appointment for Ballyhea protest founder O'Flynn". Irish Examiner. Archived from the original on 19 March 2015. Retrieved 24 November 2014.
  2. Browne, Bill (31 January 2013). "'Ballyhea says no' goes global: Village protest makes news around the world". The Corkman. Retrieved 31 January 2013.
  3. O'Flynn, Diarmuid (18 July 2012). "We won't stop marching until the ECB returns Ireland's money". TheJournal.ie. Archived from the original on 19 March 2015. Retrieved 18 July 2012.
  4. O'Flynn, Diarmuid (2014). "The Background to Ballyhea says No". Archived from the original on 19 March 2015.
  5. Bondwatch blog
  6. Clifford, Michael (12 May 2014). "Diarmuid O'Flynn is the hurler on the pitch for protest votes". Irish Examiner. Archived from the original on 18 March 2015. Retrieved 12 May 2014.
  7. Baker, Noel (28 January 2013). "100th march and Ballyhea remains defiant". Irish Examiner. Archived from the original on 19 March 2015. Retrieved 28 January 2013.
  8. "Lord Henry Mountcharles has something to say about Slane, the G8 summit and Taoiseach Enda Kenny". Mirror. 21 June 2013. Archived from the original on 19 March 2015. Retrieved 21 June 2013.
  9. Freyne, Patrick (19 May 2014). "Underdog candidates at a disavantage (sic) faced with the might of party machines". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 19 March 2015. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
  10. Schumann, Harald (24 February 2013). "Staatsgeheimnis Bankenrettung". Der Tagesspiegel (in German). Archived from the original on 19 March 2015. Retrieved 24 February 2013.
  11. O'Connell, Hugh (18 September 2012). "The 'Ballyhea says No!' protest group reached the capital today, demonstrating against payments to bondholders". TheJournal.ie. Archived from the original on 19 March 2015. Retrieved 18 September 2012.
  12. O'Carroll, Sinead (1 November 2011). "'No to Bondholder Bailout' protesters stop traffic in Cork". TheJournal.ie. Archived from the original on 19 March 2015. Retrieved 1 November 2011.
  13. Riegel, Ralph (20 May 2012). "TD says claims of hardship on €140,000 salary 'very regrettable'". Sunday Independent. Retrieved 20 May 2012.
  14. "Ballyhea protesters hold 100th march against ECB-IMF bailout". RTÉ News. 28 January 2013. Archived from the original on 19 March 2015. Retrieved 28 January 2013.
  15. Reilly, Gavan (27 March 2013). "Ballyhea protestors in Brussels to meet MEPs from economics committee". TheJournal.ie. Archived from the original on 19 March 2015. Retrieved 27 March 2013.
  16. Ryan, Órla (27 March 2013). "'From Ballyhea to Brussels': Anti-bailout campaigner launches MEP bid". TheJournal.ie. Archived from the original on 19 March 2015. Retrieved 27 March 2013.
  17. "Protest to be held in Falcarragh in support of 'Ballyhea Says No to the Bondholder Bailout' group". Highland Radio. 27 December 2014. Archived from the original on 19 March 2015. Retrieved 27 December 2014.
  18. "Final 'Ballyhea Says No' protest march in Cork village". RTÉ. 8 March 2020. Retrieved 27 December 2014.
  19. Duggan, Keith (28 March 2011). "Cork village takes stand against billing taxpayers for monstrous bank debt". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 19 March 2015. Retrieved 28 March 2011.
  20. Khaleeli, Homa (5 January 2012). "The Irish village that said 'no' to austerity". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 19 March 2015. Retrieved 5 January 2012.
  21. Jardine, Nick (6 January 2012). "Every Sunday, This Tiny Irish Village Protests Against Austerity". Business Insider. Archived from the original on 19 March 2015. Retrieved 6 January 2012.
  22. Mercille, Julien (26 November 2013). "There is not much coverage of protests in the media, with the result that many people either don't know about them or don't feel like joining them". TheJournal.ie. Archived from the original on 8 March 2015. Retrieved 26 November 2013.
  23. van der Horst, Arjen (29 April 2013). "Ireland Says No". Nederlandse Omroep Stichting (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 19 March 2015. Retrieved 29 April 2013. I noticed that when this month visited the Ballyhea and Charleville villages. There they are protesting for over two years every Sunday against the bailout for the banks. That protest was a long time and hardly got any attention in the Irish media, but in recent months it seems the protest, under the heading of Ireland Says NO to spread to the rest of Ireland. Meanwhile twenty small towns and villages have joined the protest. Talk to the protesters and hear the personal dramas of the crisis.
  24. Hurley, Denis (13 October 2014). "Ballyhea 'yes' at return to senior ranks". Irish Examiner. Archived from the original on 19 March 2015. Retrieved 13 October 2014.
  25. MacConnell, Eoghan (10 March 2015). "Growth in street protests is to be welcomed". Westmeath Independent. Archived from the original on 19 March 2015. Retrieved 10 March 2015.
  26. "50 reasons to love Ireland (#20)". The Irish Times. 16 March 2013. Archived from the original on 19 March 2015. Retrieved 16 March 2013.
  27. Kerrigan, Gene (11 September 2011). "Hooray! We're back on track – again". Sunday Independent. Retrieved 11 September 2011.
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