Ireland II

"A selection of interviews with people who marched in Dublin...

Margaret Grehan and husband Billy, from Dublin Road, Limerick

...They gave and they told us that they could afford it – they should have known. They never thought of putting a reserve away. The people weren’t to know that the country was going into this state and now, we have to suffer while their salaries remain the same.

There’s no cuts for the people at the top. The bankers are walking free. The elderly who have worked all their lives - we’re having to pay it. Our children are paying for it and our grandchildren are going to have to pay.

...Greed got us into this, absolute greed. I mean their salaries – it’s sinful, it’s shameful but they have no shame unfortunately.

...I’m not hopeful for my sons and I’m not hopeful for my grandchildren, I’m sorry I have to say it, but I’m not.

I’m calling for honesty. That’s what our country needs now and we haven’t had a bit of it for the past couple of weeks."

Sinead Keane, Stillorgan, Dublin

...I think greed is what got us into this, we got too far ahead of ourselves. I feel so angry with the government. We put them into power and I feel they’ve really jeopardised our democratic rights over the last two years.

We need a change of Government but we need a total change in politics. There needs to be way more honesty going on. At the end of the day, we’re a democracy, we elected them but people feel we’re living in a dictatorship. Everything has been taken out of our hands. I think that loss of control on top of the loss on the economic side of things is just too much for people.”

Annie McNamara and husband Tom McNamara, Cork

...This is our kids’ future they’re playing with, they’re going to destroy everything. You cut from education, you cut from healthcare, I mean what sort of life will they have? It’s a disgrace.

It wasn’t greed for new houses and new cars that created the debt, it was the fact that other banks came here and did stuff that they weren’t allowed to do elsewhere. They’ve gambled away our future - and we let it happen, right up to Brian Cowen. He let it happen and he encouraged it. He’s after destroying this country.

...When you’re talking about cutting minimum wage, it’s an absolute disgrace. When you’re talking about cutting education and the teachers and resources for disability, these people can’t afford it – we can, cut it from us.

I think everyone in the country should come out and protest because it’s all of our futures that they are messing with.”"

Irish Times