Unemployed protest as elite dines on roast
This was not the welcoming committee the Taoiseach had expected at his 100-a-head President’s dinner in the Cork hotel.
No, it was supposed to be a celebration; a chance to thank the Leesiders for putting the six Fianna Fáil city TDs back in the Dáil.
But as more than 300 Soldiers of Destiny sipped the very best Chateauneuf du Pape Reserve wine inside the Silver Springs, the workers’ shouts grew louder.
“What do we want?” roared the cheerleader.
“Our legal rights!” the workers chanted back.
“When do we want them?”
“Now!”
The mantra was building to a frenzy. Gardaí were getting nervous. You knew they were trying to figure out how to get Bertie unscathed through this angry mob.
But never fear. Health Minister Micheál Martin provided the best decoy as his State car cruised towards the hotel entrance. Mr Martin jumped out of the car before it reached the door and walked towards the crowd.
As more than 300 workers converged on him, the Special Branch gardaí started huddling Bertie from another direction towards the hotel entrance.
It almost worked, but the IFI workers spotted Bertie before he got to the door.
They booed and jostled him and only the expertise of the Special Branch ensured he got inside unscathed.
There were no interviews inside the hotel, the press was told by Fianna Fáil handlers: this was a private function.
The only Fianna Fáil politician to talk to the press was Deputy Noel O’Flynn who said it was dreadful families had to demonstrate like that.
And he called on the liquidator and Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment to sort out the redundancy issue as soon as possible.
As the captains of industry, top professionals and politicians tucked into the fine roast beef or paupiette of sole, the IFI workers headed home. They were probably wondering where they would get their Christmas dinners.
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