100th march and Ballyhea remains defiant

It began as a pebble in the shoe of the ECB, but yesterday the refuseniks of Ballyhea rang up the 100th march against the bailout, continuing a display of defiance that shows no sign of stopping.

The chill wind would shake your bones and the inky sky threw down rain and hailstones, but more than 300 protesters — some from as far away as Rathoath in Co Meath and Fenit in Co Kerry — walked the route in the blink-and-you’ll-miss-it village. The difference yesterday was the number of protesters stretched the length of the 60km/hr zone.

Led by Diarmuid O’Flynn, the protest movement that began in March 2011 is heading for its second anniversary. Yesterday’s march even attracted the attention of Al Jazeera and the message is as clear now as it was 100 Sundays ago: Ballyhea says no.