Richard Boyd Barrett: Voice for change, and an outlet for disillusion

Richard Boyd Barrett steps up on the plinth and takes the microphone. The amplifier is next to him, balanced on a rubbish bin which also bears an advert for a 1916 event.

The crowd of 40 or so press forward. They are gathered here outside St Michael’s Church, in the heart of downtown Dun Laoighre on a cloudy Sunday afternoon. Most of the assembled are holding small placards, bearing rainbow colours and inscribed statements about saving the community. One man wears a native American headdress.

They have come here to protest at the withdrawal of funding for a long-standing youth project, Oasis, which works with deflecting young people from drug use.