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THE PRO FOR a group campaigning for a No vote in the same-sex marriage referendum has called for a large mural of two men in Dublin embracing to be removed or covered up.
The mural, which is said by its creator Joe Caslin to be in support of the Yes side in the same-sex marriage referendum, was put up on South Great George’s Street in Dublin city centre last weekend.
Changing minds?
Today, Enoch Burke of Mandate for Marriage spoke to Joe Duffy on Liveline on RTÉ Radio 1, and said he believed the mural could “absolutely” encourage someone to change their mind about how they would vote, explaining that “there’s a massive swing vote in this referendum, it could go 20-80 either way, that’s what a lot of people were saying”.
There are loads of people out there with a soft vote, a very very soft vote, and people are very, very impressionable.
He appealed to Joe Duffy to contact the council and “ask will there be any justice for the No side? Will there be any justice”.
“You’re a powerful person,” he told Duffy, adding: “Will you ring the council, will you ask them why have they not taken it down, why have they not covered it up, even for two months, and just give the No side justice”.
He said there are “serious issues here for religious freedom, for teachers, for religious leaders, for Christians, anybody out there, people who just want freedom for everybody whether it’s a teacher in the classroom or business owner who can’t in all conscience do certain things because of their beliefs either way”.
Martina Burke, who could not confirm if she was related to Enoch, told Duffy “we need equality”.
“I just feel it should be removed,” she said of the mural, adding: “This is not a dictatorship. We need democracy, we need fairness, we need justice. To me as a mural it’s a monument of unfairness.”
She asked if DCC could take out the mural or paint over it.
Street art
The mural, which features two local men, was described by Caslin as a “poignant representation of same sex love in the city”. There was a huge reaction to the piece when it appeared last weekend.
Dublin City Council was contacted by TheJournal.ie and asked how many, if any, complaints were made about the mural. It said it could not comment at this time.
On the issue of street art in general, Dublin City Architects says that “for private properties a mural is between the private property owner and the artist so long as there isn’t a planning issue”.
A planning issue could arise if there is “any commercial or product promotion involved”.
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One of the truly great songwriters, one of lifes mystery’s is how he made 60, a true testament to the resilience of the human body.
Congrats Shane, deserves it
Legend !
@Gavin O’Brien: absolute legend,
Such a pity Dolores o Riordan didn’t get one also.
He looks in a bad way.
@@Kevinro1980:
What happened to him?
@@Kevinro1980: Dubliners song seven drunken nights comes to mind
@John Byrne: 40+ years of alcohol and drug abuse will do that to you. Unless you’re Keith Richards, in which case you walk away unscathed. I think Shane also broke his hip recently.
Would love to have been at this,absolutely love Shane McGowan, and to top it all off,Nick Cave was there too,would literally have fainted on the spot,Anyway congratulations Shane,legend.
Well deserved but, something tells me 2018 may claim him soon too
The greatest poet of my lifetime.
One of Ireland’s most talented artists
Immensely talented, no doubt about that, but he’s from England not Ireland.
@O Swetenham: born in England to irish parents, spent the first 6 and a half years of his life in Tipperary, considers himself Irish and has spent more of his life living in Ireland than England. That makes him irish in my opinion.
@Dermot Lane: Yeah you’re right. I’m being a wee bit pedantic I suppose.
The picture reminds me of one of those creepy Victorian post mortem photos where family members would pose for one last family photo with the dressed up corpse.
@TechProducts: he looks like a waxwork statue
Does anybody know if this was recorded and if so will it be made available for viewing?
@Brian Brogan: There was a some professional camera men there last night along with notices saying it was being recorded so hopefully it will become available.
Incredible night but I was annoyed to see some empty seats in front of us from no shows when there was a few hundred people queuing up outside hoping to get a ticket.
@Brian Brogan: Yes it was recorded.
Everyone loves him now.
Very well deserved. What a great night that must have been!
what a poet. Well deserved
who’s the guy dressed up as Johnny Depp?
@Johnhunky Dory: Oh… it IS Johnny Depp!!
@Johnhunky Dory: Bah humbug, I like Johnny Depp…
@Johnhunky Dory: don’t think he will offering to blast Shane out of a canon when he goes .
Thompson cost him a packet
When he was good he was very good, the music industry,it’s not for the faint hearted
have your say