Updated 20.39

AROUND 2,500 PEOPLE calling for Ireland’s abortion laws to be changed took part in a march in Dublin city centre this afternoon.

The ‘March for Choice’ gathered at the Spire on O’Connell Street as part of a day of action across a number of countries calling for access to safe and legal abortion.

The march, which passed off peacefully, travelled to Merrion Square from O’Connell Street

Gardaí said they were generally reluctant to put a figure on the number of people who attend any protest march but confirmed to TheJournal.ie that an estimated 2,500 people had taken part.

Speakers at the event included TD Claire Daly, Irish Examiner columnist Colette Browne, and Senator Ivana Bacik.

Sinead Redmond, a spokesperson for the organisers, said that the march was a “celebration of Irish people’s support for women’s reproductive health and rights”. She added:

It is important to remember that each day 13 Irish women travel to the UK, often alone to terminate pregnancies. We walked in solidarity with those 150,000 Irish women who have been forced to travel to access terminations since 1980. We walked as out and proud pro-choice Irish people.

The Labour party and the United Left Alliance were both represented at the march.

An expert group appointed by the Government in January  is expected to report back next month on how Ireland can implement the European Court of Human Rights’ judgment which found that Ireland had violated the European Convention on Human Rights by not allowing for abortion in cases where a mother’s life is at risk.

The group is likely to recommend either legislation, a referendum or regulation.