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Afri March in Shannon February 1st, Lá 'le Bríde 2003

From the River to the Planes

Nearly a thousand people walked from the River Shannon to the warplanes at Shannon Airport on February 1st, Lá 'le Bríde 2003. This imaginative event, initiated by Clare O'Grady Walshe and supported by Afri and the NGO Peace Alliance gave participants an opportunity to express their opposition to war and to the use of Shannon Airport as part of the war machine. It was a colourful event with banners, buggies, blue ribbons and even blue skies between the blustery showers!

When the walk reached the perimeter fence at the Airport the crowd listened to Denis Halliday saying that the Government had brought shame on Ireland's name by participating in preparations for war on Iraq. They heard Luka Bloom and Eithne Ni Cathain singing 'I am not at war with anyone'. They heard Fiona Nolan, a young person from Portarlington calling for an end to war and preparations for war. They heard the Shannon Colleens, in the persons of Sorcha Fox, Darina Gallagher and Sinead Murphy sing a song written by Donal O'Kelly and first performed at Féile Bríde in Kildare the previous week-end. The song was performed in the style of the Andrews Sisters and suggests a far better use of military aircraft than carrying the weapons and the soldiers that are visiting death and destruction on the people of Iraq. Other performers included Glen Hansard of the Frames, Nóirín Ní Riain. The walk also coincided with the launch of a postcard campaign directed at Taoiseach Bertie Ahern and calling on the Irish Government to 'stop fuelling the war.'



Afri


134 Phibsborough Road,
Phibsborough,
Dublin 7,
Ireland.

Tel. 01 8827581 / 8827563
Fax. 01 8827576 Email: afri@iol.ie

www.afri.buz.org

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