Cork musician on protesting outside the Dáil for a year – ‘I’ve used my small voice to make a statement’

Mr Leahy (47) makes the journey to perform his original song 'Everybody Should Have a Home' outside Dáil Éireann every Thursday at 1pm.

He began this unique form of protest in May last year as a way to shine a spotlight on Ireland’s housing crisis.

“I heard that my landlord was going to be selling the property and I would have to move out, so I wrote the song and then out of a sense of helplessness I just came up one day outside the Dáil and sang it for an hour as a protest,” he told Independent.ie.

“I’ve had a very good response, it seemed to get a lot of momentum on social media. It inspired me to keep going. I got a lot of messages about people in homeless situations themselves, it’s been a very emotive experience the whole year.

“All of that inspired me to keep going and to just use my small voice to make my statement.”

Mr Leahy has called on the Government to take action and address the issue immediately.

“The most immediate emergency measure is to reinstate the eviction ban. All the emergency accommodation and the housing charities are screaming for this,” he said.

“Peter McVerry said there was a wave of human misery coming down the road if they lifted the eviction ban, they did lift it, and everybody is screaming at them to reinstate it.

“It was a mistake to lift it. It’s a basic human right and the idea of housing as a wealth generating pursuit can’t be a part of something that is such a fundamental human right.”

Mr Leahy is also hoping to tackle the issue of soaring rental costs across the country.

So far, he has been unable to find alternative accommodation.

“I live in a rural part of West Cork, it’s as bad there. I went back out to the market looking to rent and I presumed that I would be able to do it because of living in a rural area but I quickly realised that it’s affecting everywhere,” he said.

The musician of over 25 years said he will continue to protest in this way as long as it “feels worthwhile”.

“I never had a plan, it was a week-to-week thing,” he said.

“It’s been a surprise to me, the whole year has been a revelation in terms of activism, I’m new to it but I can understand the power of protest.

“Even if it’s just one person, I’m understanding how impactful a song can be, as well, even though I’d always been inspired by people like Christy Moore and Bob Dylan.”

Leahy’s song includes lines like, “a home not a hotel, a home not a hostel, a home not a cardboard box at the side of the road” and “it’s a basic human right to have a dignified place to call your own”.

People Before Profit TD Richard Boyd Barrett said Mr Leahy’s song has become the “anthem of the housing movement and cost-of-living crisis” in this country.

“I could not pay greater tribute to someone than to Martin Leahy,” he said.

“Every single week for the last year he has come up here to sing this song not just for himself, and he has found himself in a housing emergency situation, but for everybody else who are impacted by this absolutely diabolical housing crisis.

“In one of the wealthiest countries in the world, surely to God we could provide everybody with the basic thing of a secure, affordable, safe place to live.

“Is that really too much to ask? We all know what the answer is and yet tragically, the Government just doesn’t seem to listen. It is depressing to be honest.”

Mr Boyd Barrett said the move to lift the eviction ban was a “cruel and inhumane” decision.

“Thousands and thousands more people are faced with the terror and trauma of being made homeless and having no idea where they’re going to go,” he said.

“It is an absolute shame and stain on this government, and it can be solved, we are a wealthy country, but they won’t unless we force them to.”