20 November 1997 Edition
Marcella flies the flag
By Brian Campbell
An Phoblacht reader Marcella Curran has succeeded in her campaign to force the GPO in Dublin's O'Connell Street to continue flying the tricolour seven days a week.
Marcella, from the Beaumont area of Dublin, noticed three weeks ago that the flag was no longer being flown at weekends. When she asked the GPO management why, they told her it was because of ``budget cutbacks''.
``I was raging. They can afford a £20 million facelift but they can't afford to raise and lower our national flag, the flag that so many people gave their lives for,'' she told An Phoblacht.
``I don't care if it doesn't fly on any other building, but it has to fly on the GPO,'' she said.
Marcella phoned and wrote to senior management at An Post and also to Fianna Fail Taoiseach Bertie Ahern. She also contacted the media and on Tuesday morning she was interviewed on the Pat Kenny Show on RTE Radio One. Ten minutes after her interview, An Post announced that ``it is our intention to continue the tradition of flying the Tricolour seven days a week and this practice will resume shortly.''
Marcella said she received dozens of calls of support. ``I'm delighted that our flag will be flown again,'' she said. ``Our history is so important to us and especially with the GPO building. Nobody has a right to interfere with that.''
An Phoblacht reader Marcella Curran has succeeded in her campaign to force the GPO in Dublin's O'Connell Street to continue flying the tricolour seven days a week.
Marcella, from the Beaumont area of Dublin, noticed three weeks ago that the flag was no longer being flown at weekends. When she asked the GPO management why, they told her it was because of ``budget cutbacks''.
``I was raging. They can afford a £20 million facelift but they can't afford to raise and lower our national flag, the flag that so many people gave their lives for,'' she told An Phoblacht.
``I don't care if it doesn't fly on any other building, but it has to fly on the GPO,'' she said.
Marcella phoned and wrote to senior management at An Post and also to Fianna Fail Taoiseach Bertie Ahern. She also contacted the media and on Tuesday morning she was interviewed on the Pat Kenny Show on RTE Radio One. Ten minutes after her interview, An Post announced that ``it is our intention to continue the tradition of flying the Tricolour seven days a week and this practice will resume shortly.''
Marcella said she received dozens of calls of support. ``I'm delighted that our flag will be flown again,'' she said. ``Our history is so important to us and especially with the GPO building. Nobody has a right to interfere with that.''