Signs used to ‘rename’ Dublin streets with colonial links will be removed by council

Street signs in Dublin city which were covered as part of a campaign to “rename” those with colonial links are being removed and repaired by officials.A makeshift white placard covers a Dawson Street sign near Trinity College which reads, “Madeleine Ffrench-Mullen Street” with an Irish translation below. A similar sign that has been placed over a Gardiner Street Lower plaque says, “Helena Molony Street”, also accompanied with atranslation. Lasair Dhearg, a socialist republican organisation which it says is committed to anti-imperialism and antifascism, has claimed responsibility for these signs. READ MOREThe group says in recent months they have begun a campaign to rename streets that bare the “names of those responsible for a myriad of crimes across many generations, and many hundreds of years” that “litter Irish streets”. A recent video posted on their social media account shows hooded individuals using a ladder to place the Madeleine Ffrench-Mullen placard over the Dawson Street sign. The video says that this is part of the organisation’s “reconquest of Ireland campaign”. The organisation says Dawson Street, called after Joshua Dawson was “renamed” in honour of Madeleine Ffrench-Mullen, an Irish revolutionary and 1916 Rising volunteer. Lasair Dhearg says that these actions are part of a broader campaign of decolonisation that aims to highlight and remove all the symbols of imperialism across Ireland. The groups says that they have not been penalised for any aspect of their campaign, but they are “under no illusion about the prospect of that and are organising accordingly”. They think that highlighting these street names will build support and create a conversation nationally and locally. In May, Lasair Dhearg members covered a Drury Street sign with one that read “Bobby Sands Street”. A placard with a new name was also placed over Bedford Lane. The group says it “renamed” the lane in honour of Mairéad Farrell, an IRA volunteer. Dublin City Council has said that they are aware of the damage to the sign on Dawson Street and other signs around the city. “The Council is in the process of having the damaged sign removed for repair,” the council said in a statement. “The legislation prohibiting the defacing of a public road is contained in the Roads Act 1993.”Lasair Dhearg was also behind the recent paint bombing of an anti-immigrant artificial intelligence (AI) mural in Newtownabbey. In 2024 the group covered a “Welcome to Northern Ireland” sign, on the border between Derry and Donegal, with one that read “Welcome to Occupied Ireland”.