On 23rd November 2023, a five year-old girl and a 30 year-old care assistant were stabbed outside Coláiste Mhuire, on Parnell Square, Dublin. Elements of the far right seized upon the incident to incite a riot which would result in massive property damage, looting, the firebombing of a refugee centre, and the torching of three Dublin Buses and a Luas amongst other vehicles. It let to the arrest of 49 rioters.

From 10pm that night, Dublin City Council’s waste management section brought in every last worker to clear the damage. Workers arrived at O’Connell Street to find a street destroyed, covered in glass, detritus, and the burned-out wreckage of cars, buses, and trams.

Dublin Riots 2023

 
Dublin City Council extended its thanks to waste management staff in an informal ceremony and awarded medals workers in recognition of having gone above and beyond the call of duty, clearing and cleaning the city centre in the aftermath of the November riots. 

Mick Kieran, Municipal Division DEC member and DCC waste management worker, said “It’s not the first riot we’ve cleaned up, there were the ‘Love Ulster’ riots in 2006, but I haven’t seen something like that since the riots after Bobby Sands died in 1981.”

Battle of Merrion Road 1981

Crews worked throughout the night, with workers joining as their shifts began right through to the following morning. Dublin City Council deployed its full arsenal of equipment to the task with rarely seen heavy vehicles such as grab trucks making an appearance.

As the day after began, there was little left to suggest the previous night’s violence, save for some stubborn burn marks and a few boarded up shop fronts.

Dublin Riots aftermath

Despite the impressive job done by him and his colleagues, Mick Kieran sees it as another day’s work. He said “It’s just a medal, it’s not about the medal. It was a job, we got stuck in and did the work, just like we always do. It can often be a thankless job. It’s nice to be recognised.

“I think as people we are bad at recognising when we do something good. So, when we get that recognition it’s really something.”

Maura Cahalan, AGS responsible for the Municipal Employees Division, said “we’re proud of our waste management workers. It’s a hard-physical job that often goes unnoticed until there is an issue. The clean up after the riots just shows how hard they work for the city. I’m glad Dublin City Council acknowledged our members work and gave them the recognition they deserve.“

Mick will be known to anyone who has seen Fórsa’s “It’s your, union your power” video. His contribution of “while the city slept after the riots, we were the ones that cleaned it up” received rapturous applause and cheers when the video was premiered at this year’s Fórsa conference.

Ever humble, Mick said of the applause “I wasn’t expecting it. The job we do, everyone thinks it’s a mediocre job, for people who didn’t do well in school, but it’s really important. Without us what would the city look like?“

Adam O’Maolagain, IRO for the Municipal Employees Division says “our members are back at work doing the job as always. So next time you find yourself in Dublin take a moment to be grateful for their hard work.”

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