Protesters to march on Dublin City Council for Save The Cobblestone campaign

Campaigners for Save The Cobblestone are set to march on Dublin City Council tomorrow, October 9. Protesters will march from Smithfield Square to the offices of the Dublin City Council at 1pm.

In response to the recent announcement of proposed developments that would result in a 114-room hotel around the Cobblestone pub, over 24,000 people have signed the 'Save The Cobblestone' petition.

Eoghan Ó Ceannabháin, the musician who set up the petition, said that the proposed development "would irrevocably alter the character of a place that is massively important to a living, breathing Dublin music scene."

"We need people power to beat this proposal, and this is why, along with gathering petition signatures and sending objections to Dublin City Council, we are getting feet on the street to put the pressure on," he added.

Ceannabháin also likened the area's recent developments to "little more than cultural vandalism" and believes that this issue reflects the lack of democracy around city planning.

"The red carpet is being rolled out to profit-driven developers, while the communities that live in the city have very little say over what happens to it," he said. "We need more homes, not hotels, and along with a right to housing we ought to have the right to enjoy our culture, music, art and creativity. All of this is being sacrificed for the sake of profit."

Numerous artists have come out in support of the petition, including Dublin folk artist John Francis Flynn.