Villagers, Aslan and Panti Bliss Join Apollo House Occupiers

Today was another day of dramatic developments in the occupation of Apollo House on Tara Street. As already reported on hot press.com, the receivers for NAMA have served a legal notice on the occupiers saying that they cannot allow the property to be illegally occupied. But there have been over far more positive developments too...

The takeover of what is a NAMA owned building, for use as a refuge for homeless people in Dublin over the Christmas period, has been spearheaded by the Home Sweet Home charity, with Glen Hansard among those at the heart of the action. Others already associated with the occupation include major figures from the artistic community like musicians Hozier, Damien Dempsey, Christy Moore and Liam Ó Maonlaí; film director Jim Sheridan; actor John Connors and actress Saoirse Ronan, for starters.

In an impressive show of solidarity, today a number of musicians and entertainers added their voices to the growing support for the action. “Christy Moore, Christy Dignam, Conor O’Brien of Villagers and Frances Black, as well as Panti Bliss, were all here during the day, talking things through, and seeing what they could do to help,” Glen Hansard told Hot Press. “Which reflects the kind of reaction that we have been getting from the wider community. The level of public support has been fantastic, with people bringing food and pillows and blankets. It's been really heart-warming.

“At the moment, people are handing in their donations at the gate,” he adds. “That might seem a bit impersonal, which is not the way we’d like it to be. We want to get things organised where there is an office on the ground floor, so that people can come in and talk to us about what we’re doing and have a cup of tea. But the first thing we have to do is put a bit of shape on the place. We are working very hard to get everything organised At first we couldn’t even boil a kettle! We now have running water and heat, so we are getting there."

The day had begun with one disappointment, with homeless campaigner Father Peter McVerry quoted in the Irish Times in a way which seemed highly critical of the action. “Apollo House Occupation 'Not The Solution' To Homelessness Crisis,” the headline ran. And the report went on to say that Father McVerry had "told the Irish Times that he would not be lending his support to the occupation…”

However, all that has now changed: in a move which will surely give added impetus to the occupation, McVerry – one of the best known authorities on homelessness in Ireland – visited Apollo House and assisted the occupiers by offering valuable advice and support.

“We needed that advice,” Glen said. “We have to be very practical in the way we go about things and what Peter had to say was really helpful in that regard. We’re really pleased because it might have seemed that he was not supporting us, from what was said in the Irish Times. He is too busy to be one of the team here, but he has our back now, which is brilliant – and we’re really grateful for the advice.”

Among the issues which has emerged is that, for the moment at least, Home From Home won’t be able to take in families – not until there’s a sufficient number of Garda approved personnel to take care of children.

“That felt like a set-back this morning,” Glen said. “We didn’t want to have to turn anyone away. But it is important that we do things correctly. We’re learning as we go – but there is a great spirit and energy and sense of commitment around the place.”

One of the key points which has also emerged is that Home Sweet Home are adamant that no one political party should be associated with what is happening in Apollo House.

“Gerry Adams came down and Eoin Ó Broin and Lynn Boylan. We couldn’t let them in. They understood that this cannot be seen as a political action or be associated with any one political party. It is an act of civil disobedience. It is a civil protest. That is really important to emphasise. We’d love Simon Coveney, who is the Minister responsible, to come down and talk to us – and let’s see where we can go with this."

The gifts from members of the public have been flooding in. “You see how generous Irish people are,” Glen says. “We have loads of food, so no one is going to go hungry.”

But, for anyone thinking of making a donation, it is worth noting that until refrigerators and freezers are fully installed, canned and dry food is better than perishables.

"Warm clothes are also still desperately needed," says Quentin Sheridan.

Sheridan, one of the founders of the Home Sweet Home charity, is a musician who performs under the name King Kyou. It is one of the fascinating aspects of this story that, in some instances, the intersection between music and homelessness is virtually a seamless one.

Quentin is among those who has experienced the grim reality of what can happen so easily in Ireland, in 2016: he found himself homeless after the house he had rented was repossessed.

“We have running water, we have electricity and we have a few heaters,” says Sheridan of Apollo House. “We have basic camping stoves at the moment and we have had great support from the public who’ve brought pots of stews, curries and coddles. We’re getting sandwiches and cakes off local shops. What we need most, however, is warm clothing, jumpers, jackets for men and women.”

As Glen Hansard emphasised, there are currently no children in Apollo House. However, according to Focus Ireland the number of homeless families increased by over 40 percent since last year and one in three people in emergency accommodation is a child. It is an issue that Home Seet Home hope to get t grips with.

The shelter also has a television and a collection of films to watch, along with some books. Donations of these would also be appreciated.

Like Glen Hansard, Sheridan is hugely grateful for the amount of support the charity and the protestors has received.

“People have been amazing — it shocked me,” he admits. "It showed me that people really care. There’s many a time I sat in a doorway late at night and wondered if there was a God to allow people to live this way.”

The truth is that it does’t have to be so hard. The takeover of Apollo House has shone a light in that regard. Long may it shine...

(Pictured are Hot Press' Peter McGoran and Dean Scurry of Home Sweet Home)