There is a beast slouching towards central Dublin, and the authorities aren’t quite sure how to deal with it. In recent weeks, hundreds of Irish tricolours have been affixed to lampposts across the Irish capital, mirroring the vigilante patriotism of England’s “Operation Raise the Colours”.
What began in the tattered suburbs of Ballyfermot, Coolock and Finglas is now pressing into the more bohemian quarters of the inner city. “We object to the unauthorised erection of these decorations,” read one letter from residents. “They dishonour the Flag by flouting official protocol [and] are in breach of Dublin City Council’s rules on the decoration of lighting poles.”
