Carlow’s public buildings will light up red this May Day to acknowledge the county’s workforce.
Sites such as the Town Hall will be illuminated on May 1st, which is traditionally known as workers day.
The idea was raised by Cllr Adrienne Wallace at this week’s meeting of the Municipal District.
She says the role of our essential workers has been invaluable in this pandemic;
“May Day is traditionally International Workers’ Day and it sprung from a socialist movement over a hundred years ago if not more. We’re seeing all the more recently the vital role that workers in particular have played in this pandemic, especially on our frontline, from our hospitals, to retail, to the truck drivers. We want to honour that, we want to respect that. So this is just a simple gesture really to recognise all they do for society.”
The People Before Profit councillor says the choice of red for the buildings was very significant, explaining that “It’s the colour associated with my own tradition as a socialist and workers’ rights and that fight for change. It’s a nice way to remember the history while also recognising that we still have a world to win. The fight for a better wage is still going on across the country. We want better working conditions. Even myself here as a female councillor, I don’t have maternity leave. So we do need organised workers to keep pushing forward, and that red is a rally call that we keep striving for a world full of equality.”
