“I feel like when you involve people in activism with such a specific project, and be like ;this is what we’re working towards’, it keeps people going.” says Ní Haicéid.
Catu Ireland is a union for communities and tenants, that means renters, council tenants, mortgage holders and people in emergency and precarious living situations. This union allows members of the community to come together to deconstruct common issues orbiting housing. CATU Ireland works with many amazing individuals, including queer artists Brian Teeling and Róisín Ní Haicéid.
On behalf of CATU Ireland, Brian Teeling presents Phibsboro Shopping Centre. Teeling is a self-taught artist living and working in Dublin. His recent exhibitions include ‘A Vague Anxiety’ at IMMA (2019), ‘Halftone’ at The Library Project (2019, 2020), and ‘Uncover’ also at The Library Project and The Lavit Gallery, Cork (2018).
Teeling captures the icon of the Phibsboro skyline which is currently under threat of being transformed into an unwanted co-living space, in gorgeous print. This print is currently available for a limited run; regarding Teeling’s work, CATU Ireland say:
“Proceeds from the sales of this beautiful piece will go directly to CATU Ireland in support of their work with communities and tenants across the country.”
“It’s so hard to have community action and to build a broader community without the numbers and I think CATU provides that.” says Róisín Ní Haicéid.
Róisín Ní Haicéid is a musician, student and “general loudmouth”. She has been involved with housing rights activism since secondary school and a member of CATU Ireland since the establishment of CATU Drumcondra.
“I’ve always been involved in the homelessness sector…I started volunteering in a soup kitchen in TY and I just kept doing stuff like that – I ran a soup run when I was in first year of college and then when Take Back the City happened, there was the occupation on Frederick Street and that was before CATU was CATU,” says Ní Haicéid.
Ní Haicéid goes on to talk about her experience with CATU: “I joined CATU Drumcondra two months ago, it wasn’t established so we had such a clear project when I joined…there was only six of us on the first zoom call and trying to set up the campaign for CATU Drumcondra. I feel like when you involve people in activism with such a specific project and be like this is what we’re working towards, it keeps people going.”
To find more information on CATU Ireland and how you can get involved, visit their website here.
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