Feisty Nick has no regrets over meeting
Nick Corish in full flow at the protest meeting in St Andrew's Church on Westland Row, Dublin, on Tuesday
Friday October 24 2008
A FEISTY octogenarian was unrepentant yesterday for "rabble-rousing" inside a church as part of the massive "Silver Power" demonstration against the medical card changes.
Nick Corish (84) from Clontarf, Dublin, said he has nothing to apologise for after inciting senior citizens to a boisterous protest in St Andrew's Church on Westland Row, Dublin, on Tuesday ahead of the march on the Dail that drew 15,000 pensioners on Wednesday.
The group of 1,800 mostly over-70s shouted down junior minister John Maloney as he attempted to address the angry crowd over the Government's controversial decision to limit medical cards for the over-70s.
But Mr Corish said he felt justified in taking to the altar during the meeting to rouse his contemporaries to action.
"I felt that the meeting was too placid and people were a little bit inhibited because they were in a church and they were too quiet," he said.
"I did a bit of rabble-rousing to let them show their anger."
Fr John Gilligan said he now regrets giving the pensioners permission to hold the meeting in the church.
- Allison Bray
