A CONTROVERSIAL banner that adorned the Ha’penny Bridge has been put into permanent storage after Dublin City Council found it was in breach of its own planning guidelines.
The ‘Up the Dubs’ banner had been erected every time the county was victorious in the All-Ireland or National League finals.
However, complaints from members of the public and the Dublin Civic Trust spurred a review of whether the banner should in fact be allowed hang on a protected historic structure like the Ha’penny Bridge.
“Hanging the banner “materially affects [the] character” of the famous landmark.”
Internal emails released under FOI explain that hanging the banner “materially affects [the] character” of the famous landmark.
The banner was first put up in 2011 after Dublin had won their first senior football All-Ireland after a gap of sixteen years.
A city council official put together an information note saying it had been approved by the then city manager and had been used in every year since.
He wrote: “In 2011, we also had differing opinions about the banner but the positive reaction from Dubliners and tourists outweighed the negative and today we use a number of city landmarks to promote positive initiatives: Liberty Hall, Civic Offices etc.”