Thousands take to the streets in Dublin
More than 12,000 pensioners have protested outside the Irish parliament in Dublin against benefit cuts for older people in last week's budget.
The protest was organised by the Irish Senior Citizens Parliament, with 350 affiliated organisations involved.
Offending measures included reductions in medical cards for over-70s and an increase in prescription charges for those still in possession of them. Around 35,000 people will lose the cards entitling them to free healthcare.
The budget also contained the abolition of bereavement grants and telephone allowances for the elderly.
The rally came five years to the day after a huge protest had forced Fianna Fail to scrap means testing for medical cards for pensioners.
At Tuesday's demonstration professionals' union Siptu retired members section secretary Paddy Moran told angry pensioners to follow the example of the 1913 lockout.
"One hundred years ago in this city some of its citizens were battered and starved and in some cases lost their lives in the struggle for a decent standard of living for their loved ones," he said.
"We here today are the advocates for our generation and we owe it to the memory of those brave people of 1913 to ensure that the vulnerable people in today's society have a reasonable standard of living."
Mr Moran said that "one of the main boasts of this government is that the core state pension has been left untouched by this budget.
"And, of course, they are right - that is, if you don't suffer from any illnesses that require a visit to the doctor which require hospitalisation or any kind of prescribed medicines.
"It was also a great budget as long as you or and your spouse or partner manage to stay alive forever - so you wouldn't be in need of the bereavement grant."
Many pensioners carried placards attacking the Fine Gael-Labour coalition and joined in chants of "shame, shame, shame" at the Dail Eireann.
About 100 people broke off from the main group and blocked traffic at College Green and O'Connell Street before they rejoined the main demonstration at the parliament in Leinster House.
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