We demand that Dublin City Council immediately replace the Dublin Mayor’s 'Chain of Office' with a new chain that reflects the Irishness of the people of Dublin. The imagery of King Billy on the current chain is an insult to the people of Ireland.

We praise the legacy of Kathleen Clarke, widow of 1916 leader Tom Clarke who refused to wear the chain because of its symbolism.

The current chain was commissioned in 1698 a brief time after the Battle of the Boyne to celebrate the English conquest of Ireland and the sectarianism of Penal Laws. At the time the Mayor who commissioned the Chain stated: “in everlasting memory of the great services of William III to the Protestant inhabitants as a mark of his royal grace and favour”.

The main feature of the chain is an image of William III (William of Orange), who was notoriously anti-Catholic and anti-Irish.

We demand a new chain be commissioned that would reflect the cultural traditions of the Irish people, that would include Celtic Artwork and either the Coat of Arms of Dublin or an image of 1916 leader Tom Clarke, or another notable Irish patriot.

Signed