The Fact that there would be no May Day Demonstrations was dissappointing, but it left space for a re-imagined celebration of May Day, the Trade Union Holiday associated with the Haymarket Affair of 1886 in Chicago and the campaign for the 8 Hour Work day.
The Appeal initially sold badges depicting the faces of the Trade Union Leaders, James Connolly and Jim Larkin, In order to raise money for the Dublin Homeless Charity, Inner City Helping Homeless. In it's first year, the appeal was recognised by By the President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins.
President Higgins welcomed Mr. Andrew O’Brien to Áras an Uachtaráin, to discuss the work of Inner City Helping Homeless, a charity working to eliminate homelessness in Dublin.https://t.co/xmTvS6NwLI pic.twitter.com/1KLAxWrXU3
— President of Ireland (@PresidentIRL) September 24, 2020
The Appeal, continued to support Inner City Helping Homeless in 2021, and had even gotten the support of former UK Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer, John McDonnell MP, in a tremendous campaign that had only grown the badge appeal.
Unfortunatley, Inner City Helping Homeless Closed it's doors later in 2021. The Founder of the Appeal, Andrew O'Brien, had decided that the goodwill, fun and creativity generated by the Badge Appeal should not go to waste, and so he decided to support, the 'Out of school' Educational Project in Cork City, the Cork Life Centre, for the 2022 campaign, that year, themed around the Irish American Teacher and Trade Union Organiser, Mary Harris Jones a.k.a, Mother Jones, enlisting the help of former UK Leader of the opposition, Jeremy Corbyn MP to promote the campaign.Each year in Dublin a wonderful young man, Andrew O’Brien, helps raise funds for the charity, Inner City Helping Homeless. This year he has launched a raffle & is selling badges. Please help. Check out @MayBadgeAppeal to donate. pic.twitter.com/AFmEPK1M2n
— John McDonnell MP (@johnmcdonnellMP) April 28, 2021
The end of 2022 saw a noticable uptick in anti-migrant sentiment in Ireland, with attacks on refugees, and the picketing of Direct Provision Centres. It was then decided that the badge appeal would be deployed to help those on the thin end of the wedge, and 2023 campaign was used to raise money for the Movement of Asylum Seekers of Ireland.Thank you Andrew for your beautiful gift and for our excellent meeting this afternoon — the portrait of Tony Benn now hangs proudly on the wall of the PJP office!
— Jeremy Corbyn (@jeremycorbyn) September 7, 2022
Please support @MayBadgeAppeal and the wonderful @CorkLifeCentre 👇 https://t.co/15te2BHdGy