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Diarmuid O'Flynn

Born in 1953 in Newmarket, County Cork and after a career in Land Surveying and Civil Engineering O'Flynn began a career in journalism. He became the first Gaelic Park GAA correspondent for the Irish Voice in New York and then in 1998 he became a full time Sports Journalist with the Irish Examiner.

Bank bailout protests

Ballyhea residents began weekly marches through the village in February 2011 to protest against the taxpayer-funded bailout of banks in Ireland. The persistence of the villagers — who continued their weekly Sunday demonstrations without interruption into 2014, and who faithfully carried a banner each week declaring, "Ballyhea says NO! to bond-holder bailout" — attracted increasing notice by Irish and international media.[3][4]

The marches were organized by Diarmuid O'Flynn, a sports reporter at the Irish Examiner and creator of the Bondwatch blog in which he documents bank bailout payments as they occur. O'Flynn explained he was inspired by the Arab Spring and stated, "This is the biggest bank robbery in history. The difference is it's the banks robbing us."[5]

Journalist Gene Kerrigan wrote about the protests, "When the history of this ignoble little era is written, Ballyhea will be a byword for honour."[6]