The Rent Strike

Between 1970 and 1973, over 350,000 tenants throughout Ireland withheld rent in protest against rent increases, poor housing conditions and a lack of facilities. The story of this national movement is told for the first time here. Anger over housing issues had been brewing since the late ‘60s and in March 1970 a wave of rent strikes began, first in Ballyphehane in Cork and Ballymun in Dublin and then, over the next two years, the campaign, coordinated by the National Association of Tenants Organisations, spread throughout the country.

Celebrating the inspiring story of this working-class campaign, and particularly the women who led the protests, The Rent Strike provides a timely lesson in how communities can be effectively mobilised against injustice.