Protesters gathered outside the Catholic Archbishop of Dublin's residence in an effort to get funds released to renovate their local church.
Parishioners of City Quay are calling for €2m, which was awarded in a 2018 settlement to the parish, to be returned to refurbish the 160-year-old Church of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
The money was awarded following objections to development in the area in 2016 by the community, parishioners and the adjoining school over disturbance, infringement and the blocking of natural light into the church.
A settlement was reached with the developer in April 2018, which said it would undertake certain work and pay €3.5m.
The school was upgraded, the courtyard at the front of the church was restored and requested fees for diocesan lawyers were paid, leaving approximately €2m outstanding for the church renovation project.
In November 2020, planning permission was granted for the works and a contractor was appointed following a tender process.
However, the renovation works were not approved by the archdiocese, which now holds the money.
Parishioners have been calling on Archbishop Dermot Farrell to release the money for some time.
A spokesperson for the Dublin Archbishop has said the funds are being held "in the name of" and "for the exclusive benefit" of City Quay parish.
In a statement to RTÉ News last month, he said: "For every significant capital project in the Archdiocese of Dublin there are procedures in place to ensure that resources are used to best effect and in a transparent and accountable fashion.
"These apply to the project at City Quay and the project will proceed when the Archbishop is satisfied that they have been met."
This has angered locals, many of whom can trace the history of their families' sacraments and dues paid to the church for generations.
Mary Dolan, local parishioner and part of the City Quay church group, has said the church is at the hub of everything that happens within City Quay.
Speaking to RTÉ's Morning Ireland, she said the building itself is not fit for purpose and it has been many years since any work has been done on it.
"Inside the whole facade is literally crumbling around it and we are just looking for transparency and communication from the archbishop, as a faith-filled people, saying 'listen, give us a date for when this money will be released to us and when can we start the work'.
"It's a community church, for not only the older community, but also we have a newer cohort of people, an international one, that's gathering, working in the area in the commercial sector, the likes of Facebook," Ms Dolan said.
The Archbishop of Dublin is the parish priest of the Church of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, otherwise known as 'the Docker's Church'.
It is one of four parishes in the city where he holds this position, which means that priests assigned to these areas are administrators.
Archbishop Farrell's spokesperson has pointed out that a new administrator has been appointed to the parish following the retirement of the previous parish administrator.
"The archbishop is hopeful that outstanding issues can be resolved in the near future, and that the refurbishment of City Quay church can proceed," he said.
However, despite efforts from parishioners, TDs and public representatives to find a solution locals feel they have no choice but to voice their anger through protest.