Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)

It was felt strongly by those in the Abbey Theatre that they would like to move to a greenfield site or a new large site that affords a fresh start with all of the necessary facilities. Ironically, the GPO has that because there is only the shell at the front and the side; the rest of it is an enormous space that can be made available and demolished. It is a significant space. It was not a ministerial or a Government decision that it should move. A collective view was taken by the board members of the Abbey, and I believe everyone involved, that for a national theatre its future could not be achieved to the level they wanted in its current site.

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