Camillus Glynn (Fianna Fail)

Ba mhaith liom fáilte a chur roimh an Aire Stáit go dtí an Teach agus roimh coiste Sráid Uí Mhórdha agus muintir cheannairí Éirí Amach na Cásca 1916. It gives me great pleasure to give my strong support today to the conservation of this site. However, I am angry because this should have been done years ago and we should not be talking about it today. We have talked the talk. Let us now walk the walk and do the job. I support the call by Senator Labhrás ó Murchú for an early meeting with the relevant agencies. I know and accept times are difficult, but this project is so important that people are prepared, even in these hard times, to bring this project to fruition. I am confident they are prepared to put their hands in their pockets and not leave them there.

The leaders of the 1916 Rising showed great vision and courage.

They led the way. They knew they would not win in the short term, but they paved the way for others to follow. My late maternal uncle, Geoff McDermott, was one of those who fought for independence at the time. Members of this House, the Dáil and Dublin City Council and the entire population must come together with a common objective to bring the project to fruition.

As we approach the centenary of the founding of the State which was down to the great vision and courage of the people concerned, it is time we stopped talking and started walking. Let the commemorative committee and all of the agencies involved lead the way and put in place once and for all a monument by conserving the site and turning it into a tourist attraction. We would all justly be proud of such a project because the people it would commemorate gave their lives in order that we would have a tomorrow. We owe it to them. Many have left the country — emigration is part of our culture. I am a returned emigrant. There would be no better reason to come to Dublin than to visit the site, if it was suitably preserved in a way that could be agreed by all of the agencies concerned. Let us stop talking and do something about it because it is high time this was done. We can all find ways and means to procrastinate. There has been a policy of procrastination regarding the site. It is past time all of the agencies concerned should have got together to work on a monument of which we could all be proud. People would be prepared to make a positive contribution to the project and I am one of them. It is time we stopped talking.