Mary Fitzpatrick (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Comhghairdeas on bringing this piece of legislation to the House today on Second Stage. With my colleagues, I look forward to supporting the legislation. It is an important piece of work. It was my privilege, along with Senators Boyhan, Cummins, Seery Kearney and others, to do the pre-legislative scrutiny in the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage. It is important legislation. We learned that when you do great things, your legacy remains after you. In doing this, the Minister of State is doing a great thing. This will be an important part of his legacy and I congratulate him on that. We are all just passing through and we should use our time as productively and valuably as possible.

Heritage is the gift that keeps on giving. It has intellectual, cultural, educational, social and economic value to us. Our heritage is who we are. It informs who we are and it is what makes us unique. This legislation is an important response from the State. It is an assertion, let us say, from the State of the value the State will place on heritage. The legislation and the enshrining of the value of heritage in it creates a link between the past and the present and, ideally, a bridge into the future. It helps us understand where we come from and how we got to where we are today. Hopefully, those experiences, learnings and failures will inform how we move forward in the future. It helps to create a sense of identity and a sense of belonging. It is our opportunity to pass on to future generations all of our learnings from our success and failures.

Once heritage is destroyed, that is it. It is gone forever. That is why it is important that the Bill is effective, fit for purpose and will lead us into the future. This legislation has been far too long in coming. Back in 2001, the Heritage Council indicated that more than 30% of the State’s archaeological monuments had been destroyed since 1840. That is a terrible legacy and track record. I appreciate this legislation aims to, in part, ensure that that type of vandalism and destruction is not repeated into the future.

Heritage provides a tangible connection to the stories, experience and achievements of our ancestors.We all have our own personal heritage. Mine stems from poor small farmers; the Famine in Mayo; railway people under the British empire; revolution; Fianna Fáil; the founding of the State; my own emigration; the tech sector; and a modern Ireland. It is our country's heritage. Dublin Central, where I live, and the rest of the world is constantly changing but we can all learn from the past. That is why it is critically important that the State takes a lead in protecting our heritage, including the high-profile heritage sites in Ireland, such as Newgrange, the Cliffs of Moher, the passage tomb at Dowth, and Brú na Bóinne, a place I visited recently. In my constituency, there is the Phoenix Park, the GPO, the Royal Canal - some of these places I take for granted everyday - O'Connell Street and Moore Street. I cannot let today go by without talking about Moore Street. I acknowledge those from the Iveagh Markets. I have had my battle on the north side for the fruit and vegetable market for a long time. I feel their pain. I agree with and support Senator Seery Kearney, who is working incredibly hard to ensure the heritage of the Iveagh Markets is protected, promoted and sustained into the future. I am sure the Senator will be more than able to eloquently speak to that.

I acknowledge the Bill will provide for the integrated licensing system, the statutory codes of practice, other legal protections that will be conferred and new fines. All of that is really welcome. The fact that it will replace legislation from 1930 speaks for itself. It will allow the State to ratify international conventions and bring our legislation up to date in areas of heritage protection. All of this is important. The new register of monuments is very welcome as is the fact that the Bill provides for the State's right of ownership of archaeological objects where there is no owner found. That is really welcome.

I cannot finish without mentioning Moore Street and the national monument of 14-17 Moore Street. That site is the birthplace of our Republic. I know the Minister of State is familiar with this site because I have haunted him about it, for which I apologise, but I will not give up. The people of Moore Street, the traders will not give up. I do not believe the Irish people will give up until they see a proper 1916 commemorative centre at 14-17 Moore Street. It is long overdue. There is a fantastic proposal there. Since the Minister of State took up office, he has put energy behind it. The report of the ministerial advisory group, on which I was honoured to serve, was endorsed and broadly welcomed. It contains a high-value proposal for a quality, State-run 1916 commemorative site. I hope the Minister of State will, before he concludes this debate, be able to update the House on when we will see works commence at the national monument of 14-17 Moore Street. When we do great things, our legacy remains after us. The Minister of State has the opportunity to do a great deed. He is doing great work with this legislation. We will be supporting it through the next Stages and we want to see it enacted promptly. I also want him to reach beyond the legislation and into the day-to-day operations and protection of our heritage, particularly the national monument on Moore Street.