Arthur Spring (Kerry North-West Limerick, Labour)

It is important to preserve those places and buildings that are vital to our country's heritage. No. 16, Moore Street is one such vital place that could do with being restored. When walking along Moore Street, many could be unaware that they were walking past the site of the final council of war of the leaders of the 1916 Rising. The building is in a dilapidated state and does nothing to commemorate what took place there.

Nos. 14 to 17 Moore Street are currently on the record of protected structures in the Dublin City Council development plan and are protected as national monuments under the provisions of the National Monuments Acts. The Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht is being asked to determine an application for consent which would restore, preserve and enhance these buildings in the form of a commemorative centre. The Minister is only tasked with determining the changes to the national monument and not the surrounding area. The commemorative centre would promote No. 16 as the focal point while Nos. 14, 15 and 17 would be used to house other functions such as a book shop and a cafe. No. 16 would be conserved with minimal alternations made so as to maintain the true character and spirit of the site for those who visit.

Sinn Féin's proposal would acknowledge the importance of the area but it would do little to move forward any project on No. 16, Moore Street before 2016. This is the crux of what we need to achieve tonight, namely, to put the attention and focus on having this restored to a place of heritage and celebration before 2016. The former structural glory of these buildings, which is not of architectural importance, is not what is at issue here. The national monument at Nos. 14 to 17 must be recognised and celebrated for the role it played in 1916. I do not wish to celebrate the bloodshed and the killing of men and women that took place; I wish to recognise the principles for which the people of the 1916 Rising stood, and I believe those principles are true for the majority of us in this House tonight.

I came across these buildings when I was a student in Dublin. Many students go to Moore Street to buy fruit and vegetables, and meat in the butchers shops. A good friend of mine, Alan Bradshaw, a historian from Dublin, pointed out that those derelict buildings were of national importance. I could not believe it when I saw them and was informed about them. They are dilapidated, in an appalling condition and do nothing to celebrate the people, the culture or their legacy. I know the Minister, Deputy Deenihan, to be a man who is very passionate about heritage. It is not because he found himself in this role as a Minister at point in time; it is a subject on which I have heard him speak from my early days of watching him as a politician and it is also one in which he has a personal interest. I believe he will do the right thing.

There was some talk of the facade of the building being preserved and the rest of it being demolished. That is not the case. I do not believe that anybody here who would allow that to happen. With no disrespect to Deputy McLellan, the possibility of it being destroyed or demolished is not something any of us would countenance on this side of the House. We need to be as objective about it as we can be. I do not think that any political party should try to grab hold of this issue

The relatives of the 1916 families who are in the Visitors Gallery have played an enormous role in this, on which I commend them. I think that we can celebrate this cross-party and cross-county. It is ironic to note that every Deputy who has spoken on this motion so far comes from the four corners of Ireland and not from Dublin. For those of us who come from 1916 families who were involved in Rising, we look forward to celebrating it, to recognising the roles that people played but also to a brighter future for the country. We need to not only dwell on the past, but on the principles for which the people of 1916 strove and we need to re-evaluate our principles and look forward on that basis.

The GPO is a building of enormous importance. I have brought visitors from all over the world to see it and it does not do justice to what it is. It needs to be more than a general post office that is in operation in that it needs to be celebrated. O'Connell Street also needs to be celebrated. We need to get rid of every chipper on the street and celebrate it as the main street and thoroughfare of the capital of Ireland. If we could get that street upgraded to a level where it is of tourist importance and the heritage site on Moore Street was recognised for what it is, that would only make things better for Dublin - those who are not from here would like to celebrate that. I commend Sinn Féin and the Opposition on recognising what is important tonight.

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