Sandra McLellan (Cork East, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The decision to grant permission for the development of Moore Street is tantamount to providing for the obliteration of what has been described by the National Museum of Ireland as the most important site in modern Irish history. The Government's proposal to turn Nos. 14 to 17 Moore Street into an interpretative centre, while welcome, is inadequate as it fails to match the importance of the site. Under the current plan, the rest of the terrace on Moore Street is to be demolished. If Chartered Land is allowed to proceed with its plans, the lanes of history surrounding Moore Street will be bulldozed and covered by a shopping mall. The entire Moore Street battlefield site should be developed and protected as a national monument. This would be a fitting centre for the centenary of the 1916 Rising and would give an economic boost to the north inner city of Dublin. It could also provide a prestigious international education and tourism facility. Does the Minister agree that allowing Chartered Land to proceed with its plans undermines all the work that has been done to preserve Nos. 14 to 17 Moore Street? Does he agree that the site will become nothing more than a museum in a shopping centre?

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