Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Government decided to acquire the national monument at Nos. 14–17 Moore Street because of its historical association with the events of Easter 1916. This decision demonstrates and acknowledges the historical importance of the site in a clear and substantive way and ensures that the long-term future of this historic landmark will be preserved and safeguarded. Bringing the monument into public ownership will also allow the development of a 1916 commemorative centre on the site.

The legal steps to bring the national monument into the ownership of the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht have been completed. The purchase from the previous owner was effected with the assistance of NAMA and the consideration of €4 million was arrived at in the normal commercial manner.

I am now pressing ahead as a priority with arrangements to implement the Government’s decision in full. My Department concluded a tendering process for the scheme of conservation works initiated when the property was under lien by NAMA in order to get construction work under way as speedily as possible to prevent further deterioration of the fabric of the national monument buildings. This conservation work has now commenced and will be completed during the 2016 centenary year. Provision has been made to facilitate managed public access to the monument for some centenary events.

The work will be ongoing but we will try to allow some people in during the centenary events around Easter. The work will be painstaking and careful because most of it will involve restoration to bring the site back to its condition in 1916.

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