John Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to say a few words on the Bill put forward by my colleague, Deputy Ó Cuív. We are all aware of the importance of 1916 and its commemoration next year. Deputy Ó Cuív has been to the forefront in our party in ensuring that we are leading this commemoration by establishing the Commemoration Committee, or Coiste 1916, which is chaired by the Deputy. He has been doing tremendous work in ensuring that the celebrations next year will come to the fore and the descendants of the people involved in 1916 can have a place of honour and pride in the those commemorations.

This Bill deals with the Moore Street area and I will come back to that in a few minutes. I wish to reflect on the connection between 1916 and my county and town of Enniscorthy, whose local authority and community have been to the fore in celebrating each year on Easter Monday for probably 50 or 60 years. There is mass in the cathedral and people march to the market square in order to lay wreaths at the monument. It is important that such actions are recognised. The national celebrations next year will be significant but generations of people in Enniscorthy have kept the commemorations to the fore, recognising the important role played by Enniscorthy as one of the few towns outside Dublin that supported Pearse and his comrades in the 1916 Rising.

In March 1916, Pádraig Pearse visited Enniscorthy for the commemoration of Robert Emmet, the republican leader hanged for his rising of 1803. In public, in the Athenaeum Theatre, Pearse delivered what Paul Galligan remembered as an "impressive" lecture on Emmet. The Enniscorthy battalion provided a guard of honour. Such rallies, like the funeral of O'Donovan Rossa in Dublin in 1915, allowed the volunteers to openly flout the authority of the British state. John O'Reilly from Enniscorthy remembered: "We had the buildings under armed guard that night and were prepared to resist any interference from the RIC or other authorities." In private, Pearse told volunteer officers such as Séamus Doyle that the orders for an armed uprising would come soon. In Enniscorthy, the Athenaeum was made the republican headquarters, over which flew the green, white and orange tricolour flag. We have heard much about the tricolour first being flown in Waterford but people from Enniscorthy and Wexford in general would contend that they flew the tricolour flag at the same time as Waterford. History has since shown that this may have been the case.

As I mentioned, Enniscorthy has been to the forefront in celebrating every Easter Monday. In 1994 or 1995, it was not popular to invite a person from Sinn Féin to events but the then chairman of Enniscorthy Urban Council invited Mr. Martin McGuinness to the celebrations. It was not very popular, as I stated, and some people resigned, while ex-Army personnel left the function when Mr. McGuinness arrived. We in Enniscorthy maintain that we sowed the first seeds of what was to become the Good Friday Agreement by accepting Mr. McGuinness into the fold on that occasion. We had Comóradh Éirí Amach na Cásca for years, with descendants of those who took part in the 1916 Rising being involved through the years in keeping the celebration going. We now have the 1916 committee, which will prepare the celebrations for Enniscorthy and Wexford in general next year. Books have been written recently by Professor Henry Goff, who wrote a history of 1916, and there was recently a book launch by Mr. Bernard Browne, son of a former Fine Gael councillor, the late John Browne. The book is on the poetry and literature of 1916 from Wexford. It is important to recognise that the celebrations must go on outside Dublin as well. Some recognition has been given to towns like Enniscorthy, Ashbourne and Galway. Last Sunday, we saw the commemoration to Liam Mellows in Castletown in Wexford, another volunteer of that era.

Many relatives of leaders from 1916 are to the fore now in the preparations in my hometown. They are seeking to represent families at the celebrations in Dublin. Some have received invitations but others have not. It is important to invite as many people from rural Ireland as possible whose relatives were involved with 1916 to the celebrations in Dublin. It is not just a Dublin event and the role of the families and descendants should be recognised. Enniscorthy will participate in the laying of wreaths at the same time as Dublin, Ashbourne and Deputy Ó Cuív's county of Galway. It is important that wreaths should be laid simultaneously across the four areas. That would recognise the importance of rurally based 1916 commemorations.

Tonight's debate is about Moore Street and the historic buildings there, including No. 16 Moore Street, the last headquarters of the provisional government of the Irish republic during the 1916 Easter Rising. Volunteers broke into the houses on Moore Street, tunnelled their way through the terrace and took up new positions in each house, making No. 16 the headquarters.

As many as 300 Irish Volunteers and members of Cumann na mBan escaped to the building from the GPO after it caught fire following bombardment by British artillery during Easter week 1916. The buildings were designated a national monument in 2007 by the then Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Dick Roche. Given that they are a national monument, the current Minister has a duty to ensure the buildings do not descend into permanent decay. It is very easy for the latter to happen to buildings. The Athenaeum, which was the headquarters in Enniscorthy at the time, fell into serious decay over the years. Following representation from all of us, the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform allocated €1.3 million a few months ago for the renovation of the Athenaeum. These renovations are under way and it will be one of the key buildings next year. One of the major events will be its opening next Easter. We accept and recognise the contribution of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform in making such a large sum of money available for the renovation of the Athenaeum. It is an iconic building that is steeped in history. It had fallen into decay but is now being restored to its former glory, which is very welcome.

The forthcoming centenary of the 1916 Rising marks an important milestone in the history of the Republic. The Easter Rising defined us as a country. It does not belong to any one party but rather to the people of Ireland. I accept that some historians in recent years may have tried to rewrite the history of 1916 but it is important that we would accept 1916 warts and all and accept that the those involved made a valiant effort to secure freedom for our people after many years of British rule. As Deputy Ó Cuív noted, the 150 descendants of nearly 300 participants in the Rising must be central to any State celebrations. This is why I said earlier that the descendants of participants in Enniscorthy should be given recognition at both local and national level.

The Government has been criticised for operating in a haphazard way and possibly taking a disinterested approach but we appreciate the allocation of money by the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform. He made sure of this following representations from Oireachtas Members, the 1916 committee, the county manager in Wexford and many more people who argued for recognition of the role played by Enniscorthy in the celebrations and in the renovation of the Athenaeum.

In many ways, the Easter Rising in County Wexford was a follow-on from the 1798 rebellion. Wexford is famous for that era when Wexford people fought at Vinegar Hill, Tubberneering and other areas of the county led by Fr. John Murphy. If one traces back the people involved in the 1916 Rising, one will find that many of them were descendants of families that were involved in the 1798 rebellion. They were still involved. We have a continuation of these families who are very much at the heart of the celebrations of 1916. The people of Wexford and Enniscorthy take great pride in celebrating 1916. Every Easter Monday, we celebrate and recognise the magnificent role played by the people there at that time. Enniscorthy is a small town but one that played a significant role in both 1798 and 1916 in the fight for Irish freedom. The Minister of State, Deputy Coffey, is here tonight. I know that Waterford played a part as well. I hope we will recognise the importance of Moore Street and that the Government will consider taking on board the Bill put forward by Deputy Ó Cuív. A great deal of time and effort has gone into preparing it. The Bill is not about Deputy Ó Cuív, it is about recognising the importance of Moore Street. I have not been in Moore Street very often. I visited the markets a couple of times but the people out there recognise the significance of the Moore Street buildings from Nos. 14 to 17 and the need to renovate and restore them and give them the status they deserve. We fully support the site becoming a museum devoted to the events of 1916. It is very important that we would have a museum to that effect. Enniscorthy Castle, which is a museum, contains a lot of artefacts and family mementoes of 1916 and further back. I can say categorically that people visit the castle on a regular basis and have a great sense of pride in the role played by the people in 1916.

Our Bill now goes further and seeks to redevelop the entire Moore Street area and its environs. Our councillors have campaigned with other councillors for the restoration of Moore Street and for the buildings to be taken into State ownership by Dublin City Council. Senator Darragh O'Brien introduced the Bill in the Seanad and Deputy Ó Cuív amended it and introduced in the Dáil. The debate this evening and tomorrow night is very significant at this time. We are five months away from celebrating the 100th anniversary of the 1916 Rising - a milestone in our history and a milestone in setting this country on the road to freedom, including economic freedom which is as important as any other type. We have ploughed a long furrow over the past 100 years. Last Sunday in Castletown, Seán Haughey asked what the leaders of 1916 would think of us today. How would they react to some of the things that are happening in this country? It is a different era and time but we must recognise that the men and women of 1916 led the way forward for the freedom of this country, including its economic freedom. It is for us as a people who are now custodians of democracy in this country to make sure it is protected and enhanced and that we look back every so often. Next Easter will give us an opportunity to look back and realise the sacrifices made by the people at that time. By looking back and taking inspiration from their leadership, we can move forward as a country to make it one in which all of our people can live in freedom, equality and fraternity.

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