Mark Ward (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

In an act of wanton vandalism on our revolutionary history, No. 40 Herbert Park, home of the 1916 leader, The O'Rahilly was demolished yesterday. The house was built in 1907 and The O'Rahilly, the only 1916 leader to die in battle, was the first occupant of the property. His widow Nancy lived here until her death in the 1960s. In 1913 The O'Rahilly became one of the founding members of the Irish Volunteers. He was in charge of the first major arming of Irish Volunteers from a consignment of German rifles and ammunition that were smuggled into Howth aboard the Asgard. He joined the garrison of the GPO and was killed on 28 April 1916 while leading a charge down Moore Street. The battlefield on Moore Street was also subject to unscrupulous developers who wanted to ignore our historical and cultural heritage. The O'Rahilly literally fought and died by Pearse's side.

While No. 40 Herbert Park is not significant in an architectural sense, it is immensely important in an historical and cultural sense. The Asgardgun-running operation was planned here and all of the signatories of the Proclamation met here. As Deputy O'Callaghan mentioned, Dublin City Council unanimously passed a Sinn Féin motion to protect this property and like many, I was shocked and saddened to see it levelled to the ground yesterday. The arrogance of the developer to completely ignore the democratic will of the people is a sad reflection on the systemic greed of some developers today. Dublin City Council has announced that it will be carrying out an investigation into the destruction of No. 40 Herbert Park. What assistance will the Department be giving to the council and what are the likely repercussions for the developer?

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