Chris Andrews (Dublin Bay South, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I am honoured to speak in support of the Bill introduced by my colleague, Deputy Ó Snodaigh. I compliment the work that has been put into the Bill by the 1916 relatives' group, whose commitment to saving Moore Street and preserving our history has never wavered.

One can travel to almost any nation across the world and see the value and respect they put on sites that played a significant role in the shaping of their nationhood, whether it is Gettysburg in the USA, Flanders in Belgium or Brest Fortress in Belarus. Moore Street and the laneways surrounding it are no different to those aforementioned battlefields. Moore Street holds significant importance in the birth of our nation and revolutionary history. This battlefield must be preserved as a national monument and as a living museum would safeguard our history for the generations to come.

The Bill creates many more opportunities than simply listing Moore Street as a national monument. It will develop Moore Street into a cultural quarter. It will give the community within the inner city an opportunity to regenerate and develop into a living city with sustainability, history and culture at its heart.

When I think of the long battle to save Moore Street, I always think of The O'Rahilly who, after leading a charge of Moore Street, was mortally wounded by several bullets. He wrote a note to his darling Nancy as he lay dying. It finished simply saying, "It was a good fight anyhow". As we approach the 105th anniversary of the Easter Rising, we are still here fighting to protect Moore Street and give it the value and respect of which it is worthy.

Our history, heritage and culture cannot be left in the hands of private developers. It is too important and valuable.

We do not want a repeat of what happened at The O'Rahilly house in Herbert Park. We do not want a repeat of this cultural vandalism.

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