Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The Moore Street district is incredibly important to our revolutionary history, culture and heritage as a nation. It is a place that holds much pride for many across the Thirty-two Counties and many Irish across the globe. Moore Street is where five of the great leaders of the 1916 Easter Rising met for the last time. The district should long have been a national monument. That it was not is in many ways symbolic of the attitude of successive Governments to the ideals of Easter week and the legacy of the great leaders of that period. That it was even possible for a property consortium to acquire large tracts of land and buildings in the area with the intention of large-scale demolition and commercial construction is telling. That the developers enjoyed the connivance of Governments and city councils is shameful. To add insult to injury, when large parts of the property ended up in State ownership via the National Asset Management Agency, NAMA, the State failed to recognise its previous failures and the sites were fire sold to another large British commercial shopping mall chain. The intention is for a large shopping centre to be built on this historic location. Thankfully, due to the diligent efforts of the relatives of the Rising's leaders as well as other campaigners, this obscenity has not yet come to pass.

Thanks to Deputy Ó Snodaigh's legislation, which I commend him for, the House can preserve and revitalise the historic 1916 Moore Street quarter and ensure that the State no longer allows this important part of our heritage to be dispensed for corporate greed. As such, this is an important opportunity that we should all grasp. We should always remember with pride those who fought and died for Irish freedom and independence. An Phoblacht abú. I commend the Bill to the House and urge all Deputies to support it.

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