Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú) | Oireachtas source

I raise issues of grave concern regarding our heritage and An Bord Pleanála. Builders bulldozed the home of the O'Rahilly in September 2020 to prepare the site for a 12-storey apartment and hotel development. I raised this issue with the Taoiseach at the time in this Chamber because of the historic importance of the building. The Taoiseach agreed that it was absolutely wrong that a building, a site of this value in terms of our heritage, a national monument, was floored in such a manner by a developer.

The O'Rahilly house was central to the formation of the State, Cumann na mBan, the Gaelic revival, the revolutionary war, and all that went on with that. Three future Presidents of the State attended meetings at the house, as did each of the signatories of the Proclamation. Yet, in an act of cultural vandalism, the developers just tore it down. The O'Rahilly's grandson, Proinsias Ó Rathaille, to whom I spoke, is campaigning for accountability and for the house to be constructed. However, as of yet, nobody has been held to account for what happened. An Bord Pleanála granted consent to the demolition of this national monument and listed building. Three of the board members, including the then deputy chair, Mr. Paul Hyde, and Ms Michelle Fagan, who were party to that decision have been named as having failed to declare a conflict of interest in a number of other planning decisions. It is an incredible issue that a country, a republic such as ours, with the heritage we have, simply floors such buildings and deletes the opportunity of future generations to access, touch and be in the locations where the founders of the State were.

Another issue relates to a site not too far from here, namely, the Moore Street battlefield site. I refer to the Hammerson planning application which seeks to destroy not in its totality but elements of the Moore Street battlefield site. It would radically change the nature of that location. This is the birthplace of the Republic. It is a location that was central to the 1916 battles around the GPO. The planners ignored the views of elected members to have buildings Nos. 10 to 25 Moore Street listed. The planners have shown complete disrespect for our heritage and the cultural significance of that street. There has been an ongoing battle since then in respect of that street. It was a battlefield upon which freedom and independence of this country was fought, and now there seems to be a battle between the defenders of that heritage and large property developers.

We know there was a framework between Dublin City Council, the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, and Dublin Central GP Limited, of the Hammerson Group, to compensate traders for the impacts of the development on that site. We also know that officials from the Department responsible for heritage, Dublin City Council, the Moore Street advisory group, and Hammerson Group met with representatives of the traders on the Moore Street site. Serious allegations were made in Villagethat offers of compensation were made to traders at these meetings on condition they would support Hammerson's planning applications.

All I am asking is that the Department and the Garda investigate what happened to the house of O'Rahilly and the Moore Street battlefield site. Aontú demands that the Government and the Garda investigate this.

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