Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

It is rare that this happens but yesterday some areas of Dublin got good news. The people of the Liberties learned that Dublin City Council has directed the immediate commencement of a process that will enable it to carry out preservation works of the historic Iveagh Markets. It is, however, short in its budget and has said it will be calling on the State to provide funding to preserve this wonderful building, which the Minister of State, Deputy Noonan, spoke about in this House quite recently. It is a credit to the people of the Liberties that they have always insisted that the building not be allowed to die, even after 20 years of neglect. In honour of those people, who have put up with a lot of overdevelopment and lost a lot of Dublin's real heritage but are able to preserve this part of it, I am calling on the State to honour its commitment, as given by the Minister of State, who said:

The building is far too important for Dublin and the country to lose it. We will do all we can to try to help with this process.

With a bit of optimism for the people of the Liberties, for Dublin and the country, we want to see that funding made available.

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