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

I welcome the opportunity to speak on the Bill. I will talk about some of the cultural vandalism that took place in Dublin. Dublin is a unique city. It is my city. We must protect its cultural and historical identity. There has been a move by developers and planners to modernise Dublin to the extent that when one walks down the streets, one could be in any European city. We must be sure that we protect the archaeological heritage of our city.

We have been waiting for this Bill for decades. It could address many issues, but, as An Teachta Ó Snodaigh said, it is too late for some, most notably Wood Quay, the unique Viking settlement, which was bulldozed in the 1970s to build council offices. Archaeologists, historians, politicians, academics, writers and activists, young and old and from all walks of life, joined forces for a decade-long struggle against the destruction of this Viking site. Something like 20,000 protesters were on the streets of Dublin to voice their opposition to the destruction of the site. Protestors ultimately lost the battle to preserve it because Dublin Corporation found a loophole in the law that permitted it to proceed with the construction of the Civic Offices. Will the Bill close that loophole and prevent another travesty such as that relating to Wood travesty from happening in the future?

I have spoken before of how, more recently, we saw the demolition of The O’Rahilly’s house. That happened despite a unanimous vote by Dublin City Council to save the building. The State and its agencies have a dreadful record when it comes to protecting our heritage. The demolition of the house in question was an act of wanton vandalism in respect of our revolutionary history. While 40 Herbert Park was not a significant architectural site in itself, it had immense cultural and historical importance. The Asgard gun running operation was planned there, and all the signatories of the proclamation met there. Dublin City Council unanimously passed a Sinn Féin motion to protect the property. Like many, I was shocked and saddened when the house was levelled to the ground.

The Minister of State mentioned Moore Street. A priority for Sinn Féin is stopping the destruction of the hallowed 1916 battle site at Moore Street which the developers, Hammerson, wants to turn into a shopping centre. I welcome the Minister of State’s comments that some progress has been made to protect some of the terrace, but we must extend the protection to the whole terrace and the other buildings there. There is a chance to reimagine what the 1916 battle site could look like. It is a chance to protect it, not just for me but for my children, grandchildren and for future generations so that we can remember the sacrifices that were made in 1916. Deputy Ó Snodaigh has a Bill that is awaiting Committee Stage, the purpose of which is to facilitate the preservation of this historic street as a cultural quarter in line with the wishes of the relatives and the historians. The 1916 relatives thoughts must be taken into consideration in relation to any changes to this street. We should not have any more commercial development in the vicinity of Moore Street. We must protect it. I wish to read the following into the record: "There should be no further commercial development work in the vicinity of this site or in the area. The strongest way to secure that is to designate it as a historical quarter.” These are fantastic words. I wish they were mine, because I would love to take credit for them. They were uttered by the current Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy Darragh O’Brien, in the Seanad in 2015. Were they empty words? Were they not going to be followed through on when he got into government? We should double down on the commitment that he made regarding the preservation of the site.

I have a lot of connections with Moore Street. My grandparents had a tailor's shop not far from Moore Street. Moore Street was like a playground for me. I spent an awful lot of my childhood in and around Moore Street listening to the sounds and so on. I often think that if old Dublin could speak, it would sound like Moore Street. I always had a really strong connection with it. I was at a well-attended meeting in Liberty Hall recently hosted by the Moore Street Preservation Trust. We were given a very impressive and passionate presentation by the architect Seán Ó Muirí on what Moore Street could and should look like as a historical and cultural centre. We must preserve this street where The O’Rahilly made the ultimate sacrifice and preserve the buildings where Patrick Pearse, Connolly, Plunkett, Clarke, Seán Mac Diarmada and Willie Pearse held a council of war. We must preserve the site where the decision was made to surrender to save civilian lives in the knowledge that surrender meant they would be shot by the Brits. We must do everything possible to preserve this site.

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