Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)

That is not correct, and Sinn Féin does not have a monopoly when it comes to association with the heroes of 1916. Many of us in Fianna Fáil have a strong connection with those people who fought in 1916. The Deputy needs to accurately represent what was stated yesterday. It was stated that the GPO complex will be redeveloped as an ambitious flagship project, as a mixed-use development with a combination of cultural, retail and office components, befitting the national historical and cultural importance of the site. We need to recognise that the GPO is a huge site. I suspect the last thing Pádraig Pearse or James Connolly would want is for us to have it fossilised the way it was back in 1916. It is a vibrant, valuable site in the centre of the city. It represents not only our great history but also the future.

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