Christopher O'Sullivan (Cork South-West, Fianna Fail)

I move:

To delete all words after "Dáil Éireann" and substitute the following: "notes:

— the ongoing commitment of this Government to honouring the men and women of 1916;

— the hugely successful and inclusive Decade of Centenaries programme, and the Government's investment in key capital projects in that regard, including the seminal 1916 Museum and Exhibition at the General Post Office (GPO), and the purchase by the State of the National Monument at 14-17 Moore Street; and

— its affirmation of the status of the GPO as the headquarters of the 1916 Easter Rising, and the site at which the Proclamation of the Republic was read on Easter Monday, 24th April, 1916;

acknowledges the central role the GPO has played since 1818 in delivering postal services, and its historical significance as an early home for the predecessor of RTÉ, 2RN;

recognises the enduring role of the GPO as a hub of communication, connecting communities across the country;

further notes:

— that the Government has approved the overall approach as outlined by the Interdepartmental Group on the recommendations of the proposed Roadmap for Delivery: Dublin City Taskforce Report;

— the accelerated delivery of several landmark capital projects in Dublin's core area, forming part of a broader strategy to drive urban regeneration and sustainable development as a result of the work of the Interdepartmental Working Group and the Dublin City Taskforce;

— that this commitment will be reflected in the review of the National Development Plan (NDP) and aims to help build delivery momentum across priority projects;

— that the NDP 2021-2030, published in 2021, included the GPO redevelopment and clearly sets out the intentions relating to the GPO that the building will remain in public ownership, and the rich cultural heritage of the building will be preserved through continued operation of the historic post office and the museum on the ground floor, and, sympathetic to development elsewhere on O'Connell Street, the upper floors will be refurbished to provide office accommodation for civil servants; and

— that a detailed proposal for the future use of the GPO will be developed by the Office of Public Works (OPW), and submitted for approval by the Government in due course, and it is acknowledged that there will be a need to consult on design, and that the consultation would be wide ranging given the emblematic importance of the GPO, not only to Dubliners but also to the public all over Ireland;

endorses the intention to reflect the national historical and cultural significance of the GPO in any development plans, creating a dynamic and respectful reuse of a key historical civic landmark; and

furthermore, notes:

— the acquisition by the State of the National Monument at 14-17 Moore Street;

— the significant stabilisation and weathering works undertaken by the Government to preserve and save the buildings from further deterioration, and, in particular, the preservation works relating to the historic tunnels;

— the extensive engagement with relevant stakeholders, including political parties, through, inter alia, the work of the Moore Street Advisory Group and other fora; and

— the more recent progress made by the OPW on the restoration and conservation of the National Monument at 14-17 Moore Street.".

The General Post Office complex site, the former headquarters of An Post, remains the principal post office of our capital city. It is one of the most prominent and well-known buildings of our capital and country, perhaps the most well known. It has secured a place in our history and in our country's future due to its role in the 1916 Easter Rising and the hallowed space from where this republic was born. It is not just a building. It is a witness to our struggle, our sacrifice and our rising. It was here beneath the Tricolour flying defiantly over the colonnade that the Proclamation of the Irish Republic was first read aloud to the world. Here the plum of our nation's great dream turned red with the blood of patriots who dared to imagine a free Ireland.

As things stand, it comprises just under 24,000 sq. m of mixed-use accommodation, including office space, the post office itself, the Witness History exhibition centre, as well as some retail units and the GPO shopping arcade. While there has been a range of minor conservation interventions over many years, the condition of the fabric of the building has deteriorated in places and the building management system needs to be upgraded. In late 2023, the majority of the GPO staff moved to new premises in the north docklands and a reduced cohort of approximately 300 staff remain at the GPO complex.

The interdepartmental group on the Dublin city task force held its first meeting in October 2024, with a number of Departments and agencies represented at senior level. The recent report of the group provides a path to implement the Dublin city task force recommendation, including governance and oversight. The report outlines the engine for delivery and the required partnership that, with the right expertise and focus, can deliver actions to make Dublin city more thriving and attractive, a safe cityscape and a desirable location to live, work and visit.

The report includes recommendations for the future of the GPO. It proposes that the redevelopment of the GPO complex be an ambitious national flagship project. It proposes a mixed-use development, with a combination of cultural, retail and office components befitting the national historic and cultural importance of the site, all to be the subject of a detailed proposal to be developed and led by the OPW. The OPW has already undertaken a preliminary assessment of the building fabric and services, including a detailed survey of the entire complex. Detailed topographical surveys and internal and external digital scanning of the entire property have been completed, as well as subsurface surveys, which will provide information critical to the future detailed design process. This technical work will inform interventions to safeguard the property in future.

The project has been included as a key project of the OPW's submission on the revised national development plan, which affirms that the GPO will remain in public ownership. The rich cultural heritage and essence of the building will be preserved through its continued operation of the historic post office and the museum on the ground floor. Sympathetic to development elsewhere on O'Connell Street, the upper floors will be refurbished to provide office accommodation for public servants, a key piece of infrastructure for modern government administration.

It is acknowledged by the OPW and by us all that there will be a need to consult on design, and that this consultation will be wide-ranging, given the profound symbolic and real importance of the GPO, not only to Dubliners, but to many in our nation and among our diaspora. In addition, the redevelopment of the complex affords us an opportunity to further enhance a space for the public with new visitor attractions and a city centre venue with cultural, education and recreational facilities.

Redevelopment of the GPO complex will, of course, need to be considered in the context of the surrounding urban landscape. We will need to ensure that various envisaged projects work together in harmony to revitalise the area and address some of the wider urban and social challenges facing this area of the city. Conservation-led development of the national monument at 14-17 Moore Street is one such project, where detailed work into the refurbishment of the national monument is well progressed.

As all well know, legal proceedings from 2016 thwarted the State's hope and stopped all works, apart from essential stabilisation and preservation measures that were agreed by the High Court. Since the Court of Appeal overturned the earlier judgment in 2018, the Moore Street advisory group to the Minister has advised on how best to proceed with plans for the monument as well as a visitor centre to the rear. It was to liaise with stakeholders with a view to securing agreement for the redevelopment of the area in a way that is sensitive to its history, its culture and its traditions. This group went through three iterations and comprised 1916 relatives and Moore Street traders as well as Oireachtas and local authority members. The group provided three separate reports to the Minister, all of which contained a number of suggestions. The key recommendation was that work would begin on the monument as soon as possible.

Plans for the refurbishment of the national monument, along with a visitor centre to the rear, are well under way. A steering group of officials from the Department and the OPW is guiding the complex process involved in a project such as this. Considerable work has been done to ensure all preparatory work for any redevelopment has been thoroughly carried out, and all public infrastructure guidelines have been adhered to. A design team for the project has been appointed and an application for ministerial consent for investigative works has been received, which will inform the full ministerial consent application, which is anticipated to be submitted shortly.

I am pleased to say the interpretation stage of the project, with detailed design of the exhibition, has been signed off and the appointed consultants are in the process of preparing tender documents for the exhibition elements of the commemorative centre. The project was awarded €12.17 million under the urban regeneration and development fund and the balance will be funded through the Exchequer. I am glad to say that works to the national monument are completely independent of works to the surrounding area and will proceed under ministerial consent as soon as possible, once all of the plans have been made.

I stand before the Dáil not merely to speak of bricks and mortar, and not simply to honour the fine neoclassical building that has graced O'Connell Street since 1818. I speak of a living symbol, a sacred place that still resonates with the fierce unyielding rhythm of Irish freedom, identity and resilience. To walk through the GPO doors today is to walk through time. Each echo on its stone floors is a whisper of Pearse, Connolly and Clarke, a chorus of voices who would not be silenced and who gave their all so that we might inherit a nation proud and free. The bullet holes still etched in its columns are not scars - they are scriptures. They are reminders of what we owe and to whom, and what we must never forget.

I plead with Sinn Féin not to put out an incorrect narrative on this. We are all connected to this period of our revolutionary history. Many TDs and Senators have a direct link to this revolutionary period, not just Sinn Féin.

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