Barry Heneghan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)

Tá Ard-Oifig an Phoist ar cheann de na foirgnimh is cáiliúla in Éirinn. Tá a fhios ag gach duine sa Teach seo cén fáth. Deirim i gcónaí le turasóirí chun dul chuig Músaem Ard-Oifig an Phoist i mBaile Átha Cliath. Foghlaimíonn siad faoi stair na hÉireann, ón Éirí Amach go dtí an lá atá inniu ann. Cloisim na rudaí sa nuacht faoi láthair. Céard faoi réiteach cruthaitheach? Caithfear an stair a choimeád agus a chruthú.

The GPO is not just a building. It is the beating heart of our country's revolutionary history. The worrying thing for my constituents, when they reached out to me when I knocked on doors at the weekend, was the vagueness of the plans. I welcome what the Minister of State said in this House today but we need to be clearer when we are making statements about the GPO. It is really shocking to these people, especially people who are really concerned about our history, which is all of us. People are worried and rightly so. Má táim chun caint faoi rud éigin i mBaile Átha Cliath thuaidh, is gá dom caint faoin tsráid timpeall an chúinne, Sráid an Mhúraigh. I really welcome the recent decision by Dublin City Council to back the State's purchase of Moore Street. I went to Moore Street and spoke to the campaigners. They have been campaigning for 25 years to preserve it and they should not have had to do that. It is a site of immense historical significance.

Dublin has enough shops. We need to give spaces for the arts and spaces where people can come into the city and nurture our history. The GPO and Moore Street should not be sold off. They should be protected, preserved and passed on to future generations.

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