Trevor Ó Clochartaigh (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Cuirim céad fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit agus cuirim fáilte roimh na haíonna speisialta atá sa Visitors Gallery anocht. Is mór an onóir dúinne go bhfuil siad anseo le linn na díospóireachta seo. Táimid an-bhuíoch as an obair iontach atá ar bun acu leis an gceist seo a choinneáil dúisithe. I welcome all the guests in the Visitors Gallery and thank them for the incredible work they are doing to enure this issue is still at the top of the agenda. They have our full support in that regard. Sinn Féin supports the spirit of this Private Members' Bill and will be voting in favour of it. We support any efforts to save Moore Street and to preserve this important historic site.

The people of Ireland, the Irish diaspora and friends of Ireland everywhere are looking forward to 2016, the centenary of the 1916 Easter Rising and the proclamation of the Irish Republic, a pivotal event in our history. It would be a national disgrace if, during Easter 2016 and the War of Independence and Civil War anniversaries which follow it, the 1916 battlefield site were to remain in the ruinous state it is in today. Today the buildings on Moore Street, which were the last headquarters of the provisional Government of the Irish Republic, have been left to slowly fall into ruin. This is despite having been designated a national monument since 2007. The buildings that survived British bombardment in 1916 and the 100 years since now face destruction from developers who plan to reduce them to rubble and build a shopping centre in their place. The deterioration of the national monument which has languished in a vacant and neglected state for many years and the potential threat to the national monument is a matter of serious concern to Sinn Féin and many other citizens.

Sinn Féin wishes to acknowledge that the dedication of the relatives of the 1916 leaders and those who have supported them in their campaign over many years has ensured that Nos. 14 to 17 Moore Street have been saved so far from the bulldozers. Sinn Féin has always believed that it is totally irrational to allow a developer in NAMA to set the agenda in regard to the development of one of the most historic quarters of Dublin city. There are very serious questions yet to be answered regarding the dealings of the management of Dublin City Council with the various developers who have been involved in the site in question in the Moore Street-O'Connell Street area.

At the start of the Civil War in 1922, much of O'Connell Street was destroyed for the second time having been levelled six years earlier by the British Army bombardment in 1916. Yet, within a few years, the capital's main thoroughfare was rebuilt. For many years now, much of O'Connell Street Upper has been dominated by a huge vacant site - a gaping hole in the nation's main historic street. It has been in this condition for far longer than it took to rebuild much of the street after its destruction in war. The preservation of the national monument, Moore Street and the surrounding streetscape would allow for the development of a historic 1916 quarter encompassing the entire Moore Street-O'Connell Street area. This would have ample scope for commercial and retail development to rejuvenate this neglected part of our capital.

In view of this, while we support today's Private Members' Bill, Sinn Féin has its own vision of what we think should happen to this historic area. This vision is outlined in our document, The 1916 Revolutionary Quarter. Our view is that the buildings and lanes of history, where the last act in the drama of the 1916 Easter Week Rising took place, need to be preserved and enhanced. This part of the centre of our capital city needs to be cherished for its unique historical and educational value and for its heritage of revolutionary history. Sinn Féin calls on the Government, therefore, to make a commitment to protect, preserve and develop Moore Street as part of a wider historic quarter. The aim must be to frame a new plan, not only to preserve the national monument and the terrace in which it stands but also to develop the battlefield site into a 1916 revolutionary quarter, which would include the revitalisation and pedestrianisation of the associated laneways to increase shopping and tourist footfall.

The Government must examine fully all its options, legal and financial, to make this new plan possible. The block encompassed by Moore Street, Henry Street, the GPO, O'Connell Street and Parnell Street should be designated a revolutionary quarter. The national monument at Nos. 14 to 17 Moore Street should be taken over by the State to form the centre point of the museum and interpretative centre. The quarter would have ample scope for commercial and retail development, helping to rejuvenate this area. A special aim would be to renew and sensitively develop the traditional small shop and street trading role of Moore Street. The 1916 revolutionary quarter could link up with the plan for the Parnell Square cultural quarter including the new central library, the Garden of Remembrance and the municipal gallery, thus rejuvenating this very important centre of our capital city.

In his last letter before his execution in Kilmainham Gaol on 8 May 1916, Éamonn Ceannt wrote, "[I]n the years to come Ireland will honour those who risked all for her honour at Easter 1916". It is up to us and the Government to live up to those words.