Niall Ó Donnghaile (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

It is hard to believe that we have almost reached the end of October and, as a result, almost at the end of the historic centenary year of 2016. This year many events have taken place up and down the country not just to remember and reflect but, hopefully, to rededicate and re-energise ourselves around the spirit and ideals of that era and the 1916 Rising.

I want to draw the attention of the Leader and all Members to correspondence I have received from Belfast historians - and people with an interest and expertise in this area - on the last remaining POW hut on the Frongoch site in Wales. As the Leader will know, it was the site to which POWs who took part in the Easter Rising were relocated and held during that period. The site was dubbed as the university of revolution. It was a place and time where Republican activists honed their political craft, studied guerrilla warfare and many other acts of revolution around the world in preparation for the revolutionary years of the Tan war that lay ahead of them. The site would be of massive historical significance at any time but as we move towards the end of 2016, it reminds us that this last remaining hut, which has fallen into a degree of disrepair, is in need of being salvaged and retained for future generations.

The hut is no longer on the site that was used to hold the prisoners. It has been relocated about a mile up the road. The man who owns the land has diligently worked to preserve and direct people who make the pilgrimage to Wales to the hut. He has tried to retain artefacts and to build up information in a voluntary capacity to make it a worthwhile trip for people. As we continue to mark this historic year, it is not over yet, it would be an opportune time for Members of the Seanad to raise our voices in support of the site. Today, I contacted the Minister responsible and raised the issue. I am happy to share my information but I would like us to collectively raise our voices to ensure the hut is not lost but is preserved for future generations to visit. It would mean that the spirit and ideals honed and crafted in the POW camp can be learned about and put to good use.