Rónán Mullen (Independent) | Oireachtas source

-----have examined the buildings and found original features which have miraculously survived, such as original wooden beams, masonry, and chimney stacks. They say nothing like this is known to survive in Dublin and there is very little that is comparable elsewhere in the country. What does it say of our notion of heritage that a building which experts tell us has survived since the reign of James II could be bulldozed and replaced by an office block? Writing to The Irish TimesPeter Keenahan noted that "The development of an office block to be known as 'Sixtyone Thomas Street', trumpeted in the Commercial Property pages of this newspaper, drives a stake through the heart of the designated Architectural Conservation Area."

Colleagues will be aware that Dublin City Council has committed many heinous crimes against heritage over the years, the two most infamous being the concreting over of the Wood Quay site in the late 1970s, hiding Christchurch Cathedral from the quays in the process, and the terrible decision in the 1960s to demolish a large stretch of Georgian Dublin along Fitzwilliam Street. That is a cause close to the heart of our colleague, Senator Norris, and work is being done to partially undo that damage.

Some of us wonder about Dublin City Council's priorities, currently being run by Sinn Féin, with support from the Labour Party and the hard left. The council has bent over backwards to save buildings on Moore Street from demolition. That is fair enough, but why are no councillors stepping up to save the buildings to which I refer which are over 250 years older and are of genuine historical and architectural merit? I understand that while it is late in the day, the Minister has power to intervene in such matters. I ask that this matter be raised with her and call on all parties here who are represented in Dublin City Council to intervene in this matter.