Niall Ó Donnghaile (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I wish to make Members aware of an event that will take place in Liberty Hall on 11 August. It is the concert to save Moore Street. As Members know, the Moore Street Preservation Trust, which is made up of families of the signatories to the 1916 Proclamation, have been campaigning for a considerable time to save, preserve and develop the Moore Street battlefield site on behalf of the city and, indeed, on behalf of the nation and all her people.The families have described the latest planning permission granted for further demolition of buildings in the Moore Street Quarter as deplorable. Speaking on behalf of the families, James Connolly Heron said:

This is a deplorable decision, with Dublin City Planners now having granted permission to all three of Hammerson’s applications for Moore Street. The City Planners have now given the green light to the development of a six-storey office block that would totally dominate the historic 1916 terrace and turn O’Rahilly Parade into a cavern between two towering buildings. They have yet again ignored the wish of Councillors to add the Moore Street terrace to the list of protected structures and survey reports that confirm the existence of 1916 buildings structures and elements throughout this area described by The National Museum as 'the most important historic site in modern Irish history'.

Therefore, there is a battle now to save Moore Street.I do not know of any other government, state or society around the world that would allow an area which has been described as the most important in a country’s modern history to be overrun with more glass boxes, characterless and soulless buildings, when the Moore Street Quarter has so much potential, so much history, so much built heritage and so much potential for the future of our capital city in the context of sharing in the learning of the 1916 Rising. Probably more important, however, is the potential to share, develop and grow in that vision. In that context, I hope the Leader will be able to facilitate, as early as possible, statements from the Minister on saving Moore Street, because we all have a stake in this battle and we must all play our part in ensuring that Moore Street is saved.