Mary Fitzpatrick (Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister of State for coming to the Seanad today to respond to my Commencement Matter on the national monument at 14-17 Moore Street. The Minister of State may not be aware of this but I am growing very, very old in this job. I spent all of the previous Oireachtas asking his predecessors for updates on the national monument at 14-17 Moore Street and, before I spent those years in here doing that, I spent many years, or rather decades, pursuing local authorities, governments and the State generally to protect, restore and create at that national monument site a 1916 commemorative museum. The buildings at 14-17 Moore Street are the final meeting places of the leaders of the 1916 Rising. It was in No. 16 Moore Street that the decision was taken to make an unconditional surrender. Pádraig Pearse made that decision with his comrades in the rooms upstairs on Moore Street. The Minister of State has been there and I thank him because very early in his ministry, he took an interest and came down to inspect the buildings there. I want to acknowledge and congratulate those who have worked on those buildings. Conservation and archaeological work is painstaking. To us on the outside, it seems to progress at a glacial pace and we find that frustrating.

I grew up in that part of the city and, for me, Moore Street was always a very vibrant street. In fact, it was probably the most vibrant trading street in the city and so it genuinely breaks my heart to have witnessed the deterioration of commerce on the street over the last 20 years. It has now reached the point where, apart from Paddy Buckley, Stephen Troy and the few women traders who are left, the street has more or less died. Most of the street is actually in private ownership. The State designated 14-17 Moore Street as a national monument back in 2007. In 2015, after all of our campaigning, the State acquired 14-17 Moore Street from the private owners, which was a great step forward. It did so with the very clear intention to turn it into a 1916 commemorative museum. Since that time, Dublin City Council, the OPW, the Department of heritage and many others have been involved in, first of all, stabilising the buildings. They are fragile, 18th century, mid-terrace, three-storey residential units above shops. Various entities have stabilised, protected and conserved the buildings and carried out archaeological work on them. They found more than 4,000 artefacts on the site, according to the Department's website.

I know from being down there in the shells of the buildings, even as they are, that the history that will come to life when we have a 1916 commemorative centre is going to be incredible. It is going to be world class. I absolutely believe that because the concept that is being proposed by the State and the Department is one which is of an incredibly high value. It is one that will absolutely articulate the values of our State and of those who fought for our independence and freedom.I hope the Minister of State can update the Seanad on the progress that has been made to complete phase one, the conservation works and the protections, and most importantly on phase 2. I hope he can stand up and give us an indication of when works will commence and when we are likely to see a commemorative museum open.

Kevin Moran (Longford-Westmeath, Independent)
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I thank the Senator for raising this important matter concerning the future of the national monument at 14-17 Moore Street. These buildings are among the most significant surviving locations associated with the Easter Rising and are central to the State’s ongoing commitment to commemorating and preserving our shared history.

As the Senator will be aware, the Government decided to accept the recommendations of the Moore Street advisory group and instructed the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and the Office of Public Works to advance a project to conserve the national monument at 14-17 Moore Street and to open it as a visitor site commemorating the events of Easter Week 1916.

Since that Government decision, significant work has been undertaken to advance the project. A design team was appointed to lead the development of detailed proposals for the conservation of 14-17 Moore Street. The design has now progressed to a point where the major conservation and design decisions have been settled. An application for ministerial consent under the National Monuments Acts 1930 has recently been lodged and is currently under consideration. In parallel, interpretive designers have advanced the permanent exhibition to detailed design stage.

There is no statutory decision timeframe for ministerial consent beyond a specific two-week consultation period with the National Museum of Ireland. For programming purposes, the OPW has assumed a decision period of approximately eight weeks. At this point, it is not possible to give definitive start and completion dates for the full programme of works prior to the approval of ministerial consent and the completion of procurement. However, the Moore Street project remains a Government priority, and subject to these statutory and procurement processes, it is anticipated that on-site progress will be made in 2026.

The OPW and the Department Housing, Local Government and Heritage continue to work closely to progress the project in line with Government direction and statutory requirements. Interim protective measures remain in place to protect the historic fabric while the necessary design, consent and procurement processes are completed.

The conservation and presentation of 14-17 Moore Street represent a major national heritage project. It will honour those who took part in the Rising and create a meaningful and enduring visitor experience of national and international importance. The Government remains fully committed to this project, and I thank the Senator for her ongoing engagement and support as we move closer to the delivery of this important commemorative centre.

Mary Fitzpatrick (Fianna Fail)
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I welcome the news that a design team has been appointed and that major conservation design concepts have been developed. I really welcome the fact that this work is taking place in parallel with the application for ministerial consent. In his further reply, I would appreciate if the Minister of State could clarify if it is the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage who is required to give the consent for the works to the national monument. It is really welcome to hear it that we can anticipate that works will commence in 2026. We have been a long time waiting. I believe that the painstaking work has been incredibly valuable and will lead to a richer and more powerful exhibition when the work is actually completed.

I again thank the Minister of State for the update. He needs to keep the pressure on. We have waited a long time and we really want to see this realised not just for Moore Street and the relatives of the 1916 Rising. This is a national monument of national and international importance. The actions that those heroes took in 1916 sparked a trajectory for our Republic that we still enjoy today. Our independence, democracy and freedom came from that spot and it is really important that it is appropriately commemorated.

Kevin Moran (Longford-Westmeath, Independent)
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I could not agree with the Senator more and it is the Minister who has only just gone out the door. While it has taken so long to get to where we are, we have moved a long way. As the Senator said at the outset, many different bodies and agencies have been involved to get to where we are. I have shown huge commitment to this project as has the Taoiseach. We visited the site to look at it at first-hand.The work being done at 14-17 Moore Street is phenomenal. It is painstaking and slow work that takes an awful lot of time, but next year when we get contractors on site, we will see it progress much faster. I remember Moore Street as it was when I first learned to drive a car. We still do nearly all of our shopping on Moore Street and to see it change so much, when I returned there only recently, frightens me in a sense. This project will enhance that whole part of the city and do an awful lot for tourism and the people of Dublin. While it is important for the whole country, it is particularly so for the people of Dublin who cherish this area, as do I and as does everybody in the House. We will work together going forward. I assure the Senator that, with my commitment as Minister of State for the Office of Public Works and that of my colleagues, we will fully progress the scheme.