Sinn Féin TD for Wicklow, John Brady, has described government plans to convert parts of the GPO into retail units and office spaces as a shameful betrayal of Ireland’s revolutionary past.
Brady said the decision follows a pattern of disregard shown by Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael for the nation’s most important historic site.
Speaking on the issue, Deputy Brady said:
“The GPO is not just another building in Dublin city centre, it is the very heart of the Easter Rising. It was from here that the Proclamation of the Irish Republic was read. To now see it earmarked for shops and offices is absolutely disgraceful”.
Brady said that the proposal echoed the government’s decision to support the handover of the Moore Street battlefield site to a British property developer.
“Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have shown time and time again that they cannot be trusted to protect our heritage. The legacy of the brave men and women of 1916 is being sold off piece by piece. In no other country would the site of its fight for freedom be treated with such contempt”.
He also criticised the government’s vague suggestion of incorporating a museum or cultural centre within the GPO development.
“They made the same promises about Moore Street, almost a decade later, we are still waiting. There is no reason to believe this will be any different”.
Deputy Brady said the alternative was already on the table – the Masterplan developed by the Moore Street Preservation Trust, which would preserve the GPO and surrounding sites as part of a 1916 Cultural Quarter.
“This is not just about preserving history; it’s about regenerating Dublin in a manner that respects our past and builds for the future. The Masterplan would deliver jobs, housing, tourism and community renewal, while honouring those who gave their lives for Irish freedom”.
He concluded:
“Sinn Féin has a clear and ambitious plan to deliver a 1916 Cultural Quarter as set out in my colleague, Aengus Ó Snodaigh’s, legislation. What this city does not need is another shopping centre slapped into the sacred ground of our revolution. This history belongs to the people, not private developers”.