The following motion was moved by Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh on Tuesday, 1 July 2025:
That Dáil Éireann:
notes:
— the sacrifice of the men and women of 1916, who fought and died in the General Post Office (GPO), Moore Street, across Dublin and elsewhere in Ireland, so Ireland may be free;
— the status of the GPO as a national monument, the headquarters of the 1916 Easter Rising, and the place where the Irish Republic was proclaimed on Easter Monday, 24th April, 1916, and defended in arms in the following days;
— the central role of the GPO in delivering postal services to the people of Dublin for over two hundred years, since it opened in 1818, as an early home from 1928 of 2RN, which pioneered broadcast media in Ireland and evolved into RTÉ, and as the historic heart of a communications network connecting communities across the nation; and
— the consistent, widespread and negligent destruction of Ireland's republican revolutionary history presided over by successive Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael Governments;
expresses:
— dismay at the failure to deliver the promised 1916 Commemorative Centre at 14-17 Moore Street, nine years after it was meant to open for the centenary of the Easter Rising; and
— alarm at the plans announced by An Taoiseach Micheál Martin this past week, to turn part of the GPO into retail and office components;
agrees that any plan involving the GPO must include the entire 1916 battlefield site, of which it forms a part, and that therefore, Ministerial consent must not be given to the current plan by the private developer Hammerson, which would demolish much of the Moore Street 1916 battlefield site around the National Monument 14-17 Moore Street, and the promised 1916 Commemorative Centre at 14-17 Moore Street must proceed without further delay; and
calls on the Government to ensure that:
— the GPO remains in full public ownership and control, and that no part of it be made available for private commercial profit;
— the GPO continues as a public office of An Post, a function it has fulfilled since its construction, and its reconstruction following the 1916 Rising, and which it still fulfils successfully today, enhancing O'Connell Street and the North Inner City;
— Moore Street in its entirety, including the terrace at 10-25 Moore Street, should be conserved, and sensitively developed as a cultural historic quarter, cherishing its 1916 Rising heritage and its street-trading tradition, in line with the vision of the Moore Street Preservation Trust;
— no more of Ireland's republican heritage is allowed be subject to wanton destruction for private profit, and that the full heritage and cultural potential is honoured and realised; and
— the Ceathrú Chultúir 1916 Bill 2021, is enacted without delay.
The following amendment No. 1 was moved by the Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy Christopher O'Sullivan:
To delete all words after "Dáil Éireann" and substitute the following:
"notes:
— the ongoing commitment of this Government to honouring the men and women of 1916;
— the hugely successful and inclusive Decade of Centenaries programme, and the Government's investment in key capital projects in that regard, including the seminal 1916 Museum and Exhibition at the General Post Office (GPO), and the purchase by the State of the National Monument at 14-17 Moore Street; and
— its affirmation of the status of the GPO as the headquarters of the 1916 Easter Rising, and the site at which the Proclamation of the Republic was read on Easter Monday, 24th April, 1916;
acknowledges the central role the GPO has played since 1818 in delivering postal services, and its historical significance as an early home for the predecessor of RTÉ, 2RN;
recognises the enduring role of the GPO as a hub of communication, connecting communities across the country;
further notes:
— that the Government has approved the overall approach as outlined by the Interdepartmental Group on the recommendations of the proposed Roadmap for Delivery: Dublin City Taskforce Report;
— the accelerated delivery of several landmark capital projects in Dublin's core area, forming part of a broader strategy to drive urban regeneration and sustainable development as a result of the work of the Interdepartmental Working Group and the Dublin City Taskforce;
— that this commitment will be reflected in the review of the National Development Plan (NDP) and aims to help build delivery momentum across priority projects;
— that the NDP 2021-2030, published in 2021, included the GPO redevelopment and clearly sets out the intentions relating to the GPO that the building will remain in public ownership, and the rich cultural heritage of the building will be preserved through continued operation of the historic post office and the museum on the ground floor, and, sympathetic to development elsewhere on O'Connell Street, the upper floors will be refurbished to provide office accommodation for civil servants; and
— that a detailed proposal for the future use of the GPO will be developed by the Office of Public Works (OPW), and submitted for approval by the Government in due course, and it is acknowledged that there will be a need to consult on design, and that the consultation would be wide ranging given the emblematic importance of the GPO, not only to Dubliners but also to the public all over Ireland;
endorses the intention to reflect the national historical and cultural significance of the GPO in any development plans, creating a dynamic and respectful reuse of a key historical civic landmark; and
furthermore, notes:
— the acquisition by the State of the National Monument at 14-17 Moore Street;
— the significant stabilisation and weathering works undertaken by the Government to preserve and save the buildings from further deterioration, and, in particular, the preservation works relating to the historic tunnels;
— the extensive engagement with relevant stakeholders, including political parties, through, inter alia, the work of the Moore Street Advisory Group and other fora; and
— the more recent progress made by the OPW on the restoration and conservation of the National Monument at 14-17 Moore Street.".
Debate resumed on amendment No. 1 to amendment No. 1:
To insert the following after "restoration and conservation of the National Monument at 14-17 Moore Street":
"; and
commits to:
— respecting the heritage and legacy of the leaders of 1916;
— ending the destruction of key National Monuments such as the O'Rahilly Home and Moore Street;
— implementing the Moore Street Preservation Trust plan for Moore Street;
— developing the GPO as a national cultural museum of the national struggle for independence; and
— purposing part of the GPO to pursue implementation of the Proclamation of the Irish Republic across the 32 counties of Ireland.".
(Deputy Peadar Tóibín)
I must now deal with a postponed division relating to the motion regarding GPO and Moore Street Regeneration as a 1916 Cultural Quarter. On Tuesday, 1 July 2025, on the question, "That the amendment to the amendment to the motion be agreed to", a division was claimed and in accordance with Standing Order 85(2), that division must be taken now.
Amendment to amendment put:
The Dáil divided: Tá, 63; Níl, 84; Staon, 1.
Tellers: Tá, Deputies Peadar Tóibín and Paul Lawless; Níl, Deputies Mary Butler and Emer Currie.
Amendment to amendment declared lost.
Amendment put:
The Dáil divided: Tá, 84; Níl, 64; Staon, 0.
Tellers: Tá, Deputies Mary Butler and Emer Currie; Níl, Deputies Pádraig Mac Lochlainn and Denise Mitchell.
Amendment declared carried.
Question put: "That the motion, as amended, be agreed to."
The Dáil divided: Tá, 84; Níl, 64; Staon, 0.
Tellers: Tá, Deputies Mary Butler and Emer Currie; Níl, Deputies Pádraig Mac Lochlainn and Denise Mitchell.
Question declared carried.