A protest by Aontú against the inclusion of retail spaces in the proposed of the GPO this evening heard from a relative of Éamonn Ceannt, one of the signatories of the 1916 proclamation, who told the assembly that the famed building at the centre of O’Connell Street was “where the flame of our modern nation state was lit”.
The grand nephew of Éamonn Ceannt – who has the same name as his distinguished great uncle – said that his namesake was ‘one of that extraordinarily brave and visionary generation who fought in the1916 Rising, lighting the flame that led to Ireland reclaiming her sovereignty”.
He appealed to the government to “give the Irish people what they want, what they deserve, a GPO that they can cherish, the foundational link between Modern Ireland and its historic past,” saying that the state was “in danger of destroying part of our past – part of the history of the Irish people”.
Mr Ceannt, a sculptor, said that: “The GPO is not just a link to 1916, it is the link to the ancient pre-imperial history of Ireland that the 1916 Rising evoked. It is a link to the history of the Irish People.”
“And like all historical links, if not cherished, it becomes fragile, becomes vulnerable. It needs our protection,” he added. “Protecting and cherishing that past provides the bedrock on which we maintain and build our society and plan for the future.”
Also addressing the event was Aontú TD Peadar Tóibín, who said that the GPO is a National Monument. “The GPO and Moore St area is the most important battlefield site in the country,” he said.
“The GPO is the most important physical symbol of the struggle for Irish independence. It is one of the most important connections we have with the men of women of 1916. It is the ground zero, the epicentre of the fire of freedom that was lit in the hearts of that revolutionary generation.”
“Last week the government declared a revamp of the GPO consisting of a mixed-use development, with shops and offices joining and a cultural dimension. Were Éamonn Ceannt, Thomas Clarke, James Connolly, Seán Mac Diarmada, Thomas MacDonagh, Patrick Pearse, and Joseph Plunkett executed for mixed use development of shops and offices? That a monument of this importance would be abused by any modern government is unimaginable,” he added.
He said that the government had allowed The O’Rahilly Home in Herbert Park, Dublin, to be demolished, and that a decision by the Minister for Heritage to designate it into a National Monument would have saved it. “The location where the O Rahilly was killed in a hail of British Army bullets is now an outdoor toilet. Literally. Moore St is a location for drugs, crime and out door defecation,” he said. “The former Fine Gael Minister for Heritage appealed a High Court decision that sought to stripped Moore St of its National Monument Status again possibly leaving the area
exposed to being destroyed.”
Fine Gael TD James Geoghegan said last week that the controversy was a “manufactured row” and that the GPO is “not the building of any political party”, adding that it was “a monument to the heroism of the most ordinary people in this country”.
He said that the discussion was in relation to the building was about “how do we make the GPO a place that is filled with people again … and reflects the importance of that building to the foundation of the State.”
But this evening, Laois Independent TD, Brian Stanley, formerly of Sinn Féin, told the crowd that the GPO was an “iconic building!” that should not be “degraded” or “reduced to a “mere shopping mall”. It would be a “betrayal of the ideals of 1916” to allow the “epicentre of the Rising” to be used in that way, he told Gript.
Peadar Tóibín also said that the GPO and Moore St offered Ireland “amazing opportunity: It offers the opportunity to rejuvenate the North Inner City of our great capital. It could be an engine of good healthy development. A cultural quarter for the arts, the Irish language, song,” he said.
“Titanic Belfast has welcomed over 7.5 million visitors since opening in 2012. • In 2023, the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam welcomed 1,208,646 visitors. The GPO received up to 46,834 in 2022,” he said. “It is the ground zero of our independence struggle.”
He said that there was “another battle playing out here today – a battle of value systems.”
Campaigner Nick Delahanty told Gript, and Presidential hopeful, that he had attended to support the protest because in regard to the plan to develop the GPO, “the devil was in the details”.
He said that “everybody” wanted the GPO upgraded and refurbished in some capacity but that what was on offer was “substandard” and that David McRedmond who chaired the Inner City Taskforce was unhappy with the plan.
“Its an insult to the people who died in 1916,” he said. “We should be taking a lot of grá in this building, its a national monument, a national treasure, and the plan should be well thought out.”
Mr McRedmond told the Irish Times last week that he ‘would like to see a museum of the Irish nation opened there[at the GPO] , a place of pilgrimage for the diaspora.’
In addition, the An Post CEO has pointed out that there are better options for additional office space elsewhere in the city.
