No reason not to save 1916 house, court told

The State has advanced no "cogent" reason why it has not designated as a national monument a building on Dublin's Moore Street where wounded 1916 Rising leader James Connolly transferred command, the High Court has been told.

A field hospital was also set up at No 10 Moore Street under nurse Elizabeth O’Farrell to treat the wounded, the court heard.

The only reason the Minister for Heritage had not designated No 10 a national monument appeared to be the fact it was located a few buildings down from a terrace at Nos 14-17, which have been designated national monuments, Conleth Bradley SC said.

There was “no cogent reason” why No 10 was excluded, and the area of the national monument should be extended to include it and other relevant buildings and places on and around Moore Street comprising a 1916 battlefield site, he argued.

Battlefield area

This battlefield area should be protected by the Minister for historical, cultural, architectural and archaeological reasons, he added.

Mr Bradley was continuing arguments on behalf of Colm Moore, a nominee of the 1916 Relatives Association, in the action against the Minister for Arts and Heritage aimed at preserving the battlefield site.

Some of the relatives were in court again yesterday, the third day of the hearing before Mr Justice Max Barrett. Following out-of-court talks throughout the day, the hearing resumed just before 3pm.

Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams interrupted his election canvass to attend the hearing.

‘Council of war’

In submissions, Mr Bradley said the first “council of war” of the 1916 leaders took place in No 10 Moore Street and it was there Connolly transferred command to Seán McLoughlin. Casualties were also treated there in a field hospital set up under nurse O’Farrell.

The British had targeted the GPO and shelled the area around it and volunteers and civilians were killed in the Moore Street area, the court heard.

Another report referred to men burrowing through the walls of houses along Moore Street in shifts during the night of Friday April 28th, 1916. The report stated that by the end of the night, the men had spread themselves along the whole terrace from No 10 to No 25.

Other reports said Nos 20 and 21 Moore Street have some pre-1916 facades and some interior survival of fabric and fittings.

The judge was told by Michael McDowell SC, for the Minister, that No 16 was designated a national monument because it was the building where the government of the Irish Republic met and decided to surrender. Nos 14, 15 and 17 were designated national monuments due to being linked to No 16, he added.

The case continues.