Council votes to preserve 1916 building

Dublin city councillors last night voted overwhelmingly to preserve 16 Moore Street - the last headquarters of the leaders of…

Dublin city councillors last night voted overwhelmingly to preserve 16 Moore Street - the last headquarters of the leaders of the 1916 Rising.

Labour councillor Mr Joe Costello TD had tabled a motion proposing that the building be retained and incorporated into the planned regeneration of the immediate area.

He also proposed that it be developed as an education and information centre. Just one councillor, Fine Gael's Mr Chris Giblin, voted against the plan. He said he feared it would hold up rejuvenation of the area.

The building forms part of the Carlton development site, which is the subject of a compulsory purchase order by Dublin City Council. The site is also the subject of a High Court action by its owners, the Carlton Group, who want the order lifted.

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Last night, the city manager, Mr John Fitzgerald, said he would examine all options of including the building in any future development.

"The whole issue of due recognition for, and commemoration of, the historic significance of 16 Moore Street will be considered in the context of proposals for the redevelopment of the site," he said.

"Any attempt to deal with this issue in detail, prior to concrete development proposals for the Carlton site, would be premature," said Mr Fitzgerald.

The building became a brief headquarters for the leaders of the 1916 Rising after they abandoned the GPO on Friday, April 28th, 1916.

Pádraic Pearse, Thomas Clarke, Joseph Plunkett, Seán MacDermott and William Pearse made the decision to surrender when they were gathered around the bed of the wounded James Connolly in the building on Easter Saturday.

The National Graves Association has described the building as "the Irish Alamo".

Yesterday, it handed the Lord Mayor a petition of 1,916 signatures calling on the council to reverse the decision to demolish the building.

Also yesterday, about 100 people marched from 16 Moore Street to City Hall to urge councillors to vote to preserve the building.