Dublin City Council votes to protect 1916 house

Dublin City Council has voted overwhelmingly to protect from demolition a house used by the leaders of the 1916 Easter Rising…

Dublin City Council has voted overwhelmingly to protect from demolition a house used by the leaders of the 1916 Easter Rising.

Only one councillor - Mr Chris Giblin of Fine Gael - voted against a motion to protect the building.

The house had been listed for demolition as part of the rejuvenation plan for Dublin's O'Connell Street/Moore Street area.

The motion was initiated by Labour councillor Mr Joe Costello who said described the original decision by the Council to allow for the demolition as "a misunderstanding".

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"There was no awareness then of the historical significance of the building", which had "been lost sight of over the years, especially since a plaque which had marked the building had been removed".

Mr Costello tabled the motion to preserve the building as "a repository of artefacts" and an education and information centre relating to the Rising.

The premises at Moore Street - along with others in the area - is the subject of a compulsory purchase order by the Council, due to the failure of site owners, the Carlton Group, to implement redevelopment plans sanctioned by the Council. However, this is being challenged in the High Court by the Carlton Group.

An Taisce welcomes tonight's decision. Mr Michael Smith, national chairman of An Taisce said: "The near-unanimous vote and official support symptomises how far Dublin City has come, and how far ahead it is of other local authorities, in promoting a popular heritage agenda".

An Taisce is compiling a report on the history of the site, including what happened there in the last days of the 1916 Rising, which it will submit shortly to the City Council.