It was "sacrilege" and a "travesty", declared the leading figures of the Ulster Unionist Party. Messrs David Trimble and John Taylor took time out from their political schedules yesterday to visit the Dublin birthplace of the titan of unionism, Sir Edward Carson, in protest at its imminent demolition.
The defenders of Ulster stood po-faced outside the Georgian red brick house at No 4 Harcourt Street, their sound bites thick with conspiracy theories.
"We are down here for the talks and there is a lot of talk about parity of esteem and cultural diversity and at the same time destruction is happening and actions speak louder than words," said Mr Trimble.
"It's sacrilege really," said Mr David Campbell, a member of the party's talks team.
"It's symbolic that they don't want to preserve anything connected with unionism," chimed Mr Taylor who, as a civil engineer, noted there were no cracks on the building's facade.
But there were certainly flaws in the politicians' theories. The house is not about to be demolished, but is being converted into a luxury hotel.
Behind Dublin Corporation's hoardings which surround the four storey building, work is underway to preserve the interior and exterior of the Carson house which was designated a national monument two years ago.
The adjacent house, No 3, which was once the home of the playwright George Fitzmaurice, is also included in the scheme. Both houses are owned by Mr Noel O'Callaghan from Sherborough Securities Ltd. Mr James O'Connor, a partner with the architecture firm Arthur Gibney and Partners which designed the hotel, said the exterior and interior of the houses are being preserved in a scheme which is supported by An Taisce. He said the planning permission terms called for the retention of the buildings in their present form. Mr O'Connor would not be drawn on the commercial merit of having the birthplace of the former MP for Trinity incorporated in the hotel, which is due for completion late next year.
"We regard it as an urban design problem and a conservation opportunity, but we avoid politics."