1916 Moore Street terrace saved by High Court ruling on eve of Easter Week Centenary

THE '1916 TERRACE' at Moore Street in Dublin – last HQ of the leaders of the Easter Rising before their surrender to the British Army – has been preserved as a National Monument by order of the High Court, saving it from destruction by property developers.

The Irish Times reported that the 400-page judgment by Mr Justice Barrett said there was a wealth of evidence from historians and other experts that various buildings and locations beyond 14-17 Moore Street warranted inclusion as part of a National Monument.

These include 10 Moore Street, a portion of 13 Moore Street comprising a surviving party wall with 12, 18, 20 and 21 Moore Street.

“They also include each and all of the streets and street alignments of O’Rahilly Parade, the length of Moore Lane from Parnell Street to Henry Place, the entire ‘L’ of Henry Place; and Moore Street from the junction with Henry Place to the junction with O’Rahily Parade,” the Times said.

Speaking at the High Court, Sinn Féin TD Aengus Ó Snodaigh said:

“Today a victory has been achieved by the 1916 Relatives Group on behalf of the people of Ireland.

“They have secured the halting of the destruction of the battlefield site that was and is Moore Street.

“Sinn Féin welcomes the decision and regrets that it took a private citizen to force the state to listen to the call of the relatives of those who fought and died in the 1916 Rising and the supporters of the campaign to have the street and its environs protected and restored as a fitting tribute to the courageous men and women who took to those streets in Easter Week 1916.”

The republican TD said the decision was particularly appropriate on the eve of the Centenary Easter Week. He called on the caretaker Government under Fine Gael and Labour to immediately begin drawing up “proper plans to appropriately capture the historical significance of this site and to invest the required monies so its future is secure”.

He added:

“We call for the site to be extracted from the private developers/speculators who now hold it and vest it with Dublin City Council or the National Museum to bring the restoration/remembrance project to fruition.

“We would like to extend our gratitude to the legal team, to the 1916 relatives and all the others who supported and campaigned for this day.”

James Connolly Heron, great-grandson of James Connolly, said:

“Today is an amazing day for us and there’s a lot of work remains to be done. But today shows that on each and every occasion that we have met with Government officials and various ministers, we have been correct in asserting that what is at stake here is the future of the birthplace of the nation.

“This area of Moore Street is the last extant 1916 battlefield. It must be preserved and protected at all costs. The campaign continues.”

● Relatives, their legal team and supporters at the High Court after the historic ruling