.jpg)
.jpeg)
Stop the Demolition of Moore St
The
threat of demolition to parts of the Moore St Terrace - that played a central
role in the Easter Rising - has increased significantly. Last month the
Executive of Dublin City Council rejected a motion by Councillors that Number
18 Moore St should be designated a Protected Structure. The Councillors had
previously passed a motion in support of this.
In
a report to Councillors the Executive concluded that 18 Moore St. is not part
of the 1916 terrace. This decision stands in stark contrast to the available
evidence, including confirmation rooted in Council and governmental reports.
The Executive’s report was withdrawn but will now come before the Council again
in September. In the meantime Councillors have been asked to provide
submissions setting out their arguments for consideration.
The
Executive also made it clear that it does not accept that the process of
providing Number 18 with a protected structure status was commenced by the
motion in the Council. Most worryingly the Executive states that there exists a
previous planning consent providing for Number 18 to be demolished.
To
add to this mounting threat to Number 18 planning permissions for three sites
along Moore St. are currently awaiting final decisions from An Bord Pleanála
(ABP). The investigation by inspectors for ABP has now been completed and a
decision on the sites, which includes Number 18 could be given at any time. In
addition, the decision by Dublin City Council to add other buildings to the
Record of Protected Structures is now the focus of a judicial review by the
developer Hammerson.
The
Sinn Féin group on Dublin City Council has made a detailed submission to the
Executive setting out the evidence that portions of Number 18 were extant at
the time of 1916. These include the Dublin City Report of this year; the
Shaffrey Conservation Report of 2011; the Broderick Hosford report 2014; and
the Dooley and Hall report 2019. The Sinn Féin group has called on Number 18 to
be given protected structure status.
In
the meantime the Moore St. Preservation Trust is actively seeking legal advice
about the options available to it.
Three
years ago in a similar case 40 Herbert Park, the home of The O’Rahilly, the only leader of the 1916
Rising to be killed in action, was demolished in a shameful act of political
and corporate vandalism and greed. The O’Rahilly was killed in Moore St.
Despite Herbert Park being of great historical significance it was
destroyed in a matter of hours.
Number 18 Moore St and other parts of the terrace now face a similar
fate. Hammerson’s plan has the support of Micheál Martin. When he was Taoiseach
he welcomed the Hammerson proposals. Such interference in the planning process
and the use of his statement in a Hammerson press release is absolutely
unacceptable.
James Connolly Heron of the
Moore Street Preservation Trust said:
“The
entire terrace 10-25 Moore Street was occupied by the evacuated GPO garrison at
the end of Easter Week 1916, yet Hammerson want to demolish much of the
terrace. This includes Numbers 18 and 19. Help Save the 1916 Battlefield Site.
Stop the Demolition of Moore St.”
Coffin Ships
Eight years ago the death of two year old Alan
Kurdi brought a focus on the refugee tragedy that has turned the Mediterranean
into a sea of death for thousands. The photograph of the child lying face down
on a Turkish beach as the water washed over him was a distressing and evocative
image.
Last week at least 78 refugees are known to have
drowned when the packed trawler they were on capsized. Survivors have said that as many as 500 more,
including possibly 100 children who were in the hold of the trawler, are
thought to have gone down with the ship when it sank off the southern coast of
Greece.
Since 2014 over 20,000 refugees are believed to
have died crossing what is now regarded as the most dangerous route on earth
for those fleeing war, famine and poverty.
The EU and European governments blame the people
smugglers who profit from packing refugees onto boats that are often incapable
of making the journey. And yes, they are to blame but so too are those governments,
the EU and the politicians who have collectively failed to confront the refugee
crisis in a humane and strategic fashion. Consequently, desperate people who
find the legal door to Europe barred shut to them turn to the people
traffickers. And Europe’s response to this has been to cut back on its
rescue operations leaving thousands to their fate in the sea of death.
Fine Gael’s four MEPs voted to block a
resolution in October 2019 in the EU Parliament to enhance the search and
rescue operations and provide sufficient vessels and equipment. According to
the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) while the numbers making the journey are
declining each year the numbers dying are steadily rising year on year. In 2019
an estimated 1,510 drowned. In 2020 that figure had increased to 1,881. And in
2021 3,231 deaths were recorded.
More refugees died in the first quarter of this year than in
the previous six years. The IOM documented 441 migrant deaths between
January and March. It stated that around “half of those deaths were linked to
delays in state-led rescue efforts and, in one case, the absence of any rescue
mission.” In a joint statement the UNHCR and the IOM called for urgent and decisive action to prevent
further deaths at sea.
The two international organisations described
the current EU approach to the Mediterranean as unworkable. It called on the EU to ensure “greater
coordination between all Mediterranean States” including the establishment of
an agreed regional disembarkation and redistribution mechanism for people who
arrive by sea.” This places a huge responsibility on the Irish government to
use its place in the EU to change the current policies of that body. In
particular there needs to be a properly resourced rescue programme put back in
place.
The
Pen Behind The Wire.
Thousands of republicans were imprisoned during the
conflict. They created a commendable body of prison literature, in keeping with prison
writings from other phases in the freedom struggle.
Former POWs, as well as writing their memoirs, have written short stories,
novels, plays and screenplays and, of course, poetry. The writings of Bobby
Sands, for example, have never been out of print over the past forty-two years
and have been translated into many languages.
Eoghan 'Gino' Mac Cormaic from Derry served fifteen
years in jail and was on the blanket protest for five years at a time when ten
of his comrades died on hunger strike. Eoghan began writing poems on toilet
paper and cigarette papers and smuggled them out to his family who kept them
safe from British Army raids. Some of the poems were published in Republican
News. Eoghan also produced cross word puzzles.
Gino is a great wordsmith. Í nGaeilge
agus í Bearla.
His prison memoir - On The Blanket or
Ar An Pluid - is a must read tale of life in the H Blocks. Now he
has a new book of prison poetry: The Pen Behind The Wire. Prison Poems 1982- 91. Published by Greenisland Press. It will be released - pardon the
pun - in August.
An interesting element of this book is that some of
the poems are recorded and readers
can listen to the readings by using QR codes at the back of the book to access
readings online (on a phone for example).
Some poets believe poetry
needs to be read aloud to be fully appreciated. I agree with that. So I’m delighted that Eoghan
enlisted thirty six readers to give voice to his poetic musings. I include
myself in that rare audio. This columnist is honoured to read Building
Trouble.
Other readers include Gerry Kelly, Mitchel McLoughlin, Danny Morrison,
Martina Anderson, Rita Ann Higgins and Christy Moore. Eoghan’s family
also read, including his sister
Sarah McLaughlin, Alison his
long suffering wife and their four children.
There are sixty poems in
The Pen Behind The Wire. It will be launched at
Prisoners Day in the Felons in
Belfast during Féile An Phobail. I will give you details closer to that date. Eoghans
other books are availible now at An Fhuiseoig
and other outlets. Macallaí na Cillín is published
by Coiscéim. Another fine piece of
extraordinary writing by Gino. Comhghairdeas a chara.
Comments