It has been announced that several buildings used in the 1916 uprisings by rebel leaders are to be spared from the wrecking ball.
The houses and surrounding area of Moore Street, which was a key battlefield during the rebellion that ultimately led to independence, are now scheduled to be fully repaired and preserved for posterity, says the Irish government.
Additionally, Heritage Minister Fine Gael's Jimmy Deenihan got Cabinet approval to allow for a commemorative center at the site, which has fallen into disrepair in the past years, much to the chagrin of the public.
Though numbers 14-17 on Moore Street were declared national monuments five years ago, permission was granted for planning a massive shopping center between the site and O’Connell street. The final headquarters of the rebel leaders during the uprising was located at 16 Moore Street.
Campaigners who protested these plans claimed that the proposals were endangering what was “part of the most important battle site in modern Irish history,” reports the Irish Independent. Mr. Deenihan related that a consent order signed today would bar any demolition on or underneath the site, halting plans for an underground car park linked to the development proposals.
“The Moore Street National Monument is of huge significance and importance,” said Mr. Deenihan. “It is highly appropriate that the monument would be preserved and that an appropriate commemorative center be put in place.”
Conservation works will return the buildings to the way they would have looked at the time of the Rising and will ensure that the monument remains protected for future generations. The works are scheduled to be carried out by 2016, the 100th anniversary of the rebellion.