LAST UPDATE | 24 Jun

DUBLIN’S HISTORIC General Post Office (GPO) is set to become a mixed-use development under plans being brought to Cabinet today by the Taoiseach Micheál Martin. 

However, Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald has described the plans as “another shameful betrayal of Ireland’s proud revolutionary history”.

Martin got government sign-off to revamp the iconic building as a flagship project, with cultural, retail and office elements. 

The revamp will form part of a wider roadmap to revitalise Dublin City and to bring last year’s Dublin City Taskforce recommendations to life. 

The redevelopment of the building that housed the 1916 Rising has long been speculated on, with the Dublin City Taskforce last year recommending that it be used as a “major public building” with a greater public importance. 

Despite a number of proposals being made to the task force, including a suggestion that it become home to the public broadcaster RTÉ, it did not make a determination on the redevelopment. 

The GPO will be a “world class and historic flagship project with a significant cultural presence at its heart, supported by first-class retail and office components,” said Martin.  

However, McDonald said the plan should instead entail the development of a “1916 Cultural Quarter”.

She said it is “disgraceful” the government “intends to turn this historic building, an iconic site of our nation’s struggle for freedom, into shopping units and office space for corporations”.

McDonald noted that the proposal includes a museum and cultural centre but claimed that this is “hard to take at face value” and that the plan “follows the government’s shameful decision to back the handing over of the Moore Street battlefield site to a British property developer to pave over for profit”.

Last year, the Moore Street Preservation Trust were granted a judicial review over plans for the demolition of protected structures in the Moore Street area.

The leaders of the 1916 Rising retreated from the GPO on O’Connell Street to a row of terraced houses on Moore Street in the final stages of the rising.

McDonald added that “in no other country that fought for its independence would you encounter such blatant disrespect of the nation’s hallowed ground” and also said that people “want the post office to remain where it has served customers since 1818″.

She added that Sinn Féin has “set out a clear vision in Aengus Ó Snodaigh’s Bill to develop a 1916 culture quarter, tying in with the GPO and plans for Parnell Square”.

“I want a plan that will bring the area’s heritage, traditions and community forward together,” said McDonald, “not another shopping centre built on the sacred ground of Ireland’s revolutionary history.”

Ten-year plan

Meanwhile, the roadmap brought to Cabinet today by the Taoiseach sets out a ten-year plan for government to act on to improve Dublin.

He said that in recent years safety concerns in the capital have been highlighted, stating that this plan is about addressing safety, cleanliness, and socialising changes post-pandemic. 

The Irish capital has become “less welcoming” since the financial crash and pandemic, he said.

As part of this, the Taoiseach is proposing that a Designated Activity Company be set up to regenerate parts of the city, similar to the approach taken in the 1990s when Temple Bar was redeveloped. 

The vehicle would allow the local authority to harness private investment and is expected to be set up by the end of the year.

The Taoiseach said it will operate under the auspices of Dublin City Council to drive delivery stating that previously, in places like Temple Bar, such a measure brought about “transformation” in the area. 

While that is being set up, a Project Management Office will be established by the council to begin the work urgently. 

Tánaiste Simon Harris said this plan is about making the city more welcoming for all who live, work, do business and visit the capital.

“We all know that Dublin is a great city. It’s rich in culture, in history and creativity, but we also know we can do even better by our capital city,” said Harris.