AIMSIR
Bhí sé compórdach agus d’fhan sé tirm.
DAOINE
The foireann this week was Bróna, Orla, Christian agus Diarmuid.
We were kept busy on the table with lots of people wanting to sign; particularly heartening was the number of young people wanting to sign. Some of them but by no means all were GAA fans in town for the games. It was a bit of an Ulster day with Derry and Cavan teams playing but also Galway and Westmeath. The latter is Leinster province but formerly was part of the fifth province of Ireland, Cúige Mídhe, the king of which was notionally also Ard-Rí of Ireland.
A number of Irish from London and from the USA signed the petition, one of whom in Wimbledon, Gerard Joyce, has already put photos up on our community page which, along with putting them up on one’s own Facebook page, really helps spread the word (you can reach people we can’t and the mass media won’t try to).
EGGS, FISH & MESSAGES IN MILK BOTTLES
Gerard has an interesting 1916 and Moore Street family history (we love recording these). Gerard told us his granny Molly O’Donoghue married a man called Spratt from Monaghan who went to fight in WWI and never came back, leaving her with twins to rear. But during the 1916 Rising she carried messages to the GPO hidden inside bottles of milk. His family discovered through DNA searches that they have relatives in Canada of which they were unaware.
When Gerard and his brothers were boys, they played in the back alleys and worked around Moore Street. He told us they sold eggs there on a Tuesday and Saturday and fish on a Friday. There was a stables there and his uncle had a horse (there was a horse shot by British soldiers in Moore Lane in 1916); on Thursday night they went out to Howth to meet the trawlers at 10pm and walked the horse home, selling fresh fish in pubs along the way (ha’penny a mackerel) and sell the remainder in Moore Street early Friday morning.
Winfred Akimyemi, Jimmy Irivbogbe and Tony O’Donnell came to use as we were finishing our shift and we were all so interested in what the other had to say that we delayed closing. They live in Lucan where there’s a community centre and they are interested in Irish history and culture so we’ll be following that up with them with possible history tours, talks etc.
We also had a Belfast Sinn Féin Councillor drop by and ask for an update – he put in an objection previously.
This year is the centenary of the Counterrevolution/ Civil War and commemorations have already taken place of the Free State’s bombardment of the Republican garrison of the Four Courts and the killing of 1916 hero Cathal Brugha. We erected copies of posters condemning the Free State for those actions in 1922, including drawings believed to have been by Constance Markievicz. The Free State between 1922 and 1924 executed over 80 Republicans (more than the British had 1916-1921), also tortured and killed prisoners of war and even assassinated activists.
VIOLATION OF PLANNING RESTRICTIONS?
Although there is a freeze on any building alterations pending final decisions on the speculator’s planning applications and although even the worst archaeological architectural assessment states the party walls between buildings are of pre-1916 dates, word reached us on the street that one of the business premises is cutting (or has already cut) through one of the walls into another building to extend their premises. They would not have done that without their landlord’s permission and if given by the latter must be seen as a deliberate violation of planning restrictions and part of the whole effort to run down the street and its social/ historical importance. We will be raising this with the Council’s Planning Enforcement Department but EVERYBODY ELSE CAN DO SO TOO: planningenforcement@dublincity.ie
UASDÁTÚ
SIGNPOST O’RAHILLY MONUMENT
We have pursued DCC on this and have been told its replacement is expected inside a fortnight. We’ve suggested welding it in place so that it cannot easily be removed.
APPEALING THE PLANNING PERMISSION
As noted last week, DCC’s Planning Department has now approved the third speculator’s Moore Street application but for 7 years instead of the 15 Hammerson wanted. But the property speculator can start demolition on the 7-year permission and then apply for an extension or appeal the restriction. All in all the whole area is set to be a giant building site for up to 15 years – or even longer. Apart from the historical vandalism, that will kill the street market stone dead. And local shop businesses will be evicted to make room for chain stores.
If you have registered an objection to the Planning Application already, you can now appeal (DCC’s granting of permission) to An Bord Pleanála for €220 (or €270 if you ask for an oral hearing — we did on the other two applications, have been refused an oral hearing ! But not refunded the addition €50 either!).
If you can’t spare €320 or €370, you can still put in an Observation for €50 in support of an Appeal registered by someone else (e.g Stephen Troy’s already in or ours going in soon). You can make Appeals or submissions in writing by post or delivered by hand – all within the deadline.
t is important to list as many grounds of objection as possible rather than one or two. This is not just a site of huge historical importance but also a street market of great historical and social importance in its own right which will not survive the area becoming a construction site. The proposals for O’Rahilly Parade entail turning it into a narrow canyon between tall buildings with huge traffic impact (during and after construction) and will also overshadow the important O’Rahilly Monument there. The joint payoff mooted for street traders from DCC and the Dept. of Heritage (both public bodies with taxpayer’s money) and the private property speculator Hammerson, must be seen as a corrupt deal. And if Hammerson has already said they can’t do it in 7 years, why has the Planning Dept. given them demolition and construction permission for that time? (Yes, we think we know why).
The planning application number is 2863/21 and believe the deadline is Monday 18th July. https://www.pleanala.ie/en-ie/make-an-appeal
Beirimís bua!
