So Good They Bought It Twice

Heather Humphreys (top) and 16, Moore Street, Dublin (above)

Arts Minister Minister Heather Humphreys yesterday announced the state’s plan to ‘acquire’ the building at 16 Moore Street (and adjacent houses), the last HQ of the leaders of the Easter Rising.

However..

An Taisce [the National Trust] write:

This is not the first time that the state has acquired this building, as an acquisition was originally announced by Dublin City Council in 2003. The City Development Plan twice incorporated the fact that the building would be saved and turned into a museum.

Then various potentially controversial agreements between senior city officials and developers were reported by a number of press outlets including Village Magazine, Phoenix Magazine, and a documentary on TG4.

This combined with the property crash has ensured that the buildings have languished since. We call for the events to be fully explained in order for public confidence to be restored and to ensure that such a mess never again occurs.

Hmm.

Environmental campaignerRuadhán MacEoin writes:

So the obvious question now is, how on earth did the state manage to ‘lose’ the house the first time around?

Anyone?

(Leon Farrell/Photocall Ireland)

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43 thoughts on “So Good They Bought It Twice”

bisted April 1, 2015 at 9:38 am

…surely the building was sold to a developer for a huge sum and has now been bought back at a mere fraction of the price…or am I being naive…

The Dude April 1, 2015 at 4:30 pm

From what i heard, the building was compulsorily purchased by Dublin City Council as part of the bigger Carlton land bank, then, despite it the City Development Plan being changed specifically in 2003 so that the building would be owned by the City Council and run as a museum, it was allegedly sold off without being put out to tender and without the knowledge of councillors.

The original acquisition as a CPO process should have ensured a minimum payment to the owners.

Yet yesterday, despite the building now being a National Monument and therefore of very limited commercial value due to restrictions, €4 million lids gets paid to a developer who is in NAMA.

I must be missing something here.

However, as to allegations about corruption – how could that be so?

In Bertie’s constituency during a FF government – shurely theresh shome mishtake…

That said, it is very welcome that the building has been saved – primarily thanks to the tenacious and dedicated pursuit by some campaigners. Well done to those involved.
1. The Dude April 1, 2015 at 4:31 pm
  
  Also it seems quite bizarre that the Irish Times omitted this key angle from their coverage – I wonder why?
Neil April 2, 2015 at 8:32 am

The cynic in me thinks that our glorious government paid full prerecessionary prices for it.