Militaria Archive

Save 16 Moore Street - Irish Presidential Candidate Martin McGuinness & descendants of the 1916 Easter Rising Proclamation Signatories at the GPO Dublin, 21st October 2011

The 'Save 16 Moore Street Campaign' have provided guided tours to some of Ireland's leading politicians in recent years, including Brian Lenihan, Enda Kenny, and now Irish 2011 Presidential candidate Martin McGuinness. This group has no political bias and is open to all. On Friday 21st October 2011 Irish Presidential Candidate Martin McGuinness met with descendants of the 1916 Proclamation signatories at the GPO in Dublin to begin a 'Save 16 Moore Street Campaign' walking tour of the historic 1916 urban battlefield of Central Dublin. James Connolly Heron (Great Grandson of James Connolly) was among those who provided the tour which included discussion on the historical significance of the Moore St. area and particularly the terrace which includes numbers 14-17. These buildings are associated with the 1916 Rising as this is where the leaders of the Rising occuppied as they attempted to flee the GPO and continue the battle on Parnell Street. The Rebels tunnelled through this terrace of houses carrying a wounded James Connolly on a stretcher. A British Machine Gun Barricade and sniper fire from the Rotunda prevented this plan from success. The 1916 Surrender order was reluctantly signed in number 16 to prevent further loss of life. A property developer would like this area turned into a shopping mall & as anyone familiar with this part of Dublin will know there are already an abundance of shopping malls and developments in this general area. There are no 1916 Easter Rising Heritage, or museum attractions in this area whatsoever. The 14-17 Terrace is now a National Monument, however this has not provided adequate protection, only the Building Facades are protected and the buildings themselves are set to be demolished. The Save 16 Moore Street campaign believe the Moore St. area should be developed into a world class National Monument that all could be proud of. This proposal called "HQ16" has recieved widespread public support. As an item of trivia - the 'Save 16 Moore Street' Campaign badge was prominently worn by Martin McGuinness days later on the RTE 'Frontline' Live Television debate in which Martin McGuinness famously confronted Sean Gallagher over 'envelope' payments which Sean Gallagher collected of up to €5000 on behalf of Fianna Fail.