3.4.04
Irish American Information Service
ADAMS SUPPORTS 'ALAMO' CAMPAIGN
04/02/04 15:53 EST
http://www.iais.org
The Irish government should be ashamed of its lack of
commitment to save a building known as 'Ireland's Alamo',
Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams claimed today.
Number 16 Moore Street in Dublin city Center is revered by
historians as the house where the leaders of the 1916
Easter Rising against British rule finally surrendered to
the Army.
They moved into the 18th century building following a fire
at the General Post Office in nearby O`Connell Street, the
focal point of the rebellion.
Today, 16 Moore Street is a run-down terraced shop behind a
bustling fruit and vegetable market. It is difficult to
note its significance save a tiny plaque high on the
crumbling walls.
Mr Adams called for the campaign to save the house from
commercial developers to be stepped up.
"This was a hugely important event in our recent history
and the proclamation remains a document of some note," he
said.
"There should certainly be some sense of what happened
here. How would you even know if you were walking up and
down Moore Street? It`s shameful that there is no fitting
state commemoration of what is a pivotal event in recent
Irish history."
Mr Adams said the demolition of the building had so far
been prevented but the fact there were no plans to develop
it was indicative of the state`s attitude to the event.
"Now you go into any other state in the world and they all
commemorate events in their history watershed events," he
added.
"But they don`t do it here. Why not? What is the
establishment ashamed of?"
The Sinn Fein leader was in Dublin to unveil the party`s
Easter commemoration programme and called on people across
Ireland to wear an Easter Lily to honor Ireland`s patriot
dead.
Christy Burke, Dublin city Sinn Fein Cllr, said the city
council had passed a motion that it be developed into a
museum but was still awaiting a supreme court decision.
"Here we have a golden opportunity to develop 16 Moore
Street so that tourists and our citizens can be proud and
see our history," he said.
Last year environmental campaigners collected signatures to
a petition to save the building, which was a fishmongers at
the time it was occupied by the Rising leaders.
On that historic Easter Saturday, Thomas Clarke, Joseph
Plunkett, Sean MacDermott, Padraic Pearse and William
Pearse gathered around the bed of the wounded James
Connolly and agreed on the surrender, to prevent
the "further slaughter of the civil population".
Padraic Pearse then wrote the notice of surrender on a
small piece of cardboard which is preserved in Ireland`s
National Library in Dublin.
__________________________________________________________
ADAMS SUPPORTS 'ALAMO' CAMPAIGN
04/02/04 15:53 EST
http://www.iais.org
The Irish government should be ashamed of its lack of
commitment to save a building known as 'Ireland's Alamo',
Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams claimed today.
Number 16 Moore Street in Dublin city Center is revered by
historians as the house where the leaders of the 1916
Easter Rising against British rule finally surrendered to
the Army.
They moved into the 18th century building following a fire
at the General Post Office in nearby O`Connell Street, the
focal point of the rebellion.
Today, 16 Moore Street is a run-down terraced shop behind a
bustling fruit and vegetable market. It is difficult to
note its significance save a tiny plaque high on the
crumbling walls.
Mr Adams called for the campaign to save the house from
commercial developers to be stepped up.
"This was a hugely important event in our recent history
and the proclamation remains a document of some note," he
said.
"There should certainly be some sense of what happened
here. How would you even know if you were walking up and
down Moore Street? It`s shameful that there is no fitting
state commemoration of what is a pivotal event in recent
Irish history."
Mr Adams said the demolition of the building had so far
been prevented but the fact there were no plans to develop
it was indicative of the state`s attitude to the event.
"Now you go into any other state in the world and they all
commemorate events in their history watershed events," he
added.
"But they don`t do it here. Why not? What is the
establishment ashamed of?"
The Sinn Fein leader was in Dublin to unveil the party`s
Easter commemoration programme and called on people across
Ireland to wear an Easter Lily to honor Ireland`s patriot
dead.
Christy Burke, Dublin city Sinn Fein Cllr, said the city
council had passed a motion that it be developed into a
museum but was still awaiting a supreme court decision.
"Here we have a golden opportunity to develop 16 Moore
Street so that tourists and our citizens can be proud and
see our history," he said.
Last year environmental campaigners collected signatures to
a petition to save the building, which was a fishmongers at
the time it was occupied by the Rising leaders.
On that historic Easter Saturday, Thomas Clarke, Joseph
Plunkett, Sean MacDermott, Padraic Pearse and William
Pearse gathered around the bed of the wounded James
Connolly and agreed on the surrender, to prevent
the "further slaughter of the civil population".
Padraic Pearse then wrote the notice of surrender on a
small piece of cardboard which is preserved in Ireland`s
National Library in Dublin.
__________________________________________________________
