The National Monument at numbers 14-17 Moore Street is to be bought by the Government at a cost of €4million to allow for a 1916 Commemorative Centre to be developed at the site.

Number 16 Moore Street was the location of the final council of war of the Leaders of the 1916 Rising and is where the decision to surrender was made. The house at No. 16, together with the surrounding buildings at Nos. 14, 15 and 17, were declared a national monument in 2007. All are currently owned by NAMA

The four houses will be restored and turned into a commemorative centre as one of the main projects associated with the centenary commemorations next year.

Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht Minister Heather Humphreys will bring further proposals to Government shortly outlining plans to safeguard and fully restore the buildings, and to create a 1916 Commemorative Centre on the site. The requisite approval under the National Monuments Acts is already in place for the restoration project and the proposed Commemorative Centre. 

Today's decision means that:

• the Moore Street national monument will now come into public ownership
• the long-term future of this historical landmark is secured
• the 1916 Commemorative Centre to be developed on the site will be run as a public facility with access for citizens and visitors alike
• the new Commemorative Centre will enhance and complement the 1916 visitor facility currently being developed in the GPO

Speaking today Minister Humphreys said: “I am delighted that the Government is demonstrating its commitment to saving the National Monument at Nos. 14-17 Moore Street, which has such special significance as we move towards the 2016 Commemorations. This puts an end to the uncertainty surrounding the future of these buildings and ensures that they will be accessible to all who are interested in the history of the 1916 Rising. I hope that this project will be completed during the Centenary Year as a fitting tribute to the leaders of the Easter Rising.”

Welcoming the announcement, An Taisce, Ireland’s National Trust, said in a statement that it has had a long involvement in ensuring that the building would be saved and turned into a suitable museum.

The statement continued: “However 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.

“Today’s announcement is to be welcomed and we look forward to the details and trust that its future treatment will now be worthy of such an important monument.”