Sinn Féin Senator and European election candidate for Dublin, Lynn Boylan, has said that this week’s international conference on the future of Moore Street is crucial to reimagining the future of Dublin’s north inner-city and harnessing its potential.

The conference, Preserving our Past, Rising to our Future, being held by Sinn Féin President Mary Lou McDonald in association with the Moore Street Preservation Trust, takes place this Wednesday morning in the GPO.

Speaking today, Senator Boylan said:

“Successive governments have consigned so much of Dublin’s north inner-city to neglect and decay. 

“As well as being a site of incredible historical significance given its role in the 1916 Rising, Moore Street is also the city’s oldest food market, and an area with a strong tradition shared by generations. 

“As Dubliners, we should not accept the neglect of Moore Street, nor should we accept its future being handed over to the whim of private developers focused on commercial gain and profit. 

“The people of Dublin deserve so much more than that. Reimagining Moore Street and the potential of Dublin’s north inner-city is something to be enthusiastic about. 

“We can shape its future, and harness its potential. This is achievable if the political will is there to achieve it.

“The Preserving our Past, Rising to our Future conference on Wednesday will bring together a range of Irish and international experts to discuss the Moore Street Preservation Trust’s Alternative Plan for the Moore Street 1916 Battlefield site.

“The legacy of 1916 and the national heritage of the Moore Street area belongs to each and every one of us, so it is hugely important that these voices are heard.

“Sinn Féin is firmly committed to delivering the vision for Moore Street as set out by the Moore Street Preservation Trust. 

“That is the appropriate way to honour and protect our heritage and traditions, and bring the inspiring history of this area back to the public.”