GPO investment plan can transform site into country’s most visited landmark – Geoghegan

The redevelopment of Dublin’s GPO will transform the country’s most important building into a world-class museum, a Fine Gael TD has said.

Fine Gael’s Dublin spokesperson, James Geoghegan said Government’s allocation of up to €500 million for the redevelopment of the GPO on O’Connell Street is absolutely worthy of the investment considering the place it holds in Irish history.

“This is a landmark and unprecedented investment in the country’s most important building,” said Deputy Geoghegan.

He said the GPO’s heritage as the birthplace of the Republic in 1916 must be central to the future project.

“A key recommendation of the Dublin City Taskforce, established by Fine Gael leader Simon Harris, was that the GPO should become the home of a world-class museum. In my view, it should be a celebration of the republican ideals envisioned in 1916.”

Deputy Geoghegan said international evidence and Dublin’s own success with the Guinness Storehouse shows major cultural destinations draw millions of visitors into city centres and can transform entire districts.

“Look around the world where tourists and people flock to, the White House in Washington, the Tower of London, Paris’s Eiffel Tower, the Colosseum in Rome – historical buildings which have a unique connection to their cities and countries.

“The GPO is our most important national building, and it is smack bang in the middle of our capital city. Its redevelopment should be co-designed by the public with a process that brings people together.

“A new national ideas campaign, modelled on the 2009 initiative, which asked ordinary people for novel ideas about how to stimulate our economy after the crash, should be launched immediately to invite thoughtful, creative contributions from people across Ireland.

“The Guinness Storehouse has welcomed 25 million visitors in 25 years. A similarly ambitious museum, co-created with the public at the birthplace of our Republic, will revitalise the city.

“At 25,000 square metres, two-thirds larger than the pitch in Croke Park, the GPO should the national centrepiece that greets visitors with the story of our Republic. Everyone should have a say in how it is reimagined.

“A reformed GPO can prove to be the foundation stone for a new future for our city centre. Let’s get on with that work now,” Deputy Geoghegan said.