Restoration of Richmond Barracks highlights its importance to 1916 commemorations- Byrne

Fine Gael TD for Dublin South Central, Catherine Byrne, has today (Thursday) welcomed the visit by Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Heather Humphreys TD, to Richmond Barracks, Inchicore, for the launch of a major restoration project.

“I was delighted to welcome the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht to Richmond Barracks this morning. This building has great historical significance and is a really important heritage site for the people of Inchicore and wider Dublin. Richmond Barracks is the location where the leaders of the 1916 Rising were court-martialled before their execution in Kilmainham Gaol.

“Earlier this year, Minister Humphreys’ Department listed Richmond barracks as one of the 1916 centenary commemoration sites, and allocated €3.5 million in funding for the restoration of the historical gymnasium.

“It will be opened in 2016 as a public space for exhibitions, and will host historical and cultural events associated with the history of the building and the local area.

“The Richmond Barracks Advisory Committee, of which I am a member, has spent the last number of months working on a proposal for the restoration. The project is going out to tender today and I look forward to the opening of the refurbished gym in 2016, which is being made possible thanks to Government funding.”