Mattie McGrath spoke in support of a private members bill and urged protection of cultural heritage, while criticising developers and some party positions. He complimented Deputy Osnodig and Sinn Fein on the bill and said he and his group would back the legislation.
Bill endorsement and origins
The deputy praised Deputy Osnodig and Sinn Fein for bringing forward the private members bill, noting it appears modelled on earlier legislation introduced by Senator O'Brien when he was a senator. He said he and the Royal Independence support the bill and that it offers an opportunity to preserve living memory and heritage.
Preservation of monuments and cultural life
The deputy argued for protecting heritage in the inner city, citing the poorly visible plaque for Sean O'Trassie in Talbot Street as an example of neglected recognition for patriots. He advocated creating a cultural quarter to boost local economy, football and the arts, and to maintain a living city with song, dance, poetry and fashion.
Criticism of parties and decision-makers
He criticised Fianna Fáil and ministers for abandoning principles when entering government, saying positions shift "depending on the weather forecast" and the direction of the wind. He warned against allowing the country to be "plundered" by developers pursuing profit at the expense of communities.
Local impact witnessed on Sheriff's Street
Recalling a recent walk with Deputy Collins near Sheriff's Street, the deputy described residents who feel swallowed up by greed, hotels and apartments and who received little political support. He said people had their lives ruined by inappropriate planning decisions that overshadow homes and destroy local life.
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I want to compliment the Deputy Osnodig and indeed Sinn Fein Party for this very important private members bill here today and we see the typical political, you know, stances taken by the main parties and especially Fianna Fáil when I note through some research that Senator, a former, now Minister O'Brien, Dail Eireann, when he was a senator, brought forward a bill and this bill is kind of, kind of modelled really on that so it's amazing how, as the last speaker said, when you get your bondone into a, the nice surroundings of a ministerial care, you can forget your principles, forget your ideas, forget our heritage and forget what the people and the significance of what they did to give us the freedom to be able to rent this dastardly place here that's so big and so, you know, and so expensive to sit here during this pandemic. But I think it's vital that we preserve our heritage, it's vital that we have that, those people recognise and while I'm at it, I hope you'll allow me to mention that the great Sean O'Trassie who lost his life in Talbot Street and you have to look with a magnifying glass to find the plaque on the wall. That we can't have, just off our main thoroughfare, a proper and fitting monument to salute the heroic sacrifice that Sean O'Trassie made with many, many others and the gallant way he fought for our freedom and a plaque that's not even cleaned and you wouldn't even see it. If a stranger walked down, it's up high in the wall and it's barely visible. So I think it's a shame that we give such little, you know, recognition of our patriots. And to create a cultural quarter for the inner city to boost terrorism and equally to increase football to the local economy in the area, that's an excellent idea. We can't have the country just plundered and literally raped by developers for their own profits. We need to have, you know, we need to have, you know, cultural quarters. We need to have areas like this preserved and protected and maintained and a living city with our famous and, you know, renowned song and dance and poetry and indeed our style of fashion. You know, God quote my shame, you know, we see today that the whole heritage of our practice and our, any religion or any faith is banned here. We're one of only three countries in the world, you know, Saudi Arabia and North Korea. Goodness, I didn't think we'd be championing to get to the top of that line. So we need to recognize where we come from. Our heritage, as I said, a very rich heritage. And we need to have it, you know, first of all, it's great to have historians and write about it, but we need to have a living memory. And this is an excellent bill by Deputy Oisnerdijk. And I don't know what position the government are taking on it, but I wouldn't be surprised because as someone said, it's a different position every day. It depends on the weather forecast, I think, and what way the wind is blowing. Do you know what I'm saying? Sorry. So, look, I want to say that we in the Royal Independence are supporting this legislation and support it all happily. And indeed, I took a stroll out here last week when we were here two weeks ago with Deputy Collins and down the back here, down near Sheriff's Street. And to see the residents down there, they're very living people. I'm not talking about history and heritage. They're living. And the way they have been swallowed up by greed and developers, hotels and apartments and their life ruined. And when they saw us walking, they knocked on the windows, would we wait and talk to them for a minute? It's a lovely gentleman. And he explains that he got little support from any political parties to stop that madness that went on there, that any houses, we're out in the country, we're trying to get planning for a house, if it's all overshadowing our house or if it's in any way affecting the views. These people have been just swallowed up. I expect to live in those conditions. It's a scandal and it shouldn't be happening. So we're supporting this piece of legislation today. Go to my good. Thank you. Thank you.
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