'Even the very mention of the GPO pulls at the strings of Irish men and women'

Any moves to turn the GPO into a cheap, tawdry commercial centre will be strongly resisted.

That’s according to Aontú’s Letterkenny Rep Mary T Sweeney, who has described the Government’s backing of proposed plans to reconstitute the iconic historic landmark as just one more example of how our cherished historical buildings can be either pulled down or used to pull in money.

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She says: “Is there nothing sacred anymore in this country? Is commercialism more important than Connolly? Even the very mention of the GPO pulls at the strings of Irish men and women. It is in our hearts. Our bones. We have a visceral attachment to it and love and respect for it. To us, it’s not just a building.

"The reason that the GPO is so important is that it was the site of the headquarters of the 1916 Rising. This was the seminal moment in the birth of our nation. The rights of every Minister in the Dáil to govern come directly from the sacrifice made in that building.

"Their very sovereignty to be able to make a decision about that building comes from the huge sacrifices made in that building. It’s clear, however that sovereignty is not valued by this government and it’s possible that the building is an embarrassing reminder of this to the government.

"Moore Street, a national monument and the most important battlefield in the country where the rebels of 1916 fought around its laneways, a tiny band of visionaries who were determined and dedicated to a true and free Republic, has been allowed to fall into decaying dereliction. Now it’s used by people for open-air drinking, drug taking and to defecate. This is what FF and FG think of our historical and cultural heritage.

"Aontú believes that the GPO/Moore St Quarter offers the city a massive opportunity for rejuvenation. We believe that the GPO should be repurposed to fulfil the objectives of the Proclamation of the Irish Republic that were read from its steps almost 110 years ago. We feel that the government should use the building to house the project of Irish reunification. We believe that the GPO should be preserved in its current state as a national museum focusing on the centuries of the Irish struggle for independence.

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"The leaders of 1916 who took over the GPO on that fateful April day in 1916 (April 24th) held his vision for a free and unified Ireland dearly. To think that this Government would even contemplate selling the GPO is stomach-churning.

"I am urging the people of Ireland to come out in their droves for a public demonstration on Tuesday, July 8, outside the GPO at 7pm."