Regeneration Projects
Seanad Éireann — 2026-03-05
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Mary Fitzpatrick (FF), Industrial and Commercial Panel

That is welcome progress. I particularly welcome the fact that provision is being made for public consultation on the future use of the GPO. It is identified as a building that can accommodate many different uses and not just the post office and museum but also the commercial and retail space. That complex is over 2,500 sq. m. It is an enormous building complex when you are inside it. The facade is impressive but does not do justice to the space that lies behind it. We need actively and ambitiously to pursue the use of the facility for cultural uses.
We already have great cultural institutions on and near to O'Connell Street, with the Abbey Theatre and Gate Theatre. The Ambassador Theatre has reopened. There is also the new library on Parnell Square and the Hugh Lane Gallery. The GPO presents a real opportunity to again foster and support culture in the heart of the city centre. We recently lost The Complex. Others are struggling for space in the city. I believe that the steering committee responsible for managing the property and those meanwhile uses should engage with local cultural organisations, which have a national reach, to animate the property in the interim before the full redevelopment commences. I understand, and perhaps the Minister of State will confirm, that will take place in 2029.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-03-05/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:44+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-03-05