GPO Redevelopment Plan

A Summarised Breakdown

The GPO is in the news a lot lately. The iconic building that served as headquarters to the rebels of 1916, appears to be coveted by multiple groups for repurposing, making it the subject of much controversy. Irish Christians (who are fine with it’s current status and official use) gathered in number there last Friday, repelling an Islamic procession that was due to arrive there on foot from Christchurch Cathedral. The latter, with lesser numbers, wisely decided to instead terminate at Central Bank on Dame Street, to address their small crowd from its steps and declare — in broken English — their love for Ireland, which was stated by them to be far superior to that of the natives.

The Islamic community, for whatever reason, seems to be attracted to the GPO. They appear intent on provoking the indigenous population, by treating the cradle of the Irish republic as their own. Like a dog urinating on its pillars marking its territory. Whether it be men giving haircuts outside, setting up stalls to hand out copies of the Qu’ran, the Muslim Sisters of Éire (bizarrely in a position to give charity to the Irish in their own country) feeding the homeless, or the delivery of speeches at the end of other such marches — they seem to have designs on this particular building.

Chief Islamic antagonist, Umar Al Qadri — a man who publicly claims to renounce terrorism — issued a speech at the Spire (facing the GPO) at a previous event declaring his support for Hamas as the legitimate government of Palestine. A speech which contradicts his usual PR rhetoric condemning terrorism, seemingly betraying harboured sympathies for certain terrorist groups. There was also a knife attack inside the famous building last year by an ‘Irishman’, who looked like he would be more at home in the aforementioned Doctor’s place of worship than in the Procathedral. Striking at the very heart of our republic in numerous ways, both physically and psychologically, looks a lot more like a power-play than a random choice. A simple collective admiration for the building’s aesthetics seems to fall slightly short as an explanation.

The threat to the iconic GPO comes in other forms too. Perhaps one far more deadly, due to its perceived legitimacy and rapier-like ruthlessness with pen strokes. Bureaucracy has time and again proved its lethality to all things Irish in recent years, delivering death blows with unrivalled precision. Indeed it could be reasonably argued too, that the new found swagger of the community mentioned in the previous paragraph, would not be present without its help. The possible death-knell for the GPO as a monument to the Irish people and the republic they created, lies within the Ten Big Moves laid out by the the task force appointed by the Taoiseach to oversee the rejuvenation of Dublin’s inner city, particularly O’Connell Street. Something that in all fairness is badly needed, but ask yourself would you trust the current occupants of civic and public office to deliver something respectable and/or indeed Gaelic? I think we have all seen enough evidence at this point to suggest otherwise.

capital-city-dublin-city-taskforce-report.pdf

I have read through the report fully and have pulled out what I can regarding everything relating to the GPO. There are some things in the report that on the face of it are good suggestions, for the O’Connell Street area in particular, but the proof will lie in the execution. This summary will be concerned only with the GPO (the task force plan is city wide) and the plans to redevelop and repurpose the building. There are 3 relevant reports which I have read and pulled information from to try get a clearer understanding of what is planned. I have attached the full reports by link if people wish to read them in their entirety.

As you would expect, the task force, which is headed up by An Post CEO, David McRedmond, is comprised of prominent people from within the system who are all onboard with official, approved narrative and who are currently draping themselves and their institutions in a flag with more colours than the national tricolour. A hive mind identifying as a board of independent thinkers.

The foreword written by McRedmond is replete with the type of generic Orwellian word salad we have come to expect from our institutions now either stacked World Economic Forum disciples or merely underlings who parrot their language. Standard bureaucratic jargon like ‘sustainability’ and other such overused terms, alert us early on in the report to precisely the kind of ‘on message’, uniformity of thought we can expect from its pages.

Of the Ten Big Moves we are primarily concerned with number one. There is some slight overlap with extra detail to be gleaned and referenced across the 3 documents.

I have attached the above paragraph to give an indication of the tone of the paper and the type of mindset behind its drafting. No doubt RTÉ is taken at face value by its creators who are clearly inhabitants of the pseudo-reality cemented in the past five years.

It is clear from this passage that the much debated and maligned topic of an executive Dublin mayor is very firmly back on the table, adding yet another layer of bureaucracy to a public service already bursting at the seams. This role will no doubt include a board, secretaries and assistants and quite probably teams of advisors and lawyers who will all be paid for with taxpayer money. Expenses too I’m sure. Sure the public purse knows no bounds.

One wonders the level of respect that will be given to our heritage with Dublin City Council involved, considering the demolition of 40 Herbert Park — the home of The O’Rahilly, the only leader to be killed in the fighting during the Rising — happened on their watch. A “technical error” was blamed on the “oversight”. Cultural vandalism can be blamed on human error after the fact, but once an artefact or place of historical significance is destroyed it’s too late. The proposed redevelopment of Moore Street which I have written about in a previous article is another cause for alarm when considering the involvement of DCC.

The first real red flag emerges in the report, however it is slightly vague. As Big Move One is concerned with the entirety of O’Connell Street, it is unclear whether this is referring to the GPO or the shops on the street with potential living spaces above the ground floor. Clarity will need to be provided on this point and I would urge people to write to the relevant authorities regarding this matter.

Whilst O’Connell Street could certainly do with an increased Garda presence due to the increase in antisocial behaviour (predominantly due to reasons the authors of this report would likely prefer to overlook and more likely still, ignore completely), is the GPO really the best place to put a Garda Station? This is a public building of historic significance, the notion of criminals off the street being dragged handcuffed across its ornate floors to be questioned or thrown into cells, is a little tasteless considering the sacrifices made in that very building just over a century ago.

It should be left alone by the state and its agencies and given to the public. The museum inside should be expanded and left free from such appropriation. It was always a working post office so that is how it should be left, respecting its historical application. Any redevelopment in my view should seek to enhance the already established museum into a world class visitor centre, which would attract tourists from across the world who would marvel at the story (if told correctly) at perhaps the most theatrical birth of a nation in history.

Now we are down to brass tacks. Cost. Going by the previous track record of Irish bureaucrats in the delivery of large public infrastructural projects and keeping in mind their general disrespect for the value of public monies and also the total lack of accountability thereafter, I’d hazard a guess that these are hugely conservative estimates. Shall we even mention the name of one such project that is still incomplete and over budget at the time of writing this article.

A ‘wealth of cultural activities’, whose culture? The Gaelic one envisaged by the occupants of the GPO in 1916, or the one currently marching to its pillars attempting to muscle its way in? There is also the gaudy, globalist monoglot that needs to be repelled. This should be a McDonalds and Starbucks free space.

The above two paragraphs make for pretty chilling reading. The relocation of RTÉ, an organisation that has repeatedly lied to and misinformed the Irish people, that has been bailed out to the tune of €750 million. An organisation full of overpaid propagandists, looks like it could be rewarded for all those ineptitudes with a plush new office in the heart of Dublin, inside the GPO no less! Of all the suggestions, this is the most ludicrous of all and sums up Official Ireland and the contempt it has for the people of this country.

The second paragraph looks to pull artists into the clutches of the regime permanently by expanding a grant scheme which is in essence, UBI (Universal Basic Income) making them totally dependent on the state, which will of course bring them “on message” even further and commanding their loyalty. Try writing a controversial song when your income is at the mercy of those you dare criticise. What on the surface looks benevolent, can often have the darkest of motivations.

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Report_of_the_Interdepartmental_Group_on_the_Dublin_City_Taskforce_Report.pdf

“A detailed proposal for the future use of the GPO will be developed by the OPW and submitted for approval by Government in due course. It is acknowledged that there will be a need to consult on design, and that the consultation would be wide ranging given the emblematic importance of the GPO not only to Dubliners but also to the public all over Ireland. The redevelopment of the GPO will be a landmark project and 12 integral to the regeneration of Dublin City Centre and to the successful implementation of the Roadmap for Delivery.

The GPO be redeveloped as a mixed used precinct, to be funded under the NDP, as an ambitious flagship project for Dublin City.”

The above information is taken directly from the second relevant report linked above. What is striking is the overall vagueness and lack of detail for the intentions for the GPO. I have highlighted in Green the continued functionality as a post office, which few would object to. The points highlighted in red are the ones that may be considered slightly more controversial.

The political left of Sinn Féin and People Before Profit have suddenly remembered they are Irish and have temporarily put down their Palestinian flags to wrap themselves in the green, white and gold once more, by highlighting and registering their objection to point 3, a shopping mall. We already have the GPO arcade, so the vagueness of the “re-imagined retail components along Henry Street and in the GPO arcade”, could simply mean a redesign or redevelopment of those retail outlets away from the main building itself.

Call me a cynic, but with the complete lack of detail in the plans for a shopping area, it appears that the ‘opposition’ either (a) haven’t fully read the report or (b) in an attempt to preserve the illusion of opposition and regain some badly needed political support and momentum, are cherrypicking what would represent an easy victory. Resistance to a retail area that wasn’t explicitly planned or intended in the first place.

Is this deflection? A Trojan horse to divert public attention towards a shopping mall and away from what the state really wants to install there? That being perhaps the relocation of RTÉ and the placement of a strategic law enforcement centre with unparalleled surveillance capabilities in the heart of town all under one roof. A station, as specified in the document, with an upgraded CCTV network with real time monitoring. Seems very Orwellian and Big Brother-esque to have the national broadcaster stationed under the same roof as the national police force.

Something tells me all is not what it seems here and that Sinn Féin and People Before Profit will likely be handed their victory. This will inject some much needed energy into the left, increasing public support and goodwill, positioning themselves once more as the true champions of the working class and nationalist Ireland, at a time the so-called ‘far right’ is suffering from infighting and infiltration (with what appears to be operatives from one of those very parties moving within its ranks).

Who knows. But I would be surprised if the people firmly on board with the globalisation of Ireland, suddenly had a change of heart and reverted to what Michéal Martin describes as a ‘backward notion of sovereignty’. I would take the hard communist left of PBP and the Shinners with oceans of salt. But I do think people are wise enough now to do so in fairness.

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Roadmap_for_Delivery_-_Dublin_City_Taskforce_Report_June_2025.pdf

Owners: OPW, DCC, D/HLGH (The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage), D/ETE (The Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment), D/CCS (The Department of Culture, Communications and Sport), Fáilte Ireland

Strand 1 Re-developed & Reimagined Integrated Area Strategy – a desirable place to live and work

PHASE 1: Prepare, Design and Commence: 2025 –2026 (year 1)

• Redevelopment of the GPO

• Conceptualise and decide on the future use of the reimagined GPO

• Transfer of title of the GPO to the OPW

PHASE 2: Build and Consolidate: 2027 –2030 (Years 2-5)

• Procure and commence the redevelopment of the GPO

• Cultural hub progressed, in line with the development of the GPO

• Develop the cultural hub to promote creativity and connection, with linkages/cultural corridors and inclusive, multi-use spaces

• Explore the possibility of prominent cultural organisations setting up a presence in the core area

• Increase cultural activity across venues and institutions and expand diverse events and programming

PHASE 3: Consolidate, Review, Mainstream: 2031 –2035 (Years 6-10)

• Continue the phase GPO re-development

*Taken directly from the Roadmap for Delivery, which sets out the timeline for the development.

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Conclusion

The vague nature of these reports and sheer lack of explanation, detail or expansion on many of the points raised regarding the possible uses for the GPO, has lead to more questions than answers. Why is the report so haphazard in substance? The ‘multi-use’ approach seems to cover all bases and leaves an open ended range of options for consideration. This is not acceptable and the public deserve answers. Answers that are not sufficiently forthcoming in any of these reports.

The ‘Cultural Hub’ for instance would no doubt be bound to the modern day tenets of DEI. Having merely a Gaelic representation at the site wouldn’t be very inclusive now would it? I’m sure a picture can easily be visualised by the reader of how this might look. Think corporate advertising and you’d likely come close. This needs to be clearly defined and specified in the report.

Is this designed to deliberately create public outrage and hysteria to deflect attention from something else? I would suggest the loose narrative of the shopping centre presented by so-called opposition TD’s and the theatre on display between Simon Harris and Pearse Doherty on the floor of Leinster House, is perhaps misdirection. What deserves far more scrutiny, I would think, is the proposed state of the art Garda station and new RTÉ HQ potentially living under the same roof, fighting the war against ‘misinformation’ side by side.

In a series of reports full of tedious bureaucratic babble, this is by far the most interesting piece of information included. Information that is not given anywhere near the level of detail required for something of such magnitude. It is almost mentioned in passing. This, in my opinion, is what the public should be given far greater clarity on, rather than a “shopping centre” which could simply be referring to a facelift for the existing one located behind the main building.

The people should not leave this to Sinn Féin or PBP to fight. We want answers.