I congratulate Senator Feighan. Speaking for myself, I have no problem being mugged on a Sunday coming out of mass by a church gate collection. However, any organisations, including political parties, that have shown scant regard for fundamental ideas shared by Christians, among others, about the protection of innocent human life have some neck to be collecting in such places, although they are perfectly free to do so. I hope, however, that they would be told where to go, in a nice way, when they do.

I raise the matter of Nos. 61 and 62 Thomas Street. They are adjoining buildings in an old and historic part of Dublin city that are due to be bulldozed and replaced by a modern office block which will keep only token features of the past glories of those buildings. Dublin City Council gave permission for the demolition in 2009 and that permission was extended in 2014 even though, in the meantime, the buildings came within designation of an architectural protection area. It is believed that No. 62 was built in the 17th century and No. 61 was built in 1687. Both were purpose-built inns, one called the Blue Boar, the other the Golden Last. Records of both establishments survive.

Experts from Dublin Civic Trust, an important group that has done excellent work to preserve buildings across this city with which many colleagues will be familiar-----

Hear, hear.

-----have examined the buildings and found original features which have miraculously survived, such as original wooden beams, masonry, and chimney stacks. They say nothing like this is known to survive in Dublin and there is very little that is comparable elsewhere in the country. What does it say of our notion of heritage that a building which experts tell us has survived since the reign of James II could be bulldozed and replaced by an office block? Writing to The Irish Times Peter Keenahan noted that "The development of an office block to be known as 'Sixtyone Thomas Street', trumpeted in the Commercial Property pages of this newspaper, drives a stake through the heart of the designated Architectural Conservation Area."

Colleagues will be aware that Dublin City Council has committed many heinous crimes against heritage over the years, the two most infamous being the concreting over of the Wood Quay site in the late 1970s, hiding Christchurch Cathedral from the quays in the process, and the terrible decision in the 1960s to demolish a large stretch of Georgian Dublin along Fitzwilliam Street. That is a cause close to the heart of our colleague, Senator Norris, and work is being done to partially undo that damage.

Some of us wonder about Dublin City Council's priorities, currently being run by Sinn Féin, with support from the Labour Party and the hard left. The council has bent over backwards to save buildings on Moore Street from demolition. That is fair enough, but why are no councillors stepping up to save the buildings to which I refer which are over 250 years older and are of genuine historical and architectural merit? I understand that while it is late in the day, the Minister has power to intervene in such matters. I ask that this matter be raised with her and call on all parties here who are represented in Dublin City Council to intervene in this matter.