Children’s hospital ‘testament’ to 1916 Rising

There is no better testament to the Easter Rising than to begin building the new national children’s hospital next year on one of its most famous battle sites, the South Dublin Union, Health Minister Leo Varadkar said yesterday.

He confirmed at yesterday’s meeting of the Joint Committee on Health and Children that planning permission for the €650m site at St James’s Hospital would be lodged with An Bord Pleanála in June. The long-delayed project was originally supposed to be ready by 2016, the centenary of the Rising, but was moved from the Mater Hospital site.

Mr Varadkar said the design of the 384-bed hospital was being finalised and there had been extensive pre-planning negotiations.