We are approaching the centenary of 1916, ironically afflicted once again by a major housing crisis – and while still in the shadow of the catastrophic collapse of a credit-fueled property bubble. While things are not nearly as bad as the horrific conditions that so appalled Connolly and Larkin, they are nonetheless totally unacceptable in any civilized society. Indeed, all the ingredients which existed in the Dublin of 1913 to 1916 are present again, from homelessness through overcrowding to speculative rack-renting landlords. It is a poor reflection on our progress as a society which evolved since the attainment of independence in the twenty-six counties. Indeed, when viewed against the Proclamation, which envisaged a Republic which would guarantee” equal rights and equal opportunities to all its citizens and declares its resolve to pursue the happiness and prosperity of the whole nation and all of its parts cherishing all the children of the nation equally…”, it simply doesn’t measure up.