The actor and filmmaker Patrick Bergin yesterday joined the campaign to save the building at 16 Moore Street in Dublin which served as the final headquarters of the leaders of the 1916 Rising,
Bergin, who has just finished working on the film Johnny Was in Belfast, and who is a Godson of one of James Connolly's grandchildren, appealed to skilled volunteers to fix the roof which is in disrepair.
Prof Dermot Keogh of UCC's history department said so much heritage had been lost and destroyed through "neglect, inadvertence, indecision, inaction, and plain greed".
He said it was important to avoid further unnecessary loss "to our national patrimony".
"When I travel abroad I am always struck by the importance attached to the preservation of national heritage. If we don't preserve this building - or at least have an informed debate about its preservation - we may have reached a point in this country where we have almost lost our sense of shame."
Meanwhile, Minister for the Environment Dick Roche, who is on holiday in Slovenia, has been in liaison with his department on the matter.
A spokesperson said the Minister wanted the building preserved and to see what his role and duty was in relation to this.