Controversial Dublin City Council vote on renaming of Herzog Park to be withdrawn

LAST UPDATE | 36 mins ago

THE PROPOSAL TO rename Herzog Park in Rathgar is set to be withdrawn from Dublin City Council after criticism from Government and Israeli and US politicians.

The Chief Executive of the Council Richard Shakespeare said in a statement this evening that he was proposing to withdraw the report and apologised for “administrative oversight”.

Shakespeare said that while the authority to change a place name is contained within the Local Government Act 2001, “the regulations required to govern the process for a secret ballot are not yet in place”.

He said the report does not take account of the correct statutory procedure and is missing information for a valid resolution to be adopted.

“Therefore, in the circumstances I am proposing to withdraw the report from the Agenda with a recommendation that the matter be referred back to the Commemorations and Naming Committee for consideration of the statutory procedure.

“On behalf of the Executive of the City Council, I wish to apologise for this administrative oversight. A detailed review of the administrative mis-steps will now be undertaken and a report furnished to the Lord Mayor and Councillors.”

Dublin’s Lord Mayor Ray McAdam said there was insufficient information contained in the report to allow councillors to make an “informed decision”.

The park had been renamed Herzog Park in 1995, in honour of Chaim Herzog, the then President of Israel who spent many years of his childhood in Dublin and whose father was a Chief Rabbi of Ireland.

A meeting of Dublin City Council tomorrow was scheduled to debate a proposal to remove the park’s existing name and to hold a consultation process on choosing a new one.

It followed an agreement by members of the council’s Commemorations and Naming Committee last July, with one objection, that the name “Herzog” should be removed from the park.

Micheál Martin said in a statement today that scrapping the name would erase the Jewish community’s “distinctive and rich contribution to Irish life”, which he noted included participation in the War of Independence.

The proposal is a denial of history and will without any doubt be seen as antisemitic.

The Taoiseach described the motion as “overtly divisive and wrong”.

“Our Irish Jewish community’s contribution to our country’s evolution in its many forms should always be cherished and generously acknowledged,” he said.

The Office of the President of Israel Isaac Herzog, who is Chaim’s son, said the renaming would be a “shameful and disgraceful move”.

In a statement on X, it said naming the park after Chaim Herzog three decades ago “expressed appreciation for his legacy and the deep friendship between the Irish and Jewish peoples”.

It said the relationship had “deteriorated in recent years”.

“We still hope for the recovery of these important ties.

Advertisement

“We hope that the legacy of a figure at the forefront of establishing the relations between Israel and Ireland, and the fight against antisemitism and tyranny, will still get the respect it deserves today.”

Tánaiste Simon Harris also said he was “completely opposed” to the proposal.

“It is wrong. We are an inclusive Republic. This proposal is offensive to that principle,” he wrote on X.

“I urge all party leaders to join me in opposition to this.”

Ireland’s Foreign Affairs Minister Helen McEntee said Chaim Herzog is an important figure for many people, “particularly for members of Ireland’s Jewish community”.

She said: “The Government has been openly critical of the policies and actions of the government of Israel in Gaza and the West Bank, and rightly so.

“Renaming a Dublin park in this way – to remove the name of an Irish Jewish man – has nothing to do with this and has no place in our inclusive republic.

“In my view this name change should not proceed and I urge Dublin City councillors to vote against it.”

Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan said it would be “unfair” to change the park’s name because of Israel’s actions in Gaza.

“He opened the Irish Jewish museum in Portobello in 1985. The Rathgar park was named after him 30 years ago to acknowledge his connection with Ireland and the important role played by Jewish people in Dublin’s history,” O’Callaghan said.

“Renaming the park because of the slaughter in Gaza is unfair to him and unfairly suggests Irish Jews are responsible for the appalling actions of the current Israeli Government.”

Support for the change

Meanwhile, Sinn Féin’s deputy leader Pearse Doherty confirmed on RTÉ’s This Week in Politics that the party’s councillors intended to vote for the park to be renamed during tomorrow’s council meeting.

Social Democrats’ TD Sinead Gibney also said it was her understanding that Social Democrats councillors would be voting for the renaming.

The Independent Group on Dublin City Council, which is made up of four councillors,  said it was going to support the proposal to de-name Herzog Park.

Councillor Ciaran Perry is the group’s leader, as well as a member of the Commemorations and Naming Committee.

He said a renaming would “in a small but meaningful way, highlight the Irish people’s revulsion, disgust and horror at the indiscriminate murder of over 70,000 children, women and men in Gaza”.

The Fine Gael group on the council said in a statement it would be opposing the motion before it was this evening announced the motion is set to be pulled.

Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone...
A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation.
Learn More Support The Journal