Report on renaming Herzog Park to be withdrawn from council meeting

A report on a proposal to rename Herzog Park in Dublin is set to be withdrawn from the agenda of a council meeting on Monday.

Lord Mayor Ray McAdam said the chief executive of Dublin City Council Richard Shakespeare had indicated to him he intends to withdraw the report, stating that legislation pertaining to renaming of place names had not been “fully commenced”.

The council proposal had been criticised by Taoiseach Micheal Martin and Tanaiste Simon Harris.

The Office of the President of Israel had also expressed concern over the proposed renaming of the park in south Dublin.

It is named after Chaim Herzog, who was was born in Belfast and raised in Dublin.

He was the sixth president of Israel between 1983 and 1993.

Dublin city councillors had been expected to vote on a motion to rename the park at their meeting on Monday.

But Mr McAdam told RTE that the council chief executive has now indicated that the report on renaming Herzog Park and another park would now be withdrawn.

He said: “The reality is that the legislation pertaining to the renaming of place names has not been fully commenced.

“There is not sufficient information contained in both reports for elected members to make a considered decision.

“He intends to withdraw both reports tomorrow.”

In a statement, council chief executive Mr Shakespeare said that the report “is missing information for a valid resolution to be adopted”.

He said: “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.”

Mr Martin had earlier said the proposal was “divisive and wrong” and called for it to be withdrawn.

He said: “The proposal would erase the distinctive and rich contribution to Irish life of the Jewish community over many decades, including actual participation in the Irish War of Independence and the emerging state.

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

In a statement on X, the office of current Israeli President Isaac Herzog, the son of Chaim Herzog, said if the council went ahead with the proposal, it would be a “shameful and disgraceful move”.

But People Before Profit councillor Conor Reddy, who supports the proposal, said “attempts to conflate anti-Zionism with anti-Jewish hatred serve nobody except the Israeli state and those who want to shut down discussion of its crimes”.