A contentious proposal to rename Herzog Park in Dublin has been abruptly withdrawn from the city council’s agenda following the discovery of significant procedural errors. The park, named in 1995 after Belfast-born former Israeli President Chaim Herzog, was targeted for renaming by councillors until Chief Executive Richard Shakespeare identified critical flaws in the legal process.
The motion, scheduled for a Monday vote, faced intense criticism from both national and international observers. Irish Taoiseach Micheál Martin condemned the proposal as “overtly divisive and wrong,” while Tánaiste Simon Harris denounced it as contrary to Ireland’s inclusive values. The office of current Israeli President Isaac Herzog, son of Chaim Herzog, expressed concerns that the renaming would appear “shameful and disgraceful.”
At the council meeting, Lord Mayor Ray McAdam revealed that a commissioned report on the naming process was legally unsound, providing no basis for the proposal. Shakespeare publicly apologized for administrative oversights, admitting he had “failed miserably” in ensuring proper procedure. The error was discovered after a housing official questioned the proposal’s legality on Saturday night.
Councillors voted 35-25 (with one abstention) to move the proposal to a committee meeting later this month. The debate revealed deep divisions, with some councillors arguing the Jewish community had been hurt by the “fiasco,” while others maintained the Herzog name should be replaced with another Jewish figure.
The controversy highlights ongoing tensions regarding commemorative practices. In 2014, a blue plaque marking Herzog’s Belfast birthplace was removed after vandalism and security concerns. The current situation demonstrates the complex intersection of local governance, international relations, and historical recognition in contemporary Ireland.