By Jonathan McCambridge, PA A report on a proposal to rename Herzog Park in Dublin is set to be withdrawn from the agenda of a council meeting on Monday.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. He stated that legislation pertaining to the renaming of place names had not been “fully commenced”. The council proposal had been criticised by Taoiseach Micheál Martin and Tánaiste Simon Harris. The Office of the President of Israel had also expressed concern over the proposed renaming of the park in south Dublin.

Controversy

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. In a statement, council chief executive Mr Shakespeare said that the report “is missing information for a valid resolution to be adopted”. “On behalf of the Executive of the City Council, I wish to apologise for this administrative oversight.

Government Comment

“A detailed review of the administrative mis-steps will now be undertaken and a report furnished to the Lord Mayor and councillors.”

The proposal to rename Herzog Park should be withdrawn in its entirety and not proceeded with. pic.twitter.com/2DmscslEOn

— Micheál Martin (@MichealMartinTD) November 30, 2025

Mr Martin had earlier said the proposal was “divisive and wrong” and called for it to be withdrawn.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

Statement in response to Dublin City Council on the proposed removal of the name of Israel’s Sixth President Chaim Herzog from a park, and renaming it “Free Palestine”: We are following with concern the reports from Ireland regarding the intention to harm the legacy of the sixth…

— Office of the President of Israel (@IsraelPresident) November 29, 2025

Israel

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”. For the latest Waterford News and Sport,tune into WLR News on the hour and download the WLR App for news on demand