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A GROUP OF Dublin City councillors who have brought a legal challenge against the housing minister over the lack of clear rules allowing councils to rename public spaces have been told to ask the State whether it will oppose their High Court case.
The councillors launched the challenge over two instances in which the council was “blocked” from renaming public parks: Diamond Park in Dublin 1 in memory of 20-year-old Terence Wheelock, and Herzog Park in Rathgar, which is named for former Israeli president Chaim Herzog.
Both renaming proposals came before the council in December 2025, and were deferred. At the time, chief executive of the council, Richard Shakespeare, apologised for “administrative oversight” relating to the authority to change a place name.
People Before Profit councillor Conor Reddy and five co-applicant councillors – three Independent and two Sinn Féin – brought the proceedings today.
Reddy said the challenge concerns part 18 of the Local Government Act 2001, which provides a process for councils to rename public places, including public consultation and a local ballot.
Although the relevant provisions were commenced in 2019, he said the regulations needed to hold public ballots have still not been introduced.
The councillors’ legal representative Derek Shortall said the issue is important to “local democracy”, adding that there is an “obligation” on the minister for housing to put regulations into place to allow public ballots to be held.
He told presiding Judge Mary Rose Gearty that the court can require the government to put regulations into place if they impact the public’s constitutional rights, adding that the role of local the government is recognised in the constitution.
Judge Gearty directed the applicants to put the state on notice to ask if they are opposed to an application for judicial review to being taken.
The case is to return before the court on the 7 October.
Terence Wheelock died in hospital after losing consciousness in a garda cell in 2005. His family have long campaigned for Diamond Park to be renamed in his honour, as he spent a great deal of time there growing up.
Speaking outside of Dublin’s Four Courts today, Terence’s older brother Sam Wheelock said that renaming the park would give his 76-year-old mother “some sort of peace”.
“Over the last 21 years, she fought tirelessly and hard to get justice for Terence, and she continues. At the moment, she’s not a well woman, but this fight for justice continues. This, for her, would be in a certain way a small victory,” he told The Journal.
“To have this park renamed would give her, to a certain extent, some sort of peace, some sort of comfort. That’s all we want for her.”
He said Terence grew up playing in the park, and renaming it would be a “lasting tribute to him”.
Terence’s daughter Rebecca, who was only two years old when her father died, told The Journal she was “robbed of a life” with her dad, adding that it would “feel good” for people to see his name on the park.
Speaking to The Journal ahead of the proceedings, Reddy said the case is “about the democratic right of people in this city to name things as they see fit”.
He said the people of Dublin have demonstrated a “clear demand” around their wishes to rename Diamond Park and Herzog Park.
He added that renaming Diamond Park in Terence’s honour will “forever memorialise” him.
The proposed renaming of Herzog Park stemmed from dissatisfaction amongst some councillors that it was named for Chaim Herzog, the father of current Israeli president Isaac Herzog, as Israel carries out its genocide in Gaza.
Chaim Herzog was born in Ireland and spent much of his childhood here. His father was the country’s Chief Rabbi. The park was named in his honour in 1995. Councillors proposed to rename the park and hold a public consultation process on what it should be renamed.
Speaking to The Journal ahead of the proceedings, Reddy said renaming Herzog Park is not about Herzog’s identity.
“It’s about what he did. He played a role in ethnic cleansing of Palestine before the creation of the state of Israel, and then he also was in a commanding position during the 1967 war,” he said.
“I don’t think that stands for what we value as Dubliners. We’re a former colony ourselves. I think we stand against colonisation, whatever happens in the world, because of that shared history. So it’s about getting rid of that name.”
The Rename Herzog Park Campaign, which was launched by Irish Sport for Palestine and 1815 Football Club in 2024, said today that it supports the judicial review proceedings.
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