Moves to de-name Herzog Park
Sir, - I am appalled by the proposal of a number of Dublin City Councillors to de-name Herzog Park in Rathgar. It is deeply troubling that it has emanated and is supported by some councillors who designate themselves as ‘Left’.
It is not only anti-Wolfe Tone Republicanism, it is anti-Socialist, and it is anti-historical. To not put a tooth in it, it is a proposition based on ignorance and a collapse of intellectual rigour among some on the left.
Hopefully there will be a majority of councillors at tonight’s Dublin City Council meeting with the common- sense to reject this abhorrent proposal.
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Dublin City Council has at least 120 public parks and Gardens in its care. The Peace Garden at Christ Church Place would be an ideal location for a plaque to the memory of the many thousands of innocent men women and children that have been killed and continue to be killed by the current Israeli government’s genocidal actions against the Palestinian people. - Yours, etc,
PROINSIAS De ROSSA
Dublin 11
Former TD/MEP
Former President of DPAL [European Parliament Delegation for Relations with Palestine]
Sir - In the early 1980s my father, Brian Farrell, interviewed Chaim Herzog for RTE. Then the Irish people were proud that ‘one of their own’ had become president of Israel. Today Chaim Herzog stands accused of ‘being part of the foundation of a state that was built on ethnic cleansing’. Herzog fought with the British army in World War II, he was one of the soldiers that released people like my husband’s mother from Nazi death camps.
Sara, my mother-in-law, survived the Sosnowiec Ghetto in Poland, Mengele’s selection in Auschwitz and a work camp called Oberalstadt. She weighed 30 kg when she was released from her slavery and then she spent four years in Bergin Belsin, the largest Displaced Person’s camp in Europe because no country wanted any more Jewish refugees.
In 1948, after Israel was declared a state by the United Nations, Sara arrived with one suitcase, all that was left of her life in Poland.
Dublin city councilors’ time and taxpayers’ money would be better spent on solving the housing and healthcare crisis in their fair city, rather than changing the name of a park in Rathgar. - Yours, etc,
MIRIAM FARRELL SHTAIERMAN
Pardesia,
Israel.
Sir - The proposed renaming of the Herzog Park in Dublin is – in my view – a backward and negative step. I am hoping it is not driven by any form of anti-semitism. But how on earth can it help the Palestinian cause? In 1972 I once wandered into a restful and well-tended forest park near the biblical village of Cana.
Astonishingly, it’s plaque declared it to be “The Eamon de Valera” park, erected by the Irish Jewish community in grateful thanks. There must have been a history behind it. Regretfully I never researched it further. I hope it still stands. - Yours, etc,
JULITTA CLANCY
Batterstown,
Co Meath
Sir, - My late mother and her siblings often spoke of two interesting aspects of their own father’s life.
Firstly that the then newly elected Taoiseach John A Costello, in one of his first public appearances, attended the funeral of their father, James O’Donnell, G. Coy.,3rd Battalion, IRA and a member of Fine Gael.
Secondly, that when they were growing up in Bloomfield Avenue their next door neighbour was one Yitzhak Herzog, Chief Rabbi, and father of Chaim Herzog. The rabbi became a firm friend of my grandfather, often chatting “as Gaeilge” over the garden wall. Herzog had always been a firm supporter of the struggle for Irish independence so they had lots to talk about!
I, for one, am proud of my grandfather’s association with Rabbi Herzog and say shame on those who wish to remove his famlly name from public life. - Yours, etc,
JIMMY DOYLE
Stepaside
Co Dublin
Proposal to limit refugee residence
Sir, – At a time when Ireland desperately needs workers, skills and fresh energy, the Government’s latest proposals to strip temporary protection years from reckonable residence show a lily livered retreat in the face of a small but noisy cohort of right-wing extremists.
Instead of standing firm against misinformation, Ministers appear intent on pandering to it – a choice that will only embolden those who thrive on fear, division and, as we recently saw, street disorder.
This policy shift is not only morally timid; it is economically self-destructive.
Across the country, Ukrainians have quietly and successfully integrated into our schools, communities and workplaces.
In my own village of Puckane, Nenagh, several families have settled into formerly under-used holiday accommodation.
They are highly educated, hardworking and already contributing far more than the false stories being whipped up online.
Meanwhile, the Government is well aware of the shortages crippling our economy. Have any of them tried getting a tradesman to take on a small job recently?
Ireland is short of construction workers, carers, engineers, IT staff, and basic services right across the board. To deter exactly the kind of skilled, motivated people we need – simply to appease those who will never be appeased – is shortsighted in the extreme.
If this Government continues to legislate out of fear rather than leadership, the extremists will not be weakened. They will be encouraged.
And Ireland will be the poorer for it – socially, economically and morally. – Yours, etc.
ANDREW WARREN,
Nenagh,
Co Tipperary.
Flying the Tricolour
Sir, – Dublin City Council’s decision not to remove the illegally erected Tricolours placed by far-right activists is deeply concerning.
By citing logistical difficulty and the risk of confrontation, the council has effectively allowed intimidation to dictate what happens in our public spaces (“Dublin City Council will not remove Tricolours erected by anti-immigration groups,” November 28th).
The result is that a small extremist group has been able to claim territory unopposed, using our national flag as a tool of division.
Leaving these flags in place sends exactly the message their installers intended, that they and not the city hold the ground.
If the council cannot enforce basic rules on public property, we risk normalising this behaviour and emboldening those who seek to spread fear and exclusion. – Yours, etc,
PATRICK
CUSACK,
North Strand,
Dublin 3.
Sir, – This is an appalling decision. In the words of the psychologist BF Skinner “Bad behaviour if rewarded will be repeated”.
How can Dublin City Council (DCC) abdicate its responsibilities to the whole community by not confronting criminality from a small section of the community?
It is so wrong to abandon decent law-abiding citizens in these communities by not confronting far right bullying by a tiny minority.
One can only assume that DCC doesn’t care about these citizens.
Where is the leadership, creativity, responsibility and backbone?
MICHAEL WHELAN,
Rathfarnham,
Dublin.
Sir,– Whatever the motivations behind the appearance of Tricolours on public infrastructure in Dublin, a decision by Dublin City Council to remove them would also risk reinforcing a sense among some local communities that they are marginalised by both local and national government.
There is justification in relation to the distribution of opportunity, services, and support in such communities already, long before immigration became an issue.
I do not see an outbreak of Tricolour flying in Blackrock or Dalkey.
Rather than attempting to “educate” the public on the meaning of the national flag (a meaning far from unanimously agreed on this island to this day), the council might have taken a more imaginative and illustrative approach: sending a Tricolour to every household within its jurisdiction and inviting residents to use it as they saw fit.
It would have been instructive to see how many people chose to fly it, and where, as a means of countering any negative or weaponised use of the flag. – Yours, etc,
ULTAN Ó BROIN,
Blackrock,
Co Dublin.
Ignoring the sales pitch
Sir, – Justine McCarthy gets it spot on in her Opinion piece, “Happy Black Friday – also known as Insatiable Consumption Day,” November 28th.
A marketing wheeze to build consumers up into a frenzy of online shopping. Buying things that they don’t really need and, supposedly, at a bargain price.
Sadly, it isn’t just limited to this time of year. On a number of occasions this year, I have been encouraged to have The Irish Times and milk delivered to my door daily. I declined the offer.
Like Justine, towards the end of her article, I like to get out of the house each day, for a little fresh air while I walk to my local shop to buy my Irish Times and sometimes a loaf, a litre of milk and, maybe, something to make a sandwich for lunch.
There’s the added bonus of meeting a few of my neighbours and having a chat.
Maybe not a lot in the grand scheme of things but perhaps, in a small way, helping the local shop to continue providing an important community service. – Yours, etc,
DONAL HUTTON,
Carrigaline,
Co Cork.
Losing your moral compass?
Sir. – Has the Irish Times lost its moral compass ?
How can it headline its property section with “Our top 12 favourite homes of 2025” in which the asking prices lead with €10 million, €6 million, €2.95 million?
This in a country where thousands are struggling to buy a house or pay the rent for their accommodation. For them a favourite home is one that is safe, comfortable and affordable.
Perhaps The Irish Times might list these. – Yours, etc,
KEN MAWHINNEY,
Dublin 16.
MetroLink objections
Sir, – When Brussels built its metro, one part of the city in the south cried foul. The residents of Uccle demanded that the metro not come anywhere near them.
Now nearly50 years after the opening of the first metro, Uccle residents and politicians complain about being underserved as their part of the city is difficult to access.
And during Covid they found they couldn’t drive to into the city because of road closures.
Dublin’s MetroLink was originally planned to follow the Luas Green line and terminate at Sandyford. This plan was blocked by residents along this route. This is an action they may come to regret. – Yours, etc,
DAVID GARRAHY,
Belgium.
Sir, – In relation to Richard Horgan (Letters, November 27th) and the subject of savings to be made to the MetroLink project, could I suggest that we could make further significant savings of up to €23 billion by terminating the project altogether and enhance our existing Luas, Dart and bus services nationwide?
This will, of course, involve introducing redundancy into the system and, while this may not make a great business case, it will ensure a reliable and timely service which the public can depend on.
Doing this will also reach a much higher percentage of our population instead of servicing the privileged few who live close to the planned MetroLink route. – Yours, etc,
UNA KEALY,
Co Waterford.
Warming words
Sir, – What a warm and comforting piece Colm Keena wrote in praise of November (An Irishman’s Diary, November 25th). My two sisters and I shared November birthdays.
They’re both gone now, one very recently. Instead of feeling the chill of November and those events, Colm’s piece lifted my spirits and helped me see the beauty of this time of year and turn hopefully towards the future. – Yours, etc,
MARY GIBBONS O’REILLY,
Beaumont.
Cork.
An act of kindness
Sir, – I went for a walk in Letterkenny last week after my grocery shopping in the supermarket. When I set off it was lovely, then suddenly the heavens opened.
I took shelter in an open fire door of one of the local gyms. After a while a young man passed me on his way into the gym to start his work shift. “Sorry,” I said, “I’m just sheltering from the rain.”
“No problem at all,” he replied.
He came back offering me a cup of tea. The rain had stopped so I thanked him and continued my walk.
A very happy Christmas young man, you made my day. – Yours, etc,
BRIAN McDEVITT,
Glenties,
Co Donegal.
Renaming Dublin Airport
Sir, – While the names of politicians such as Seán Lemass and Mary Robinson have been mentioned with regards to re-naming Dublin Airport, what we need is a name with global recognition.
We all know who JFK International is named after, but few people outside New York have the first clue as to who La Guardia was. Mary Robinson, in any case, is from Mayo so Knock airport might be the better option for there.
We should take our cue from Liverpool, who named their airport after their most famous son, John Lennon. “Bono International” has a certain ring to it.
I’ll, em, get my coat. – Yours, etc,
DAVE SLATER,
Kilkea,
Co Kildare.
Sir, – What’s suddenly wrong with calling Dublin Airport Dublin Airport? – Yours, etc,
PATRICK HOWLIN,
Milltown,
Dublin 14.
