Herzog Park controversy reignites calls for Dublin streets to be renamed
Recent debates around Dublin placenames have brought up pressing questions about the need to rename several controversial streets in the capital.
That’s according to Sinn Fein Councillor Daithi Doolan who said the recent Herzog Park controversy has reignited debates around who should and should not be honoured with commemorative placenames. With reference to Ireland’s colonial history, Cllr Doolan believes there are several street names that should be changed to better reflect Ireland’s standing as a self-governing independent nation.
One street Cllr Doolan pointed out was Beresford Place near Liberty Hall, which he said has a proud history of resistance having housed the Irish Citizen Army and playing a crucial role in the 1916 Easter Rising. However, the area is named after William Beresford, 1st Viscount Beresford, who was part of the British occupying forces in Ireland.
Cllr Doolan believes it would be far more appropriate to name the street after Irish republican James Connolly of whom there is actually a statue of in Beresford Place. “I think it’s time to revisit reclaiming our streets and renaming our streets and giving them names that are actually paying tributes to Irish leaders, Irish rebels, people that have become icons of our history both at home and abroad,” he said.
Despite James Connolly notably being honoured as the namesake of Ireland’s busiest railway station, Dublin Connolly, Cllr Doolan said there aren’t actually any streets named after the revolutionary in the capital.
However, despite such long-standing placenames, Cllr Doolan said now is an appropriate time to consider renaming several areas, such as Marlborough Street and Victoria Quay. “We're not trying to trying to deny that we were colonialised by Britain, but I think now is the time to start taking back some of those places,” Cllr Doolan explained, stating there are so many areas with shocking colonial histories behind their names.
One Irish figure who Cllr Doolan particularly highlighted as deserving of a street name is Constance Markievicz, the revolutionary nationalist who became the first woman elected to the Parliament of the United Kingdom. “We have a block of flats named after her and that's great. But it would be lovely to have a street in the South East area named after Constance Markievicz,” he said.
“Women have often been written out of history, there's very few monuments and streets named after women leaders in Irish history. Constance Markievicz was a great progressive woman, the first woman minister anywhere in Europe, and we should not only recognise her but celebrate her and get people talking about that part of her legacy, rather than having it buried in the annals of history.”
Cllr Doolan said a reignited discussion around renaming Dublin streets would not only address controversial placenames, but could act as an important history lesson for everybody. He cited a motion he put forward for a monument to the Irish nurse Elizabeth O'Farrell near Pearse Street several years ago as a prime example of this.
As a nurse best known for handing over the surrender in the Easter Rising of 1916, Cllr Doolan said O'Farrell had been “airbrushed out of history” and honouring her with a monument opened up discussion of her legacy. “It created a debate and is now the focal point for a 1916 commemoration every year and that's what our history can lead to but also encourages broader debate of where we've come from and where we hope to go on the shoulders of these great leaders,” he said.
Cllr Doolan said that other countries have been far more active removing the colonial names from contemporary areas. “Section 31 of the Broadcasting Act stopped any sort of discussion or debate about our history, our own nationality, our own nationalism,” he said.
“It just killed it off. And that's unfortunate. But, now we’re at a time when we can more confidently address some of those issues.”
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