The family of the late Terence Wheelock has expressed deep disappointment at the withdrawal of the proposal to rename Diamond Park in the North Inner City as The Terence Wheelock Memorial Diamond Park, after the item was removed from tonight’s Dublin City Council agenda without proper explanation.
The proposal, which has the backing of thousands of residents in the North Inner City and widespread support across Ireland, was due to be debated by councillors this evening. It has instead been taken off the agenda in the same manner as the proposal relating to Herzog Park, raising serious concerns about political pressure being exerted on a democratic process. The proposal to rename the park originated in a petition driven by the Justice for Terence Wheelock Campaign and went through all of the appropriate channels in DCC - including proposals to Commemorations and Naming Committee and a motion to the Central Area Committee to ensure local support. It was unanimously supported in both fora and no procedural or legal issues were ever brought to the attention of the councillors involved or the Justice Campaign.
Terence Wheelock, a young man from the North Inner City, died in 2005 after being taken into Garda custody. His death, and the unanswered questions surrounding it, remain a defining wound for the community. Terence is openly and proudly remembered by his neighbours, his friends and the people who saw in his case the deep injustices faced by working class communities when it comes to policing and the state.
The renaming of Diamond Park is not just an act of memorialisation; it is part of the ongoing campaign for truth. Across the world there are precedents for this kind of community effort to secure justice. In the UK, a community centre was named after Stephen Lawrence, a young Black man whose murder and the botched investigation that followed exposed deep institutional failures. The permanent memorial to Stephen helped keep his name alive, helped sustain public pressure and played its own part in securing an eventual independent public inquiry.
The Wheelock family believe the same principle applies here. The renaming of Diamond Park would be a recognition of Terence’s life, but also a commitment to transparency, justice and the need for an independent public inquiry, something the family have sought for almost two decades. The park would also serve to memorialise other victims of state injustice. There are still serious questions that remain unanswered in Terence's case, and evidence that was never properly considered by the coroner’s inquiry or the initial Garda investigation.
Speaking on Monday morning, Sammy Wheelock, brother of Terence Wheelock and organiser of the petition said:
“Terence’s case is local matter supported by many people in the community of inner city and the surrounding communities by many who greatly supported this call by offering their signatures without hesitation in support of this online and door-to-door all across Dublin and Ireland for that matter. My family and I are extremely disappointed with what has happened here! Extremely disappointed… but we will continue to push for the change in the legislation to make sure that this renaming of the park from “The Diamond Park” to “The Terence Wheelock Memorial Diamond Park” is put into action."
The Wheelock family wish to thank the councillors across parties, community organisations, youth workers, trade unionists and residents who have supported the campaign so far. That support has given strength to a family who have spent years seeking answers that have yet to be provided.
The family will work with supportive councillors to ensure that the proposal is brought back onto the Council agenda as soon as possible, and will continue the wider campaign for an independent public inquiry into the circumstances surrounding Terence’s death.
Cllr Conor Reddy, who has been heavily involved in the campaign for close to five years said: “ Terence’s death left deep scars that have never fully healed, and the effort to rename Diamond Park in his memory has been built from the ground up by ordinary people who want justice, dignity and truth. To pull this from the agenda at the last minute is an act of political cowardice and an avoidance of responsibility. We will not accept it.”
Meanwhile, PBP Dublin Central Area rep Eoghan Ó Ceannabháin who knocked on thousands of doors with the Wheelocks and wrote a song for the campaign said “The depth of support for this campaign speaks for itself. Terence’s name, his story and the injustice at the heart of it all are carried by the community every single day. Taking this off the agenda will not change that. People want truth, dignity and accountability, and we’ll keep pushing with the Wheelock family until Terence is properly honoured and until a full independent inquiry is finally delivered."