Russian embassy in Dublin could be located on Independent Ukraine Road

Residents of Orwell Road in Dublin, where the Russian embassy is located, are set to be consulted on a proposal to change the name to Independent Ukraine Road.

The proposal to change the name of the road has been unanimously passed by a sub-committee of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council.

All 20 councillors at the Dundrum area monthly meeting of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council agreed that the name of the road should be changed.

The motion was proposed by Labour's Cllr Peter O'Brien who said he was inspired by countries including Latvia, Lithuania, Norway and Albania that have changed the names of the street where their Russian embassies are located to associate them with Ukraine.

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It will now be up to Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council to host a plebiscite among local residents to see if they concur with the name change.

Orwell Road stretches from Rathgar, Dublin 6 to Churchtown, Dublin 14. The Russian embassy is located in the Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown area; the other section of the road is in the Dublin City Council local authority area.

The South East Area committee of Dublin City Council will meet on Monday to consider naming their section of the road Independent Ukraine Road too.

Solidarity

Cllr O’Brien said the name change was intended as a “gesture of solidarity” with the Ukrainian people.

“If the war ended in the morning, I’d be delighted to drop the proposal,” he said.

Cllr O’Brien said the impetus to change the names of streets usually came from residents and not councillors.

He said the councillors had considered naming it Ukraine Road, but the country might be known as that even if it was permanently annexed by Russia, so the point was to call it Independent Ukraine Road.

“If the Russians continue their occupation, the name Ukraine Road, it will mean nothing to them, but it might every time they receive correspondence to Independent Ukraine Road.”

The Russian embassy in Rathgar has been subjected to protests since the invasion of Ukraine a fortnight ago. There are barriers outside the embassy after a truck driver reversed into its gates.

A disability group, Access for All, has complained that the barriers infringe on the public footpath and will force wheelchair users to cross a busy road to continue on their journey.

The organisation is awaiting a response from the council about its complaint.