A Bill to rename Dublin Airport after former taoiseach Seán Lemass has been brought forward in the Dáil.
The proposed legislation was introduced on Tuesday by Fianna Fáil TD Malcolm Byrne, who said the airport “owes much to his policies and foresight”.
The Seán Lemass Dublin International Airport Bill 2025 will now go to the second stage for debate.
Mr Lemass was the minister for industry and commerce when the airport opened in 1940. He served as taoiseach and leader of Fianna Fáil from 1959 to 1966.
Mr Byrne said the Bill provides for the formal renaming and that the measure was not simply a question of changing a sign.
“It is about recognising a leader whose vision transformed Ireland and whose policies opened the gateway through which millions now pass,” he said.
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“Seán Lemass was the architect of modern Ireland, having fought in the Easter Rising and helping in the building of our fledgling State … he understood that isolation was not an option for a small nation.”
The Wicklow-Wexford TD said during Mr Lemass’s career, he championed the development of Aer Lingus, expansion of air services and construction of international airports.
Mr Byrne also said he was conscious there are “bigger issues” that needed to be addressed by airport operator the DAA.
“These will include the lifting of the cap at the airport, expansion in the number of flights and indeed working toward making the airport more environmentally sustainable. But this [Bill], I believe, is a small and positive step,” he said.
Mr Byrne noted that Dublin Airport, on its social media accounts, had recently joked about naming itself after Republic of Ireland soccer player Troy Parrott.
“An interesting proposition, but I might suggest that given his [Parrott’s] inspirational performance, that we might consider naming the MetroLink out to the airport after him, given that they both have been involved in long campaigns, and just as hope was fading, we had delivery right at the end, or so we hope,” he said.
The Fianna Fáil TD also said that it was common for big airports worldwide “to bear the names of leaders who shape their nations”, such as John F Kennedy in New York, Charles de Gaulle in Paris and Indira Gandhi in New Delhi.
