Councillors welcome council decision to name park in Sandyford ‘Overend Park’ in honour of the Overend sisters

Cllr. Emma Blain (Fine Gael, Glencullen-Sandyford) and Cllr. John Kennedy (Fine Gael, Stillorgan) say they welcome the decision of local councillors, at a meeting in Dundrum held yesterday, to formally name a park on Leopardstown Link Road ‘Overend Park’ in honour of the Overend sisters, Letitia and Naomi, to recognize their many charitable acts including the donation of a site by the Overend family which is now used for the LauraLynn Hospice (formerly the land used for the Children’s Sunshine Home) in the immediate vicinity of the park.

The name ‘Overend Park’ was proposed jointly by Cllr. Blain and Cllr. Kennedy.

Cllr. Blain said: “The Overend sisters made an extraordinary contribution to society and have enriched the lives of generations of families in South County Dublin. The gratitude of our community for their charitable acts was made clear to me during the engagement process for the naming of the park, and was evident in the overwhelming support that the name received in the public vote. I think it’s fitting that we have ratified this vote on the week of International Women’s Day, and recognised two incomparable Dublin women.”

Cllr. Kennedy indicated: “It would be very good to see the council following the decision to organise a renaming ceremony at the park to be overseen by An Cathaoirleach of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown which in addition to celebrating the charitable contributions of the Overend sisters could involve recognition of the ongoing works of LauraLynn Hospice and Airfield Trust with their representatives to be invited in addition to those from Taney Parish which particularly celebrates the legacy of the sisters.”

The decision of the councillors to formally rename the park follows the completion of an online public consultation where an overwhelming 60% of votes (827 votes) were cast indicating a preference in favour of ‘Overend Park’, with alternatives being ‘Tipperstown Park’ (212 votes), ‘Blackberry Park’ (194 votes) and ‘Páirc an Locháin Lile’ (136 votes).