LOCAL COUNCILS AROUND the country have elected their new mayors, a week after all seats were filled following the local elections. 

At this evening’s annual Dublin City Council meeting, Fine Gael councillor James Geoghegan was elected the 356th Lord Mayor of Dublin.

Geoghegan, who was first elected in 2019, is the first Fine Gael councillor to be elected as Lord Mayor in 12 years.

Speaking following his election, he said his mission as Lord Mayor will be “to reclaim the essence of Dublin so that we can show the world the best of ourselves and the best of what we can be”.

Green Party councillor Donna Cooney was also elected Deputy Lord Mayor of the capital city during the meeting.

History was made in Cork City with the appointment of the first ever Green Party member as Lord Mayor.

Councillor Dan Boyle was elected as Lord Mayor, with fellow Green councillor Honore Kamegni being elected Deputy Lord Mayor for a term of one year.

Kamegni is the first black person ever elected to Cork City Council and the first black person to become Deputy Lord Mayor.

👏🏼Huge congratulations to our new Deputy Lord Mayor of Cork, Cllr. Honore Kamegni @CorkGreens who is the first black councillor of Cork City Council.

🙌🏻 A huge thank you to @ColetteFinnCork for serving the people of Cork this past year pic.twitter.com/P8alYi8KD8

— Cork City Council (@corkcitycouncil) June 21, 2024

Boyle said his vision is “for a balanced city that relies less on car dependence, that can offer more for those who can walk, cycle or take public transport”. 

Fianna Fáil councillor Joe Carroll was elected as the new Mayor of Cork County this evening. He was nominated by Councillor Seamus McGrath and seconded by Councillor Alan Coleman.

Carroll was first elected to Cork County Council in June 2004. He has represented the council as a member of the Southern Regional Assembly since its establishment in 2014 and served as Cathaoirleach of the Southern Regional Assembly in 2019.

“I want to ensure that we can provide the services that matter most to the people of this incredible county like our local roads that have been devastated by extreme rainfall as well as supporting the growth of our towns and our villages,” he said upon his election. 

Independent councillor Martin Coughlan was elected as the Deputy Mayor of the County of Cork.

Fingal County Council elected Labour councillor for Howth-Malahide Brian McDonagh as the new Mayor of Final, with Fianna Fáil councillor for Blanchardstown-Mulhuddart JK Onwumereh being elected as Deputy Mayor.

Cllr Brian McDonagh from the Howth-Malahide LEA has been elected as Mayor of Fingal at today's Annual Meeting of Fingal County Council. Cllr JK Onwumereh has been elected as Deputy Mayor. #Fingal #YourCouncil pic.twitter.com/5VvGGYa41m

— Fingal County Council (@Fingalcoco) June 21, 2024

McDonagh said it was an honour to be elected as the first Mayor of the council’s five-year term.

“I am extremely proud to represent a County as culturally diverse as the one we have, particularly as it continues to be one of the fastest growing regions in the country in terms of population and the economy”, he said. 

Fine Gael councillor Baby Pereppadan was elected as the new Mayor of South Dublin County Council.

He was re-elected to represent Tallaght South earlier this month, while his son, councillor Britto Pereppadan, gained a seat in Tallaght Central.

At the first meeting of the newly elected members of South Dublin County Council, Councillor Baby Pereppadan was elected Mayor of South Dublin County and Councillor Alan Hayes was elected Deputy Mayor. pic.twitter.com/lgJh8dpr4W

— South Dublin County Council (@sdublincoco) June 21, 2024

Speaking on his hopes for the coming year, Pereppadan said: “This position is not just a title. It’s a commitment to the residents of South Dublin, to listen, to advocate and to work tirelessly for the betterment of our community.”

Independent councillor for Palmerstown-Fonthill Alan Hayes was also elected as the new Deputy Mayor for South Dublin County Council. 

Fine Gael councillor Jim O’Leary was elected Cathaoirleach of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council at the council’s AGM. 

In a statement, O’Leary said he would “continue to ensure that housing delivery remains a priority and I will be focusing on the Dundrum Local Area Plan objectives and the Ballinteer Community Centre”.

Fine Gael’s Kazi Ahmed was also elected as Leas Chathaoirleach. 

Today Councillor Jim O'Leary was elected Cathaoirleach of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council. Councillor O’Leary was first elected to dlr in 2004. Also elected was Kazi Ahmed as Leas Chathaoirleach. More information at https://t.co/HNtjnnc5Fx pic.twitter.com/5JgUh9n0wK

— Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council (@dlrcc) June 21, 2024

Galway City Council elected Fianna Fáil’s Peter Keane as the Mayor of the city today, with Labour’s Níall McNelis being elected Deputy Mayor of the City of Galway. 

Waterford City and County Council‘s Annual General Meeting (AGM) saw the election of Fianna Fáil councillor Jason Murphy as Mayor and Fianna Fáil’s Adam Wyse elected Deputy Mayor. 

Today also saw the inauguration of Limerick’s first directly-elected mayor. John Moran was elected following a vote by the people of Limerick – the first of its kind in Ireland.

Shortly after being inaugurated, he vowed to work to help make his adoptive Limerick City a safer place, citing a court case which heard a local woman was savagely beaten unconscious in the city by a serving member of the Defence Forces.