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Lord Mayor of Dublin

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"Mayor of Dublin" redirects here. For another use, see Proposed directly elected mayor for the Dublin metropolitan area.

Lord Mayor of Dublin
The Coat of Arms of the office of Lord Mayor of Dublin
Incumbent
Emma Blain
since 18 December 2024
ResidenceMansion House
AppointerDublin City Council
Term length1 year
Inaugural holder
  • Richard Muton (Mayor)
  • Sir Daniel Bellingham (Lord Mayor)
Formation
  • 1229 (as Mayor of Dublin)
  • 1665 (as Lord Mayor of Dublin)
WebsiteLord Mayor of Dublin

The Lord Mayor of Dublin (Irish: Ardmhéara Bhaile Átha Cliath)[a] is the honorary title of the chairperson (Irish: Cathaoirleach [ˈkahiːɾˠl̠ʲəx]) of Dublin City Council which is the local government body for the city of Dublin, the capital of Ireland. The incumbent, since December 2024, is Fine Gael councillor Emma Blain who was elected to the position following James Geoghegan's election to Dáil Éireann at the 2024 Irish general election.[1] The office holder is elected annually by the members of the council.

Background

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The Mansion House with the Lord Mayor's official car, a Volvo S90 T8 hybrid. Note the 191-D-1 licence plate, indicating that it was the first car registered in County Dublin in 2019.
Main article: History of Dublin

The office of Mayor of Dublin was created in June 1229 by Henry III. The office of Mayor was elevated to Lord Mayor in 1665 by Charles II, and as part of this process received the honorific the Right Honourable (the Rt Hon.). Lord mayors were ex-officio members of the Privy Council of Ireland, which also entitled them to be addressed as the Right Honourable. Though the Privy Council was de facto abolished in 1922, the Lord Mayor continued to be entitled to be addressed as The Right Honourable as a result of the Municipal Corporations (Ireland) Act 1840, which granted the title in law. The Local Government Act 2001 finally removed the title as a consequence of the repeal of the 1840 act.

Functions

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The office is largely symbolic and its responsibilities consist of chairing meetings of the city council and representing the city at public events. Apart from a few reserved functions, which are exercised by the city council as a whole, executive power is exercised by the chief executive, a council official appointed by the Public Appointments Service (formerly by the Local Appointments Commission). Except on a handful of occasions where the city government has been suspended for not striking a rate (a level of local tax), Dublin has had a mayor for nearly eight hundred years.

The Lord Mayor resides in the eighteenth-century Mansion House on Dawson Street.

A privilege enjoyed by the Lord Mayor is to receive the first car registration number in Dublin for each new year.[2] Since 2018, each new Lord Mayor is presented with an official bicycle by the Dublin Cycling Campaign. Nial Ring was the first recipient.[3]

City regalia

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Chain of office

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Hazel Chu wearing the Lord Mayor's chain of office in 2021.

The chain is the outward sign of the office of the Lord Mayor and is worn within the city when performing official civic functions, important ceremonial occasions and also as appropriate at other times, such as opening conferences, new businesses, etc. It is also worn, at the Lord Mayor's discretion, when paying visits to such places as schools, churches and the emergency services.

The Lord Mayor of Dublin's gold chain of office was presented by King William III to the City of Dublin in 1698. The chain is composed of decorative links including the Tudor rose, a harp, a trefoil-shaped knot and the letter S (thought to stand for Seneschal or Steward). A circular gold medal with the bust of William III hangs from the chain.[4] The previous chain was not returned by Michael Creagh, the Protestant Jacobite Lord Mayor in 1688–1689.

Dublin city seal

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The city seal dates from 1229/1230 when it was used by the Dublin City Assembly to issue a deed to the Town Clerk. One side shows three watchtowers above one of the city gates being defended by archers, while the reverse side shows a merchant ship at sea.[4]

Great Dublin civic sword

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The civic sword dates from the 1390s and was made for Henry IV of England in 1399. He gave it to the City of Dublin in 1409/1410.[4]

Great mace of Dublin

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The Great mace dates from 1717/1718 and incorporates parts of an earlier mace made in 1665 for the first Lord Mayor of Dublin, Sir Daniel Bellingham.[4]

The city sword and Great mace are still used at major civic events such as the Honorary Freedom of the City conferring. All of the above are on display in City Hall, Dublin.

Lord Mayor's coach

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The Lord Mayor's coach at the 2007 Saint Patrick's Day parade in Dublin.

The Lord Mayor's coach was built in 1789 by William Whitton, of Dominick Street, and made its first appearance on the streets of Dublin on 4 November 1791 in an annual event to mark the birthday of William III.[5] The elaborately decorated coach far exceeded its original budget and was completed for a total cost of £2,690 13s 5d. The coach was used for ceremonial occasions up until 1932 when, due to its poor condition, it was placed in storage. Following expert restoration, the coach returned to public life in 1976 and is a feature of Dublin's annual Saint Patrick's Day parade.

Notable mayors

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See also: List of mayors of Dublin

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ Per section 32 of the Local Government Act, 2001: "(3) Where titles are continued in accordance with subsection (1), the holders of the offices concerned shall, as appropriate, be styled— (b) in the case of Dublin City Council, in the Irish language Ard-Mhéara Chathair Bhaile Átha Cliath and Leas Ard-Mhéara Chathair Bhaile Átha Cliath, and in the English language Lord Mayor of the City of Dublin and Deputy Lord Mayor of the City of Dublin."

References

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  1. ^ "Fine Gael's Emma Blain set to be appointed Lord Mayor of Dublin". 18 December 2024. Retrieved 19 December 2024.
  2. ^ "How to Reserve a Registration Number". Revenue Commissioners. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 22 July 2015.
  3. ^ "Official Bicycle for the Lord Mayor". Dublin Cycling Campaign. 28 August 2018. Archived from the original on 9 June 2020. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
  4. ^ a b c d "City Regalia". Dublin City Council. 7 March 2018. Archived from the original on 1 June 2021. Retrieved 30 June 2021.
  5. ^ "The Lord Mayor's Coach". Dublin City Council. 7 March 2018. Archived from the original on 9 July 2021. Retrieved 30 June 2021.
  6. ^ Sweetman, Henry Savage (1875). "Gilbert de Livet, Calendar of Documents Relating to Ireland, Great Britain Public Record Office, H.S. Sweetman, 1875". Archived from the original on 14 September 2016. Retrieved 15 October 2016.
  7. ^ Butler, Richard (1845). "Registrum prioratus omnium sanctorum juxta Dublin, All Hallows' Priory, Richard Butler, 1845". Archived from the original on 12 September 2016. Retrieved 15 October 2016.
  8. ^ Michel, Francisque (1867). "King Henry III to Gilbert Livet, Dublin, Histoire du Commerce et de la Navigation a Bordeaux, Francisque Michel, 1867". Archived from the original on 9 August 2016. Retrieved 15 October 2016.
  9. ^ "O'Neill, Laurence". Dictionary of Irish Biography. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
  10. ^ Walshe, Sadhbh (16 March 2016). "Eight Women of the Easter Rising". The New York Times. Retrieved 10 June 2022.
  11. ^ "Briscoe, Robert Emmet". Dictionary of Irish Biography. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
  12. ^ Carney, John (5 August 2020). "Dublin's first ethnic-Chinese mayor on racism, her parents' work ethic, and teaching poor children in China". South China Morning Post. Archived from the original on 11 March 2021. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
  13. ^ "Hazel Chu on being a woman of colour in Irish politics". RTÉ. 1 August 2020. Archived from the original on 26 April 2021. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
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