Fine Gael councillor James Geoghegan elected new Lord Mayor of Dublin

“I’m honoured and humbled to be elected the 356th Lord Mayor of Dublin,” he said, thanking his party colleagues and members in the pact between Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil, the Green Party and Labour for electing him.

Mr Geoghegan is the first Fine Gael Lord Mayor of Dublin in 12 years. Originally from Ranelagh, he was first elected to the Pembroke local electoral area in 2019.

In 2021, he ran for his party in the Dublin Bay South Dáil byelection, where he lost out to Labour’s Ivana Bacik, who went on to become the leader of her party. Mr Geoghegan, who like Ms Bacik is a barrister, has also been selected to run at the next general election in the constituency where his party has not held a seat since former Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy left politics, triggering the byelection.

“I intend to put all my energy and focus into representing the city that I love and to deliver solutions to some of the challenges faced by the capital’s communities and businesses,” Mr Geoghegan said.

Today’s News in 90 seconds – 21st June 2024

“My priorities as a councillor over the last four and a half years have been on the delivery of homes for young people, tackling anti-social behaviour and crime, and ensuring we have an inclusive society where families and individuals can enjoy a good quality of life.

“It is also essential that agencies including Dublin City Council continue to work together to ensure Dublin city is a safe and welcoming place where visitors and residents alike can enjoy our renowned hospitality and culture.

“I am humbled to take up the role of Dublin Lord Mayor and will continue to work hard on behalf of the capital’s citizens.”

Mr Geoghegan paid tribute to the work of outgoing Lord Mayor Daithí De Róiste for his work supporting neurodiverse people during his term.

Mr Geoghegan was proposed by Fianna Fáil councillor Deirdre Heney, who joked she looked forward to working with him “for the next four months”, a nod to him being chosen to run in Dublin Bay South in the next general election.

The newly formed progressive alliance, composed of the Social Democrats, Sinn Féin, People Before Profit and left-wing independent councillors proposed councillor Daniel Ennis for the role.

He was proposed by his Social Democrats colleague Cat O’Driscoll and seconded by Sinn Féin councillor Daithí Doolan.

The progressive alliance was set to form a ruling pact in Dublin City Council, however lost the support of the Labour Party over a disagreement around the Local Property Tax.

Labour instead opted to enter the ongoing agreement with Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil and the Green Party.

Green Party councillor Donna Cooney was elected Deputy Lord Mayor, while the progressive alliance put Sinn Féin councillor Janice Boylan forward for the role.

An artist, long-time activist and lifelong Clontarf resident, Ms Cooney said she planned to bring “her brand of activism” to the role and her immediate plan was to meet with her local Tidy Towns group on Saturday morning.

She paid tribute to her brother who died eight years ago to the day.