Lord Mayor of Dublin
Encyclopedia
The Lord Mayor of Dublin is the honorific title of the Chairman of Dublin City Council
which is the local government body for the city of Dublin, the capital of Ireland
. The incumbent is Labour Party
Councillor Andrew Montague
. The office holder is elected annually by the members of the Council.
. 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.). Lords Mayor were ex-officio members of the Privy Council of Ireland
, which also entitled them to be addressed 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.
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 City Manager
, 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 registered in Dublin at the beginning of each new year, in 2011 the car registration was "11–D–11".
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 (William of Orange
) 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).
Dublin City Council
Dublin City Council is the local authority for the city of Dublin in Ireland. It has 52 members and is the largest local authority in Ireland. Until 2001, it was known as Dublin Corporation.-Legal status:...
which is the local government body for the city of Dublin, the capital of Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
. The incumbent is Labour Party
Labour Party (Ireland)
The Labour Party is a social-democratic political party in the Republic of Ireland. The Labour Party was founded in 1912 in Clonmel, County Tipperary, by James Connolly, James Larkin and William X. O'Brien as the political wing of the Irish Trade Union Congress. Unlike the other main Irish...
Councillor Andrew Montague
Andrew Montague (Irish politician)
Andrew Montague is an Irish Labour Party politician and member of Dublin City Council. He is the current Lord Mayor of Dublin.He was first elected to Dublin City Council in the Irish local elections, 2004 as a member for the Ballymun-Whitehall local electoral area...
. The office holder is elected annually by the members of the Council.
Background
The office of Mayor of Dublin was created in June 1229 by Henry IIIHenry III of England
Henry III was the son and successor of John as King of England, reigning for 56 years from 1216 until his death. His contemporaries knew him as Henry of Winchester. He was the first child king in England since the reign of Æthelred the Unready...
. The office of Mayor was elevated to Lord Mayor
Lord Mayor
The Lord Mayor is the title of the Mayor of a major city, with special recognition.-Commonwealth of Nations:* In Australia it is a political position. Australian cities with Lord Mayors: Adelaide, Brisbane, Darwin, Hobart, Melbourne, Newcastle, Parramatta, Perth, Sydney, and Wollongong...
in 1665 by Charles II
Charles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
, and as part of this process received the honorific The Right Honourable
The Right Honourable
The Right Honourable is an honorific prefix that is traditionally applied to certain people in the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the Anglophone Caribbean and other Commonwealth Realms, and occasionally elsewhere...
(The Rt. Hon.). Lords Mayor were ex-officio members of the Privy Council of Ireland
Privy Council of Ireland
The Privy Council of Ireland was an institution of the Kingdom of Ireland until 31 December 1800 and of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland 1801-1922...
, which also entitled them to be addressed 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
Municipal Corporations (Ireland) Act 1840
The Municipal Corporations Act 1840 , An Act for the Regulation of Municipal Corporations in Ireland, was passed by the Parliament of the United Kingdom on 10 August 1840....
, which granted the title in law. The Local Government Act 2001
Local Government Act 2001
The Local Government Act, 2001 was enacted by the Oireachtas of the Republic of Ireland on 21 July 2001. Most of the provisions of the Act came into operation on 1 January 2002....
finally removed the title as a consequence of the repeal of the 1840 act.
Functions
County Manager
In local government in the Republic of Ireland, the Council Manager is the chief executive of the local authority of a county or city. Whereas the county council and city council are elected officials who formulate policy, the manager is an appointed official who manages the implementation of...
, 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
Rates (tax)
Rates are a type of property tax system in the United Kingdom, and in places with systems deriving from the British one, the proceeds of which are used to fund local government...
(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
Mansion House, Dublin
The Mansion House on Dawson Street, Dublin, is the official residence of the Lord Mayor of Dublin since 1715.-Features:The Mansion House's most famous features include the "Round Room", where the First Dáil assembled on 21 January 1919 to proclaim the Irish Declaration of Independence...
on Dawson Street
Dawson Street
Dawson Street is one of the main streets of central Dublin, running parallel to Grafton Street, to which it is connected by Duke Street and South Anne Street...
.
A privilege enjoyed by the Lord Mayor is to receive the first car registered in Dublin at the beginning of each new year, in 2011 the car registration was "11–D–11".
Chain of Office
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 (William of Orange
William III of England
William III & II was a sovereign Prince of Orange of the House of Orange-Nassau by birth. From 1672 he governed as Stadtholder William III of Orange over Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel of the Dutch Republic. From 1689 he reigned as William III over England and Ireland...
) 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
Seneschal
A seneschal was an officer in the houses of important nobles in the Middle Ages. In the French administrative system of the Middle Ages, the sénéchal was also a royal officer in charge of justice and control of the administration in southern provinces, equivalent to the northern French bailli...
or Steward).
Notable early mayors
- Richard Muton (1229–30), Dublin's first Mayor
- Gilbert de LyvetGilbert de LyvetGilbert de Lyvet was an early Anglo-Norman nobleman and merchant who became one of the earliest Lord Mayors of Dublin. He donated extensive properties to the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity in Dublin, acted as witness for early gifts to the cathedral, and was a partisan for the Bigods, the de...
(1233–34), (1235–37) - Bartholomew Ball (1553–54), his widow Blessed Margaret BallMargaret BallBlessed Margaret Ball was born Margaret Birmingham near Skryne in County Meath, and died of deprivation in the dungeons of Dublin Castle. She was the wife of the Mayor of Dublin in 1553. She was beatified in 1992.-Early life:...
was martyred by their eldest son, Walter. - Walter Ball (1580–81), Commissioner for Ecclesiatical Causes – implemented the ReformationEnglish ReformationThe English Reformation was the series of events in 16th-century England by which the Church of England broke away from the authority of the Pope and the Roman Catholic Church....
in Dublin - Francis TaylorFrancis Taylor (martyr)Blessed Francis Taylor was a Mayor of Dublin, Ireland, incarcerated because of his Catholicism....
(1595–96), martyred 29 January 1621 - Sir Daniel Bellingham (1665–1666), First Lord Mayor
- Jean Desmynieres (1666–67) and Lewis Desmynieres (1669–70), HuguenotHuguenotThe Huguenots were members of the Protestant Reformed Church of France during the 16th and 17th centuries. Since the 17th century, people who formerly would have been called Huguenots have instead simply been called French Protestants, a title suggested by their German co-religionists, the...
Lord Mayors of Dublin
See also
- List of Lord Mayors of Dublin
- Cities in Ireland
- Lord Mayor of CorkLord Mayor of CorkThe Lord Mayor of Cork is the honorific title of the Chairman of Cork City Council which is the local government body for the city of Cork in Ireland. The incumbent is Terry Shannon of Fianna Fáil. The office holder is elected annually by the members of the Council.-History of office:In 1199 there...
- Mayor of KilkennyMayor of KilkennyThe Mayor of Kilkenny is an honorific title used by the of Kilkenny Borough Council. The Council has jurisdiction throughout its administrative area which is the city of Kilkenny in the Republic of Ireland. The office was established in the 16th century and had significant powers. The office was...
External links
- Lord Mayors of Dublin 1665–2009 (Dublin City Council)