The Mayor of Limerick is the head of the local government of the

City A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...

and County of Limerick. It is a directly elected office with a five-year term. Following the

2024 Limerick mayoral election An election to decide the first directly elected Mayor of Limerick was held on 7 June 2024, as part of the 2024 Irish local elections. Limerick is the first local authority in Ireland to have directly elected mayor, following a plebiscite held ...

, John Moran was inaugurated as the first office-holder on 21 June 2024. Prior to June 2024, it was the title used by the chairperson of

Limerick City and County Council Limerick City and County Council () is the local authority of Limerick City and County in Ireland. It came into operation on 1 June 2014 after the 2014 local elections. It was formed by the merger of Limerick City Council and Limerick Count ...

. Prior to the amalgamation of the city and county councils in 2014, the mayor was the chairperson of

Limerick City Council Limerick City Council () was the local authority of the city of Limerick in Ireland. The council had 17 elected members. The head of the council had the title of mayor. Limerick City Council was the smallest local government area in Ireland b ...

. The office was originally established in 1195 and reinforced by a

charter A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified. It is implicit that the granter retains superiority (or sovereignty), and that the ...

issued in 1197.

Election to the office prior to June 2024

Before the introduction of the executive mayor system, the ceremonial mayor was elected to office annually by councillors of Limerick City and County Council from amongst its members. The practice was for the term of office to begin in June with the former Mayor presenting the Chain of Office to the incoming Mayor, thus formally inaugurating a new term. The process was repeated the following June, unless the same person was given a second consecutive term. Under the previous system, the mayor was the chairperson of the City and County Council.

Directly elected mayor

In May 2019 a plebiscite was held with the 2019 Limerick City and County Council election in which voters approved the establishment of a directly elected mayor for Limerick City and County by a vote of 52.4%. In August 2023, the Local Government (Mayor of Limerick) Bill 2023 was published.

Kieran O'Donnell Kieran O'Donnell (born 8 May 1963) is an Irish Fine Gael politician who has served as a Minister of State (Ireland), Minister of State since December 2022. He has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Limerick City (Dáil constituency), Limerick Ci ...

Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage The Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage is a junior ministerial post in the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage of the Government of Ireland who may perform functions delegated by the M ...

, stated that it was the intention of the government that the election for a directly elected Mayor for Limerick would be held in 2024, at the local elections which was held on 7 June 2024. The Local Government (Mayor of Limerick) and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2024 was enacted in March 2024. The first election to the new office took place on 7 June 2024 in conjunction with the 2024 Limerick City and County Council election. John Moran was elected mayor and was inaugurated at a ceremony at Limerick's oldest building, St Mary's Cathedral, on 21 June 2024. Following the inauguration of the first directly-elected mayor, the

chief executive A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...

of the council was renamed as the director general and the chair of the council became known as the ()).

History of the office

The office has existed, in one form or another, since it was inaugurated in 1195. The title of

Provost Provost may refer to: Officials Ecclesiastic * Provost (religion), a high-ranking church official * Prince-provost, a high-ranking church official Government * Provost (civil), an officer of local government, including the equivalent ...

was used up to the 14th century.

Selected list of mayors

* Thomas Smyth (1764–1765, 1776–1777), MP and Colonel of Limerick Militia *

John Vereker, 3rd Viscount Gort John Prendergast Vereker, 3rd Viscount Gort (1 July 1790 – 20 October 1865), was an Anglo-Irish peer and politician. Background and education Gort was the son of Charles Vereker, 2nd Viscount Gort, and his first wife Jane, daughter of Ralp ...

(1831–1832), MP and later Irish Peer * Stephen O'Mara (1885–1887), nationalist MP and later Cumann na nGaedheal Senator, first nationalist Mayor of Limerick * John Daly (1899–1901), revolutionary nationalist MP, leading member of

Irish Republican Brotherhood The Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB; ) was a secret oath-bound fraternal organisation dedicated to the establishment of an "independent democratic republic" in Ireland between 1858 and 1924.McGee, p. 15. Its counterpart in the United States ...

involved in 1867 rising * Michael Joyce (1905–1907), nationalist MP, leader of

Irish National League The Irish National League (INL) was a nationalist political party in Ireland. It was founded on 17 October 1882 by Charles Stewart Parnell as the successor to the Irish National Land League after this was suppressed. Whereas the Land League ...

, founder of

Garryowen Football Club Garryowen Football Club (Irish: ''Cumann Rugbaí Gharraí Eoin''), usually referred to as Garryowen, is a rugby union club from Limerick, Ireland. As at the 2024–25 season, it plays in Division 1A of the All-Ireland League. Historically, Ga ...

Phons O'Mara Alphonsus M. ("Phons") O'Mara (13 October 1887 – 16 February 1958) was a businessman and Irish republican Mayor of Limerick 1918-20. O'Mara was a son of Stephen O'Mara, Snr, himself a former Mayor of Limerick and briefly an Irish Parliamenta ...

(1918–1920), republican, negotiated truce with

Limerick Soviet The Limerick Soviet () was one of a number of self-declared Irish soviets that were formed around Ireland circa 1919. The Limerick Soviet existed for a two-week period from 14 to 27 April 1919. At the beginning of the Irish War of Independence, ...

in 1919 * George Clancy (1921), Sinn Féin Mayor shot dead in office by Black and Tans in 1921 * Stephen M. O'Mara (1921–1923), republican politician, later Fianna Fail member of the

Council of State A council of state is a governmental body in a country, or a subdivision of a country, with a function that varies by jurisdiction. It may be the formal name for the cabinet or it may refer to a non-executive advisory body associated with a head ...

Michael Keyes Michael John Keyes (21 March 1886 – 8 September 1959) was an Irish Labour Party (Ireland), Labour Party politician and trade unionist. He was born on 21 March 1886 at 41 Blackboy Pike, Limerick city, the second son of Michael Keyes, caretak ...

(1928–1930), Labour Party TD, Minister for Local Government and Posts and Telegraphs and President of the

Irish Trades Union Congress The Irish Trades Union Congress (ITUC) was a union federation covering the island of Ireland. History Until 1894, representatives of Irish trade unions attended the British Trades Union Congress (TUC). However, many felt that they had little i ...

, the first Limerick person to be a cabinet member since independence *

Stephen Coughlan Stephen Coughlan (26 December 1910 – 20 December 1994) was an Irish Labour Party (Ireland), Labour Party politician who served for sixteen years as Teachta Dála (TD) for the Limerick East (Dáil constituency), Limerick East constituency. Duri ...

(1951–1952, 1969–1970), Labour Party TD * Ted Russell (1954–1957, 1967–1968, 1976–1977), Independent and later Fine Gael politician, TD and Senator, *

Donogh O'Malley Donogh Brendan O'Malley (18 January 1921 – 10 March 1968) was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician and rugby union player who served as Minister for Education from 1966 to 1968, Minister for Health from 1965 to 1966 and Parliamentary Secretary ...

(1961–1962), Fianna Fail Minister for Education and Health, introduced free secondary education up to Intermediate Certificate *

Frances Condell Frances Condell (; 29 June 1916 – 10 November 1986) was the first woman Mayor of Limerick city. She was first elected in 1963 and was the only woman to serve two terms in the city. Early life Born Frances Eades on 29 June 1916 Limerick to Jame ...

(1962–1964), first elected woman Mayor *

Michael Lipper Michael Lipper (15 June 1931 – 18 October 1987) was an Irish Labour Party politician who served for four years as an Independent TD for the Limerick East constituency. He was born 15 June 1931 in Garryowen, Limerick, fifth of ten childre ...

(1973–1974), Democratic Labour and Labour Party TD *

Pat Kennedy Joseph Patrick Kennedy (born January 5, 1952) is an American former college basketball coach and player. He was previously the men's basketball coach at Towson University, Iona College (New York), Iona College, Florida State University, DePaul ...

(1974–1975), Fine Gael Senator *

Thady Coughlan Thady Coughlan (born 3 March 1951) is a former Limerick City Councillor and former Mayor of Limerick. He is the son of former Mayor Stephen Coughlan. He is the youngest person to become Mayor of Limerick since the ousting of the "corrupt Corporat ...

(1975–1976), Labour Party, aged 24, youngest Mayor since 1842 * Frank Prendergast (1977–1978, 1984–1985), Labour Party TD * Tony Bromell (1982–1983), Fianna Fail Senator *

Jim Kemmy James Joseph Oliver Mary Kemmy (14 September 1936 – 25 September 1997) was an Irish socialist politician from Limerick, who started his political career in the Labour Party. He later left Labour, was elected as an independent Teachta Dála (T ...

(1991–1992, 1995–1996), Labour Party TD *

Jan O'Sullivan Jan O'Sullivan (; born 6 December 1950) is an Irish former Labour Party politician who served as Minister for Education and Skills from 2014 to 2016 and as a Minister of State from 2011 to 2014. She served as a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Lime ...

(1993–1994), later Labour Party Senator, TD, Minister for Education and Skills * Kevin Kiely (2009–2010), Fine Gael councillor * John Moran (2024–present), first directly-elected mayor

References

{{reflist Lists of political office-holders in the Republic of Ireland 1195 establishments in Europe

Mayors In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

Election to the office prior to June 2024

Directly elected mayor

History of the office

Selected list of mayors

See also

References