History of the Office

The Lord Mayor is elected to office annually by members of Dublin City Council from amongst its members.

The position of Mayor of Dublin was created in June 1229 by Prince Henry III. This title was elevated to Lord Mayor in 1665 by King Charles II. Before 1840, the Lord Mayor was selected through a complicated method from the City Assembly. Since 1840, the members of Dublin City Council have elected the Lord Mayor from among its own members.

Today the Lord Mayor of Dublin is the first citizen of Dublin and acts as an Ambassador for the city locally and internationally. During his/her term of office, the Lord Mayor lives and works in the official residence on Dawson Street, the Mansion House. The Lord Mayor presides at meetings of the City Council, signs its records of proceedings and represents the city at public events.

The first Lord Mayor of Dublin was Sir Daniel Bellingham in 1665. The most famous Lord Mayor of Dublin was Irish Patriot Daniel O'Connell in 1841. Alfie Byrne was Lord Mayor of Dublin for nine consecutive years from 1931 to 1938. There have been twelve female Lord Mayors of Dublin, the first being in 1939 when Caitlín Bean Uí Chléirigh was elected Lord Mayor of Dublin. She was the widow of Tom Clarke who was a signatory of the Proclamation of the Irish Republic and was executed for his part in the 1916 Rising.