Dublin City Lord Mayor Oisín Quinn. Photo by Marc O'Sullivan/Osd photo agency (Image via Flickr)
Dublin City Councillor Oisín Quinn is to take on the mantle as Dublin City’s 344th Lord Mayor. He was elected into office by Dublin City Councillors at City Hall last night. Over the next 12 months, Quinn has vowed to promote Dublin as a gateway to Europe for business and to act as an agent of positive change for the city, particularly in relation to the city’s citizens.
Quinn, a nephew of Ireland’s Education Minister Ruairí Quinn, will be replacing the outgoing Lord Mayor Mr Naoise Ó Muirí.
A practising barrister since 1992, Quinn was appointed as a senior counsel in the Law Library in 2008.
He was elected to Dublin City Council in 2004 and re-elected in 2009 as a Labour Party representative.
“I am honoured to have been elected by my colleagues on Dublin City Council to the role of Lord Mayor, representing the citizens of this wonderful city,” said Quinn today.
“During my term of office I will strive to ensure that the role is not merely a symbolic one but one that will act as a driver for positive change in the city.”
He said his main objectives as Lord Mayor of the city will be to promote Dublin as a gateway to Europe for business, as a city that embraces diversity and as a city that is willing to invest in its citizens.
“I will work tirelessly to achieve these objectives over the next 12 months and I look forward to engaging with the Dublin Chamber of Commerce during my term of office,” added Quinn.
Mansion House on Dawson Street, Dublin 2, where the Lord Mayor of the city resides. Image via Dublin City Council
Lord Mayor role goes back to 1665
The office of the Lord Mayor is one of few Dublin institutions with older roots than the Dublin Chamber of Commerce, which traces its own establishment back to 1782.
The Mayor of Dublin position 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, Dublin City Council has elected the Lord Mayor from among its own members.
In the present day, the Lord Mayor of Dublin is the symbolic head of the city government in Dublin. The Lord Mayor is known as first citizen of Dublin and acts as ambassador for the city locally and internationally.
The citizen
Quinn is now set to move into the Mansion House for his stint as Lord Mayor.
Dublin Chamber’s chief executive Gina Quin has welcomed Quinn’s appointment. She said that, in line with tradition, he will be appointed to the governing board of Dublin Chamber of Commerce
“We are looking forward to continuing our close working relationship with him to help make Dublin a more competitive and exciting place to live, visit and do business,” she said.
Quin also commended outgoing Lord Mayor, Cllr Naoise Ó Muirí, for his positive contribution to Dublin City over the past year.
