New mayors have been elected at local authority AGMs around the country today.
The newly elected Mayor of Galway City has pledged to make the city more inclusive for all citizens.
Mayor Colette Connolly said she was deeply honoured to take on the role and said she would work to make Galway a city of equals, a city that is welcoming and inclusive of people with disabilities, as well as being pedestrian and cycle friendly.
She said she has always promoted openess and transparency in council decisions.
Working with community groups, schools and the corporate sector are key priorities, she said, to promote their policies and vision of Galway.
Going forward, she said there was potential to better utilise the public realm space around Woodquay and the Spanish Arch and Eyre Square and designate special areas for busking.
She said a lot could be done to make the east side of the city more attractive and, in Westside, to promote local businesses rather than being concentrated on very limited space and narrow streets in the city centre.
The Independent Councillor is the 8th female Mayor of Galway and and follows in the footsteps of her sister Catherine - Galway West TD and Leas Chean Comhairle - as they become the first siblings to have held the office.
Meanwhile, Cllr Colm Kelleher was elected this evening as the Lord Mayor of Cork, at the AGM of Cork City Council.
The Ballincollig-based Fianna Fáil councillor was elected 21 votes to seven.
Due to Covid-19 restrictions, this year's AGM took place at Coláiste Choilm in Ballincollig rather than in the traditional setting of the council chamber.
City Hall’s Concert Hall, which was used for last year’s AGM, was unavailable this year due to its current use as a Covid-19 vaccination centre.
Cork's new Lord Mayor said his priorities for the year include leading the recovery of the city’s economy after Covid-19, building on the momentum of the past year.
"In the year ahead, let us inject the kind of urgency and determination we showed during the pandemic into our work such as the speed the council exhibited rolling out cycle lanes and pedestrianisation and improving our outdoor facilities. We need to be sure we do not lose that momentum in getting the job done post-Covid."
In Dublin, Cllr Seána Ó Rodaigh of the Labour Party has been elected as Mayor of Fingal.
Cllr Daniel Whooley of the Green Party was elected Deputy Mayor.
Cllr Ó Rodaigh won a vote against Cllr Joan Hopkins of the Social Democrats and Cllr Punam Rane of Fine Gael in the election for mayor, while Cllr Whooley overcame Cllr Natalie Treacy of Sinn Féin in the election for deputy.
Cllr Ó Rodaigh was first elected as a councillor in 2019. Based in Skerries, she works as a teacher in St Patrick's Senior National School in the town.
