LAST UPDATE | 27 Jun

FIANNA FÁIL COUNCILLOR Daryl Barron is expected to be chosen as the next lord mayor of Dublin on Monday evening.

Barron, who has been a councillor for the Donaghmede area on the north side of the city since 2019, will become the 359th lord mayor of the city, taking over from Fine Gael’s Ray McAdam.

The lord mayor is the council’s chairperson, but it’s also a ceremonial position that comes with the major perk of getting to live in the historic Mansion House on Dawson Street.

The Mansion House is the lord mayor's official residence. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

As in other councils, the position of chair rotates among the parties on the council’s ruling group.

Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael, Labour and the Green Party formed a ruling coalition on Dublin City Council after the 2024 local elections, agreeing a policy programme including no longer applying a 15% discount to property tax each year, and trying to progress a hotel tourist tax in the city.

The opposition group on the council will put forward Jesslyn Henry of the Social Democrats for lord mayor and Edel Moran of Sinn Féin as deputy mayor.

Sinn Féin, the Social Democrats, People Before Profit and left-wing independent councillors have called on Labour and the Green Party to break with Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael and support their alternative candidates.

Sinn Féin councillor Daithí Doolan implored Labour and the Greens to “promote a more progressive policy for the city”.

In Fingal County Council over the last year, Labour has started supporting the opposition group. Doolan said this demonstrates a “change within the party” that could be followed in Dublin city.

People Before Profit’s Conor Reddy said Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael’s “devotion to the private market” has led to rising rents and record homelessness. Independent councillor Pat Dunne said Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have “ignored the needs of ordinary families and their communities”.

“I strongly encourage Labour and the Green Party councillors to work with us and support our candidates on Monday night,” Dunne said.

The Green Party’s Donna Cooney said the ruling group has agreed goals for the council’s five-year term that she wants to see through.

It would be “prudent” to stick with the alliance now, she said.

“Even though it’d be nice to be part of a different alliance, that’s the alliance that we chose,” she said.

Cooney said that part of the agreement with Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael is that her party gets to choose the mayor next year and the year after.