SINN FÉIN’S NEW Lord Mayor of Dublin will take up residence in the historic Mansion House next week, unlike her predecessor.

Councillor Críona Ní Dhálaigh said she will move into the official mayor’s residence as it will be more practical to host and get to and from events.

She took up the mayoralty last week after receiving the overwhelming backing of Dublin city councillors as part of a pact between Sinn Féin, Labour, the Greens and some independents that was negotiated last year. She will be mayor during the historic 1916 commemorations next year.

Ní Dhálaigh’s decision to move into the Mansion House contrasts with that of her popular predecessor Christy Burke. The former Sinn Féin councillor opted not to stay at the famous Dawson Street residence full-time, sleeping there only occasionally.

Ní Dhálaigh, a councillor for the south central area of the capital, said full-time residency at the Mansion House would be the most practical option for her.

Sam Boal / RollingNews.ie Críona Ní Dhálaigh with Sinn Féin's deputy leader Mary Lou McDonald last year. Sam Boal / RollingNews.ie / RollingNews.ie

“I’m looking forward to it. I want to be here to welcome people. I intend to invite and receive as many community groups and activists as I can to the Mansion House,” she said.

On the practical side of things it’s easier for everyone involved to have me based in the building, especially for hosting and for getting to and from events.

The mayor and their family usually lives in the upstairs family quarters of the Mansion House. Some 250 mayors have lived there in its three centuries as the official residence of the capital’s first citizen.

Speaking to TheJournal.ie last year, Burke said that while he would not be staying in the residence it was “not bad”.  He added:

But don’t worry, there’s no flat-screens or anything.

Read: 5 things you might not know about Dublin’s Mansion House

Read: ‘I’m not trying to un-Sinn Féin myself’: New Lord Mayor reacts to criticism

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