Mayor of Limerick

The Mayor is elected to office annually by councillors of Limerick City and County Council from amongst its members.[5] There is currently no popular vote, but in May 2019 a plebiscite was held which voted in favour of a directly elected mayor, with the first expected to be elected in 2022.[6] Current practice is for the term of office to begin in June[3] with the former Mayor presenting the Chain of Office to the incoming Mayor, thus formally inaugurating a new term. The process is repeated the following June, unless the same person is given a second consecutive term.

The office has existed, in one form or another, since it was inaugurated in 1195. The title of Provost was used up to the 14th century.[1]

Throne of Limerick mayors

• 1764–1765 and 1776–1777 Thomas Smyth MP and Colonel of Limerick Militia
• 1831–1832 John Vereker, 3rd Viscount Gort, MP and later Irish Peer
• 1885–1887 Stephen O'Mara Sr, nationalist MP and later Cummann na nGael Senator, first nationalist Mayor of Limerick
• 1899–1901 John Daly, revolutionary nationalist MP, leading member of Irish Republican Brotherhood involved in 1867 rising
• 1905–1907 Michael Joyce, nationalist MP, leader of Irish National League, founder of Garryowen Football Club
• 1918–1920 Phons O'Mara, republican, negotiated truce with Limerick Soviet in 1919
• 1921 George Clancy, Sinn Féin Mayor fatally shot in office by Black and Tans in 1921
• 1921–1923 Stephen M. O'Mara, republican politician, later Fianna Fail member of the Council of State
• 1928–1930 Michael Keyes, Labour Party TD, Minister for Local Government and Posts and Telegraphs and President of the Irish Trades Union Congress, the first Limerick person to be a cabinet member since independence[7]
• 1951–1952 and 1969–1970 Stephen Coughlan, Labour Party TD
• 1954–1957, 1967–1968 and 1976–1977 Ted Russell, Independent and later Fine Gael politician, TD and Senator,
• 1961–1962 Donogh O'Malley, Fianna Fail Minister for Education and Health, introduced free secondary education up to Intermediate Certificate
• 1962–1964 Frances Condell, first elected woman Mayor
• 1973–1974 Michael Lipper, Democratic Labour and Labour Party TD
• 1974–1975 Pat Kennedy, Fine Gael Senator
• 1975–1976 Thady Coughlan, Labour Party, aged 24, youngest Mayor since 1842
• 1977–1978 and 1984–1985 Frank Prendergast Labour Party TD
• 1982–1983 Tony Bromell, Fianna Fail Senator
• 1991–1992 and 1995–1996 Jim Kemmy, Labour Party TD
• 1993–1994 Jan O'Sullivan, later Labour Party Senator, TD, Minister for Education and Skills
• 2009–2010 Kevin Kiely, Fine Gael councillor

• Lord Mayor of Dublin
• Lord Mayor of Cork
• Mayor of Galway