Fianna Fáil councillor Mr Seán Martin was elected Lord Mayor of Cork last night, following a mayoral pact between Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and Labour.
Cllr Martin, a brother of the Minister of Health, Mr Micheál Martin, in whose footsteps he has followed, was proposed by party colleague Mr Damian Wallace and seconded by Fine Gael councillor Mr Denis 'Dino' Cregan before defeating Independent councillor Mr Con O'Connell by 24 votes to five.
Councillor Martin received the support from 10 Fianna Fáil councillors present, seven Fine Gael councillors present, six Labour and Ms Mairín Quill of the PDs, while Cllr O'Connell received the support of Cllr Chris O'Leary of the Green Party, Cllr Mick Barry of the Socialist Party, two Sinn Féin councillors and himself.
A native of Turner's Cross, Cllr Martin, who works for the ESB, was co-opted onto the council in 1997 to replace his brother, but was comfortably re-elected for the South Central ward at the recent local elections.
In his inaugural address, the new mayor identified the rejuvenation and promotion of Cork city centre as a shopping and tourist destination as one of the priorities for his year in office.