LABOUR CLLR Michael O’Connell was last night elected lord mayor of Cork city when he succeeded Fine Gael Cllr Dara Murphy.
Cllr O’Connell (58), won with six Labour votes along with the support of six members of Fine Gael and four members of Fianna Fáil under an agreement that has seen the three main parties share the mayoralty for the past 30 years in Cork. Independent councillor Kieran McCarthy also supported Mr O’Connell.
By 17 votes to 7, he defeated the other nominee for the position, Independent Cllr Chris O’Leary, who was nominated by the technical group, which includes Sinn Féin, the Socialist Party and the Workers’ Party.
Originally from Farranferris Place in Farranree on Cork’s northside, Cllr O’Connell lives in Briar’s Court in Shanakiel and represents the northwest ward, where he was first elected in 1999.
He was a member of the Workers’ Party in the 1980s and later joined Democratic Left. While he was involved in campaigns for both parties, it was only when he joined the Labour Party that he was persuaded to run for office and was elected.
He is married to Catherine and has three adult children, Aileen, Kieran and Michael jnr, and 12 brothers and sisters. Last night all his siblings gathered at City Hall to see him elected.
Cllr O’Connell said he was both honoured and humbled to be elected first citizen of Cork and recalled some of the previous occupants of the office, including Tomás MacCurtain and Terence McSwiney, as well as more recent mayors including his cousin, Chrissie Ahern.