Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council | |
---|---|
since 3 June 2024 | |
Appointer | Derry and Strabane District Council |
Term length | One year |
Inaugural holder | John Rowley |
Formation | 1604 (as Provost) 1613 (as Mayor) |
Deputy | Darren Guy |
Website | Council Website |
The Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council is an honorary position bestowed upon a Citizen of Derry City & Strabane District in Northern Ireland, who is in practice a member of Derry and Strabane District Council, chosen by their peers on the council to serve a one-year term. [1] The mayor is the chairperson of the council as well as the city's first citizen. The current mayor is Lilian Seenoi-Barr of the SDLP.
The district was created in 2015 by the merger of two existing councils. The previous post of Mayor of Derry, more formally Lord Mayor of Londonderry, has a long history. A provost, Sir Henry Docwra, was appointed in the initial city charter of 1604 by James I. In 1613, this post was replaced with that of governor, or mayor, with John Rowley being the first to serve. [2] The City charter of 1665 which provided:
And further we will, and by these presents for us our heirs and successors do grant and ordain, that for ever hereafter there be and shall be within the city of Londonderry aforesaid one of the more honest and discreet citizens of the said city, or of the more honest and discreet inhabitants within the liberty of the same, in form hereafter in these presents mentioned, from time to time to be elected, who shall be and called the mayor of the said city. [3]
During much of its history, it has been held by unionists (largely due to the practice of gerrymandering), [4] but in recent years, the majority of mayors have been Irish nationalists, reflecting the majority of the city's population.
From 1921 until 1969, the Lord Mayor was automatically entitled to a seat in the Senate of Northern Ireland.
From | To | Name | Party | |
---|---|---|---|---|
1615 | John Vaughan | |||
1617 | Sir John Vaughan | |||
1618 | John Wray | |||
1620 | 1621 | Jesse Smith | ||
1625 | H Vaughan | |||
1629 | Sir John Vaughan | |||
1631 | William Gage | |||
1636 | Thomas Hammond | |||
1639 | Peter Benson | |||
1641 | James Vaughan | |||
1643 | Sir Robert Stewart [5] | |||
1644 | Colonel Audley Mervyn | |||
1646 | Sir Charles Coote | |||
1653 | Henry Finch | |||
1654 | Ralph King | |||
1655 | 1656 | John Handford | ||
1657 | John Elwin | |||
1658 | Samuel Dawson (died in office) | |||
1659 | John Westgate | |||
1660 | Luke Ash | |||
1662 | William Gardner | |||
1664 | Colonel John Gorges | |||
1670 | Thomas Skipton | |||
1671 | Hugh Edwards | |||
1672 | 1674 | Samuel Norman | ||
1675 | 1676 | Gervais Squire | ||
1677 | Colonel William Cecil | |||
1678 | 1680 | Thomas Moncrieff | ||
1681 | 1682 | John Campsie | ||
1683 | Alexander Tomkins | |||
1684 | James Hobson | |||
1685 | 1686 | John Campsie | ||
1687 | Andrew Coningham (died in office) | |||
1688 | John Campsie | |||
1690 | Gervais Squire | |||
1691 | Alexander Lecky | |||
1692 | William Squire (died in office) | |||
1693 | James Lenox | |||
1694 | Henry Long | |||
1695 | Alexander Lecky | |||
1696 | Henry Ash | |||
1697 | James Lenox | |||
1698 | Horace Kennedy | |||
1699 | Gervais Squire | |||
1700 | Edward Brooks | |||
From | To | Name | |
---|---|---|---|
1701 | Thomas Moncrieff [6] | ||
1702 | Robert Shannon [6] | ||
1703 | 1704 | Samuel Leeson [6] | |
1705 | Henry Ash [6] | ||
1706 | George Tomkins [6] | ||
1707 | Charles Norman [6] | ||
1708 | Thomas Lecky [6] | ||
1709 | Thomas Ash [6] | ||
1710 | Samuel Leeson [6] | ||
1711 | Robert Norman [6] | ||
1712 | John Wotton [6] | ||
1713 | Alexander Tomkins [6] | ||
1714 | John Wotton [7] | ||
1769 | 1770 | Robert Fairly [8] | |
1771 | Adam Schoales [7] | ||
1772 | Hugh Hill [7] | ||
1773 | William Lecky [7] | ||
1774 | 1775 | Charles M'Manus [7] | |
1776 | Thomas Bateson [7] | ||
1777 | John Coningham [7] | ||
1778 | John Ferguson [7] | ||
1779 | George Ash | ||
1780 | 1781 | Thomas Lecky [7] | |
1782 | Robert Fairly [7] | ||
1783 | 1784 | John Coningham [7] | |
1785 | 1786 | Squire Lecky [7] | |
1787 | 1788 | John Coningham [7] | |
1789 | Squire Lecky [7] | ||
1790 | 1791 | Eneas Murray [7] | |
1792 | 1793 | Stephen Bennett [7] | |
1794 | 1795 | George Kennedy [7] | |
1796 | 1797 | Andrew Ferguson [7] | |
1798 | 1799 | John Darcus [7] | |
1800 | 1801 | William Walker [7] |
From | To | Name | Party | |
---|---|---|---|---|
1802 | R. G. Hill [7] | |||
1803 | John Darcus [7] | |||
1804 | 1805 | R. Murray [7] | ||
1806 | 1807 | William Walker [7] | ||
1808 | 1809 | Thomas Lecky [7] | ||
1810 | 1811 | Thomas Scott [7] | ||
1812 | 1813 | John Curry [7] | ||
1814 | 1815 | Marcus S. Hill [7] | ||
1816 | 1817 | William Alexander [7] | ||
1818 | 1819 | William Scott [7] | ||
1820 | 1821 | Sir John Maginnis [7] | ||
1822 | 1823 | John Dysart [7] | ||
1824 | 1825 | John Rea [7] | ||
1826 | 1827 | Richard Young [7] | ||
1828 | 1829 | Conolly Skipton [7] | ||
1830 | Sir R.A. Ferguson (resigned), then J. Dysart [7] | |||
1831 | Richard Young [7] | |||
1832 | 1833 | George Hill [7] | ||
1834 | 1835 | Joshua Gillespie [7] | ||
1836 | 1837 | Thomas P. Kennedy [7] | ||
1838 | 1839 | Sir Robert Bateson, Bt [7] | ||
1840 | 1841 | Joseph E. Miller [7] | ||
1842 | 1843 | Conolly Lecky [9] | ||
1843 | 1845 | William Haslett [9] | ||
1845 | 1846 | John Munn [9] | ||
1846 | 1847 | Daniel Baird [9] | ||
1847 | Alexander Lindsay [9] | |||
1859 | 1862 | Bartholomew McCorkell JP [9] | ||
1868 | 1869 | Sir Edward Reid [10] | Conservative | |
1875 | 1877 | Sir William Miller, MD [11] | Conservative | |
1883 | Henry Darcus | |||
? | 1887? | (Sir) Thomas Lecky [12] | ||
1888 | 1889 | Sir William Miller | Conservative | |
1898 | 1899 | Sir John Barr Johnston | ||
1899 | 1900 | Sir William McLearn | Irish Unionist | |
From | To | Name | Party | |
---|---|---|---|---|
1901 | 1902 | Sir Francis Henry Miller | Irish Unionist | |
1908 | 1911 | John McFarland | Irish Unionist | |
1911 | 1912 | Matthew Anderson Ballantine | Irish Unionist | |
1912 | 1913 | John McFarland | Irish Unionist | |
1913 | 1915 | William McLearn | Irish Unionist | |
1915 | 1920 | Robert Newton Anderson | Irish Unionist | |
1920 | 1923 | Hugh O'Doherty | Nationalist | |
1923 | 1925 | Maxwell Scott Moore | UUP | |
1925 | 1927 | John Gilbert Magee | UUP | |
1927 | 1929 | James Hamilton | UUP | |
1929 | 1935 | Dudley McCorkell | UUP | |
1935 | 1939 | James McElmunn Wilton | UUP | |
1939 | 1940 | Basil McFarland | UUP | |
1940 | 1945 | Frederick James Simmons | UUP | |
1945 | 1950 | Basil McFarland | UUP | |
1950 | 1952 | Gerald Stanley Glover | UUP | |
1952 | 1954 | Samuel Orr | UUP | |
1954 | 1957 | Samuel Sydney Dowds | UUP | |
1957 | 1961 | John Gordon Colhoun | UUP | |
1961 | 1963 | Gerald Stanley Glover | UUP | |
1963 | 1968 | Albert Anderson | UUP | |
1968 | 1969 | William Beatty | UUP | |
1969 | 1973 | Post vacant - council replaced by interim development commission | ||
1973 | 1974 | Raymond McClean | SDLP | |
1974 | 1975 | Jack Allen | UUP | |
1975 | 1976 | Ivor Canavan | Alliance | |
1976 | 1977 | James Hegarty | Nationalist | |
1977 | 1978 | Hugh Doherty | SDLP | |
1978 | 1979 | Thomas M. Craig | UUP | |
1979 | 1980 | Pat Devine | SDLP | |
1980 | 1981 | Marleen Jefferson | UUP | |
1981 | 1982 | Joe Fegan | SDLP | |
1982 | 1983 | William O'Connell | SDLP | |
1983 | 1984 | Len Green | SDLP | |
1984 | 1985 | John Tierney | SDLP | |
1985 | 1986 | John McNickle | SDLP | |
1986 | 1987 | Noel McKenna | SDLP | |
1987 | 1988 | James Guy | Ind. Unionist | |
1988 | 1989 | Annie Gallagher | SDLP | |
1989 | 1990 | Tony Carlin | SDLP | |
1990 | 1991 | David Davis | Ind. Unionist | |
1991 | 1992 | Mary Bradley | SDLP | |
1992 | 1993 | William Hay | DUP | |
1993 | 1994 | Annie Courtney | SDLP | |
1994 | 1995 | James Guy | Ind. Unionist | |
1995 | 1996 | John Kerr | SDLP | |
1996 | 1997 | Richard Dallas | UUP | |
1997 | 1998 | Martin Bradley | SDLP | |
1998 | 1999 | Joe Millar | DUP | |
1999 | 2000 | Pat Ramsey | SDLP |
From | To | Name | Party | |
---|---|---|---|---|
2000 | 2001 | Cathal Crumley | Sinn Féin | |
2001 | 2002 | Mildred Garfield | DUP | |
2002 | 2003 | Kathleen McCloskey | SDLP | |
2003 | 2004 | Shaun Gallagher | SDLP | |
2004 | 2005 | Gearóid Ó hEára | Sinn Féin | |
2005 | 2006 | Lynn Fleming | Sinn Féin | |
2006 | 2007 | Helen Quigley | SDLP | |
2007 | 2008 | Drew Thompson | DUP | |
2008 | 2009 | Gerard Diver | SDLP | |
2009 | 2010 | Paul Fleming | Sinn Féin | |
2010 | 2011 | Colum Eastwood | SDLP | |
2011 | 2012 | Maurice Devenney | DUP | |
2012 | 2013 | Kevin Campbell | Sinn Féin | |
2013 | 2014 | Martin Reilly | SDLP | |
2014 | 2015 | Brenda Stevenson | SDLP | |
2015 | 2016 | Elisha McCallion | Sinn Féin | |
2016 | 2017 | Hilary McClintock | DUP | |
2017 | 2018 | Maolíosa McHugh | Sinn Féin | |
2018 | 2019 | John Boyle | SDLP | |
2019 | 2020 | Michaela Boyle | Sinn Féin | |
2020 | 2021 | Brian Tierney | SDLP | |
2021 | 2022 | Graham Warke | DUP | |
2022 | 2023 | Sandra Duffy | Sinn Féin | |
2023 | 2024 | Patricia Logue | Sinn Féin | |
2024 | - | Lilian Seenoi-Barr | SDLP |
Derry, officially Londonderry, is the largest city in County Londonderry, the second-largest in Northern Ireland and the fifth-largest on the island of Ireland. The old walled city lies on the west bank of the River Foyle, which is spanned by two road bridges and one footbridge. The city now covers both banks.
County Londonderry, also known as County Derry, is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, one of the thirty-two counties of Ireland and one of the nine counties of Ulster. Before the partition of Ireland, it was one of the counties of the Kingdom of Ireland from 1613 onward and then of the United Kingdom after the Acts of Union 1800. Adjoining the north-west shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of 2,118 km2 (818 sq mi) and today has a population of about 252,231.
Limavady is a market town in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland, with Binevenagh as a backdrop. Lying 17 miles (27 km) east of Derry and 14 miles (23 km) southwest of Coleraine, Limavady had a population of 11,279 people at the 2021 Census. In the 40 years between 1971 and 2011, Limavady's population nearly doubled. Limavady is within Causeway Coast and Glens Borough.
Strabane is a town in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland.
The Honourable The Irish Society is a consortium of livery companies of the City of London established during the Plantation of Ulster to colonise County Londonderry. It was created in 1609 within the City of London Corporation, and incorporated in 1613 by royal charter of James I. In its first decades the society rebuilt the city of Derry and town of Coleraine, and for centuries it owned property and fishing rights near both towns. Some of the society's profits were used to develop the economy and infrastructure of the area, while some was returned to the London investors, and some used for charitable work.
Derry City Council was the local government authority for the city of Derry in Northern Ireland. It merged with Strabane District Council in April 2015 under local government reorganisation to become Derry and Strabane District Council.
The names of the city and county of Derry or Londonderry in Northern Ireland are the subject of a naming dispute between Irish nationalists and unionists. Generally, although not always, nationalists favour using the name Derry, and unionists Londonderry. Legally, the city and county are called "Londonderry", while the local government district containing the city is called "Derry City and Strabane". The naming debate became particularly politicised at the outset of the Troubles, with the mention of either name acting as a shibboleth used to associate the speaker with one of Northern Ireland's two main communities. The district of Derry and Strabane was created in 2015, subsuming a district created in 1973 with the name "Londonderry", which changed to "Derry" in 1984.
Magheramason is a small village and townland in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. The village sits near the County Londonderry/County Tyrone border, 5 miles (8.0 km) from the city of Derry and 9 miles (14 km) from the town of Strabane. In the 2001 census, it had a population of 393 people. It lies within the Derry City and Strabane District Council area.
The Local Government Act 1972 was an act of the Parliament of Northern Ireland that constituted district councils to administer the twenty-six local government districts created by the Local Government (Boundaries) Act 1971, and abolished the existing local authorities in Northern Ireland.
Borough status is granted by royal charter to local government districts in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The status is purely honorary, and does not give any additional powers to the council or inhabitants of the district. In Scotland, similarly chartered communities were known as royal burghs, although the status is no longer granted.
William Alexander Hay, Baron Hay of Ballyore, is a Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) politician, serving as a life peer in the House of Lords since 2014.
Sir John Ross, 1st Baronet, PC (I), KC (1853–1935) was an Irish politician and judge who was the last person to hold the office of Lord Chancellor of Ireland.
The Guildhall in Derry, Northern Ireland, is a guildhall in which the elected members of Derry City and Strabane District Council meet. It is a Grade A listed building.
In Ireland, the term city has somewhat differing meanings in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
Derry City and Strabane is a local government district that was created on 1 April 2015 by merging the City of Derry District and Strabane District. It covers most of the northwest of Northern Ireland. The local authority is Derry City and Strabane District Council.
Sir Robert Alexander Ferguson, 2nd Baronet was a Whig and then Liberal Party politician from Ireland.
The first election to the new Derry and Strabane District Council took place on 22 May 2014, as part of the Northern Ireland local elections that year.
Derry City Council, Re Application for Judicial Review [2007] NIQB 5 is a 2007 High Court of Northern Ireland application for judicial review. It was brought by the Derry City Council requesting that the British government change the official name of the Northern Irish city of Londonderry to Derry in keeping with the council's policy. The request was declined after the judge ruled that as the city was named Londonderry via a royal charter, any change could only be made by the monarch under the royal prerogative or by British legislation.
Lilian Seenoi-Barr is a Kenyan-born politician and councillor for Derry City and Strabane District Council, where she represents the Social Democratic and Labour Party. On 29 April 2024, Seenoi-Barr made history after being selected as the next First Citizen of Derry City and Strabane, and consequently as Northern Ireland's first black mayor.