Latest news with #McAdam
Irish Independent
2 days ago
- Politics
- Irish Independent
Lord Mayor invites Barack and Michelle Obama to accept Freedom of Dublin
Dublin City Council voted to confer the city's highest civic honour on the couple in February 2017, but they never had the chance to officially accept the award. Dublin's Lord Mayor Ray McAdam has now invited the couple to accept this award during their upcoming visit to the capital in September. In a letter to the Obamas, the lord mayor urged the couple to come to the Mansion House to formally accept the city's highest accolade. 'As you return to Dublin, I know that many here continue to hold fond memories of your visit in the spring of 2011,' he wrote. 'In February 2017, the Council resolved unanimously to confer this highest civic honour upon you both.' Previous recipients of the Freedom of Dublin include Greta Thunberg, Nelson Mandela, John F. Kennedy and Mother Theresa. Historically, the award granted certain privileges to the city's holder such as grazing sheep on Stephen's Green. Despite a small number of councillors walking out in protest over the vote at the time, Lord Mayor McAdam praised the global impact of the Obamas. 'Barack and Michelle Obama have made an extraordinary contribution to public life, not just in the United States but globally,' he said 'President Obama led his country through a time of deep economic crisis and political division with a sense of hope, dignity, and calm leadership. 'His presidency inspired people around the world, including here in Ireland.' Obama is visiting Dublin in September to take part in a sit-down interview with journalist Fintan O'Toole. Mr McAdam believes the Obamas have done tremendous work for the democratic process and should be honoured for their contribution to public service. 'Mrs Obama, through her advocacy, voice, and example, has empowered millions – particularly young women and girls – to believe in their potential,' he said. The vote to confer the award in 2017 was a controversial one, with councillors voting 30 to 23 in favour, with four abstentions. People-Before-Profit councillors John Lyons, Andrew Keegan, Tina MacVeigh and Hazel de Nortuin left the council chamber when the appointment was made. They claimed the awarding of the honour was an 'insult' to the people of Dublin as the former President 'presided over growing inequality at home, mass incarceration and deportations and ongoing wars in the Middle East'. Lord Mayor McAdam believes the Freedom of the City is an important reward to 'connect those honoured with the reward with the to the civic heart of our capital'. 'By conferring the Freedom, we're not just recognising past achievements, we're welcoming the Obamas as part of Dublin's story,' he said. Cllr McAdams affirmed that this award is of great importance to Dublin and would like to see the Obamas take up the duty. 'This ceremony is a chance to affirm the values we hold dear in Dublin: democracy, decency, inclusion, and respect. 'The Obamas reflect those values, and I believe this is an important and appropriate moment to formally celebrate them.'
The Journal
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Journal
Dublin Lord Mayor invites Obamas to accept Freedom of City award during September visit
THE DUBLIN LORD Mayor has invited the Obamas to accept their Freedom of the City of Dublin award when they visit in September. The Freedom of the City is the highest and most prestigious award Dublin City can bestow. Former US president Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama were conferred with the honour in 2017 following a close vote. Councillors voted 30 to 23, with four abstentions, to grant the former US President and First Lady the award. Opponents at the time argued that measures Obama had taken as president, such as the authorisation of drone strikes, large scale deportations and the support of his cabinet to overthrow the Honduran government, disqualified him from being considered for the award. On 26 September, Obama will be in Dublin for a sit down interview in the 3Arena with journalist Fintan O'Toole. Tickets went on sale earlier this month, with VIP ticket packages on offer costing over €600. In a letter ahead of this visit to Dublin, Lord Mayor Ray McAdam urged the Obamas to visit the Mansion House to accept the honour in person. 'As you return to Dublin, I know that many here continue to hold fond memories of your visit in the spring of 2011,' wrote McAdam in his letter to the Obamas. Obama's 2011 visit included a speech at Dublin's College Green and a trip to Moneygall in Co Mayo. Barack Obama and Michelle Obama wave to the crowd as they take the stage at College Green in Dublin on 23 May, 2011. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo Obama's great-great-great grandfather , Falmouth Kearney, lived in Moneygall and emigrated to the US in 1850. 'There was a palpable sense of excitement and pride in the city, especially on that unforgettable evening when you addressed the crowds at College Green,' said McAdam. 'It remains one of the defining moments of modern Dublin's story- a moment of shared hope, friendship and global connection.' McAdam further writes that the people of Dublin have 'long admired your leadership, your commitment to public service and your shared belief in the power of community, equality and democracy'. Advertisement 'It would be a great honour to formally welcome you both as Freeman and Freewoman of our city.' McAdam told The Journal that Obama's presidency 'inspired people around the world—including here in Ireland'. 'The Freedom of the City of Dublin is a symbolic but deeply meaningful gesture,' said McAdam. 'It reflects the respect and esteem in which the people of Dublin, through their elected representatives, hold an individual. 'It connects those honoured with the civic heart of our capital. 'By conferring the Freedom, we're not just recognising past achievements—we're welcoming the Obamas as part of Dublin's story.' Freedom of the City The Lord Mayor of Dublin nominates people for the Honorary Freedom of the City of Dublin , and a meeting of the City Council must ratify each one. The Council has conferred this award on 88 people. The most recent recipients were environmentalists Duncan Stewart and Greta Thunberg, who received the award on Saturday, 21 June 2023. Other notable recipients include U2, Mother Teresa, John F Kennedy, George Bernard Shaw, and Brian O'Driscoll. In 2017, Bob Geldolf returned his award in protest at the inclusion of Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi on the roll of honour. Her name was removed in 2017 and Geldof later said he would accept if his name were reinstated. While no financial benefits are attached to the award, holders have some ancient privileges and duties which are not applicable to ordinary citizens, some of which have little more than symbolic meaning. The privileges include the right to graze sheep on St Stephen's Green and the right to vote in municipal and parliamentary elections. Meanwhile, ancient duties call on each freeman or freewoman to be 'ready to defend the city from attack'. They can also be called on to join a city militia at short notice. According to a law passed in 1454, any merchant who receive the honour must possess a coat of mail, a bow and 12 arrows, a light helmet, and a sword of their own. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
Irish Independent
21-07-2025
- Politics
- Irish Independent
Ray McAdam: ‘I don't believe a directly elected mayor would be effective for Dublin'
Fine Gael's Ray McAdam was elected as the 358th Lord Mayor of Dublin on June 30, succeeding fellow councillor Emma Blain. During his 12-month term, he hopes to focus on regeneration, investment and restoring civic pride, but rejects the idea that a directly elected mayor for the capital is a better way to achieve such change. He believes local government works best through collaboration, and thinks a directly elected mayor with their own policy platform could stick a spanner in that machine. 'I don't believe a directly elected mayor would be effective for Dublin,' Mr McAdam said. 'The best way to explain my view is that if you look at the current coalition we have in Dublin City Council, it's made up of Fine Gael, the Greens, Fianna Fáil and Labour. The leader of the largest party is Fine Gael, we would have the mayoralty for five years, as how a taoiseach would be elected. 'The deputy lord mayor would probably be two-and-a-half years to the Greens and Fianna Fáil, because they're the same number of seats.' Mr McAdam said the council's committee chairpeople would then be responsible for their respective departments, in much the same way as the national government functions. While the level of control afforded to the Lord Mayor under the current system is up for debate, Mr McAdam said it will not stop him trying to push for effective change. 'I need to make sure that I drive my own agenda. I want to keep that narrow and I need to keep it focused,' he said. 'I have 12 months, 365 days, 52 weeks. I want to make every single day count. ADVERTISEMENT Learn more 'We are not good at maintaining things. And I make no apologies for saying it. We have to knock heads together, from the chief executive down. I have a very good working relationship with the chief executive, but this silo mentality needs to end. 'We are there to serve Dubliners. If we are going to install these structures, then we need to maintain them. 'I don't want to hear, 'it's not our responsibility', or 'it's environment or transport, or active travel'. Just get it done.' We need to do maintenance better in this city, and you can quote me on that As if to prove his point, Mr McAdam addresses the issue of broken bulbs all along the roadside of Dublin's landmark Samuel Beckett Bridge, brought up by our photographer at the start of our meeting. 'We need to do maintenance better in this city, and you can quote me on that,' he said. 'When you're driving across that bridge next week, those lights will be fixed.' He also believes Dublin residents should contribute more to their local communities and areas, injecting a sense of civic pride back into the city. 'Dubliners expect their city to be maintained well and, my philosophy is, if we're not looking after the city and maintaining the city well enough, we can't expect more of Dubliners,' he said. 'We have a responsibility to show leadership.' As a councillor for the north inner city since 2009, Mr McAdam knows all too well how urban decay can spread if left unchecked. During his inaugural address as Lord Mayor on June 30, he said: 'Let's treat dereliction as a civic emergency and respond with the ambition it demands.' As part of that drive, he wants to create a publicly accessible vacancy map of the city and use his experience on the council's urban regeneration working group to push the measures it is currently formulating. One of the expected key suggestions from the group, which will issue its final report in September, is the creation of a so-called special purpose vehicle (SPV) owned by the council for investment. He hopes this could drive regeneration projects in the vein of Limerick 2030. 'When you are in a housing supply crisis like we're in, we need to be able to provide units or homes at scale,' Mr McAdam said. 'That's where I think the SPV provides Dublin City Council an opportunity. 'We have a number of streets, or a number of areas where we have now acquired direct properties. The housing department wanted to refurbish them for public housing use, but the time to get through design and planning and all of that was too cumbersome.' The SPV, he said, would aim to streamline the process of turning an empty building into a usable site through a dedicated regeneration unit. The broader dereliction conversation is taking place against the backdrop of the so-called '10 big moves' recommended in last year's Dublin City Taskforce report, which aimed to revitalise the capital. Those measures, including 1,000 extra gardaí, the revitalisation of O'Connell Street and wide-ranging upgrades to council complexes and derelict sites across the city, have seen an initial injection of €114m under the Government's Urban Regeneration and Development Fund. But that pales in comparison with the measures' overall projected price tag of up to €1bn. The Lord Mayor thinks October will hold more news on that front. 'With the upcoming budget, I'm confident we will start to see the early indications of funding, but also the early allocations of funding,' he said. 'I don't expect all of this funding in one year, I don't think anyone does. But I do expect a clear direction of travel.'
Irish Post
03-07-2025
- Business
- Irish Post
Fine Gael councillor Ray McAdam elected new Lord Mayor of Dublin
FINE GAEL councillor Ray McAdam has been elected the new Lord Mayor of Dublin. He becomes the city's 358th Lord Mayor, succeeding Councillor Emma Blain, who held the post from December 2024. The Co. Cavan native, who was raised in Co. Fermanagh assumed the role on June 30 at a meeting of Dublin City Council in City Hall. The newly elected Lord Mayor of Dublin Ray McAdam receives his. chain (Pics: Dublin City Council) Educated at St. Michael's College in Enniskillen, Mr McAdam moved to Dublin in 2002 to study Philosophy and Political Science at Trinity College. Before entering elected office, he worked in sales and later as a Political Aide to Minister Paschal Donohoe in the Oireachtas. He was first elected to Dublin City Council in 2009, to represent the North Inner City and has been re-elected at every subsequent local election. Lord Mayor of Dublin Ray McAdam pictured wth the former mayor Emma Blain (Pics: Dublin City Council) 'Dublin is a city I love deeply,' Mr McAdam said. 'But like many Dubliners, I know it can do better,' he added. Mr McAdam has confirmed the theme of his term will be 'celebrating Dublin', which he describes as 'simple but powerful'. 'To celebrate Dublin is not to ignore its problems, it's the opposite,' he explained. 'It's about lifting our city up and asking it, and ourselves, to live up to the best of what it can be.' Mr McAdam pictured with his wife Niamh, their son Iarlath and party colleague, Finance Minister Pachal Donohoe (Pics: Dublin City Council) Mr McAdam currently serves as Chair of the Council's Protocol Committee. He has served as Leader of the Council's Fine Gael group for seven years. The Lord Mayor confirmed that he will launch a Lord Mayor's Commission on Dublin 2050 to develop a long-term vision for the capital's city centre. 'Cities across the world are being reshaped by post-pandemic life, changing how we shop, move, gather, and live,' he said. 'Dublin can't drift - it must lead,' he added. 'This Commission will bring people together from every part of city life to ask one central question: what should Dublin's city centre feel and look like by 2050?' Councillor John Stephens has been elected the Deputy Lord Mayor of Dublin. See More: Fine Gael, Lord Mayor Of Dublin, Ray McAdam
The Journal
30-06-2025
- Politics
- The Journal
Fine Gael councillor Ray McAdam elected as new Lord Mayor of Dublin
LAST UPDATE | 2 hrs ago FINE GAEL COUNCILLOR Ray McAdam has been elected as Dublin's newest Lord Mayor. At this evening's Annual Council meeting, McAdam was elected to succeed his party colleague Emma Blain, who had served as Lord Mayor since 18 December. He will now serve as the 358th Lord Mayor of Dublin until 29 June next year. McAdam, a Cavan native who has previously acted as a Parliamentary Assistant to Paschal Donohoe, is a North Inner City councillor and was first elected in 2009. He has been re-elected at subsequent Local Elections in 2014, 2019 and again in 2024. Speaking following the election, McAdam thanked those who elected him as the 358th Lord Mayor of Dublin, his family and his colleagues in the chamber. Congratulations to Councillor Ray McAdam who was Elected as the 358th Lord Mayor of Dublin 🎉 — Lord Mayor of Dublin (@LordMayorDublin) June 30, 2025 McAdam also paid tribute to his predecessor Blain, who he said brought 'empathy and purpose to the role'. 'Let this become the place where ambition meets action,' McAdam said, adding that celebrating Dublin 'will be the guiding star' of his term as Lord Mayor. 'We will celebrate Dublin, not only as it is, but as it can become. Because to truly celebrate something is also to shape it, to lift it up, to call it forward, to demand that it live up to its best self.' McAdam then outlined five key initiatives for her term as Lord Mayor – including the rejuvenation of O'Connell Street, tackling dereliction, a 'get Dublin moving' sports initiative, a Dublin disability inclusion drive and a 'young Dubliners speak' initiative. He also pledged to install a new statue on O'Connell Street within the year honouring 'the women of the revolution'. O'Connell Street. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo 'I am grateful for the courage, the leadership and the sacrifice of the women who shaped Ireland's revolutionary past, and I will do my part to ensure they are remembered not only with dignity and with respect, but in full view of the city they helped to build,' McAdam said. He went on to say that the council knows the challenges facing the city – including housing, safety, climate change and socioeconomic barriers. 'These challenges are real, but they demand action, not avoidance. They demand leadership, not lament,' McAdam said. Advertisement 'Even in the face of these realities, I firmly believe in this city, not only because of what it has been, but because of what it can still be.' Ahead of the election, Blain was invited to address her former Dublin City Council colleagues, where she thanked staff at the Mansion House on Dawson Street, her family and fellow councillors, and recalled some of the many 'memorable moments' during her tenure. 'Thank you for your belief in what Dublin can be,' Blain said. 'It was the greatest honour of my life'. Former Lord Mayor Emma Blain. 'Dublin is in a good place. There's a renewed energy and a sense that we've turned a corner, and I've been glad to play a small part in that work,' she added. 'There is still work to do, but we're building strong foundations with talented and committed people leading the way.' Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe congratulated his constituency and party colleague. 'A glorious moment as my wonderful friend Ray McAdam arrives at the Mansion House having been elected as the 358th Lord Mayor Dublin,' he said in a post on X. 'Ray is one of the hardest working people I know. He is ambitious for the role and will do a magnificent job. I wish him all the luck in the world.' In addition to the support of his Fine Gael party, McAdam also got the backing of Fianna Fáil, Labour and Green party councillors. This is because Dublin City councillors from these parties entered into a political agreement last year , which is set to run until 2029. The position of Lord Mayor is set to be rotated among these parties as part of the agreement. There are 63 councillors within Dublin City Council and 31 councillors belong to this pact. Ray McAdam received 34 votes during the election this evening. Sinn Féin, which has nine councillors elected to Dublin City Council, nominated Councillor Kourtney Kenny as their candidate for Lord Mayor. Sinn Féin is part of a newly-formed 'Progressive Alliance' which includes the Social Democrats, People Before Profit and independent councillors Pat Dunne, Cieran Perry, and John Lyons. This alliance contains 24 councillors who supported Kenny's bid. Kenny received 22 votes this evening. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
