Tensions between Limerick’s mayor John Moran and its councillors were laid bare this week in an extraordinary online post.
Moran, in that post, questioned whether there was a strategy to make his role “unbearable” and “create sufficient pressure” that he might “simply walk away”.
The people of Limerick voted in favour of a directly elected mayor in a 2019 plebiscite, creating the only office of its kind in the country.
Less than two years into his term as mayor, Moran is feeling the pressure of this nascent role in Irish politics.
The Limerick man, a former Department of Finance secretary general turned independent politician, was elected to the role in June 2024 and he is the first person to wear the now-directly elected mayoral chain of office.
The rocky start to this experiment in local democracy raises the question: is the role of directly elected mayor workable in Limerick and ultimately elsewhere in Ireland?
The experience so far might indicate it is not, though there are arguments against this, not least from Moran himself, despite the evident difficulties.
Writing on his website, Moran said a “minority” from Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil – the largest p
Continue Reading on The Irish Times
This preview shows approximately 15% of the article. Read the full story on the publisher's website to support quality journalism.