Cavan-born Councillor Ray McAdam elected Lord Mayor of Dublin
Cavan native Ray McAdam was elected as the 358th Lord Mayor of Dublin at the annual meeting of Dublin City Council in City Hall. He succeeds Councillor Emma Blain in the role. For one year, he will act as an Ambassador for the city locally and internationally and will preside over City Council meetings.
McAdam was born in Cavan and later lived in Enniskillen, before starting to study in Trinity College in 2002. He has since been an “adopted Dub”, as he calls himself, where he represents the North Inner City. Ray was first elected to Dublin City Council in 2009 and has been re-elected in every local election since. Yet, he treasures his heritage: “The values and influences I grew up with continue to shape me, and I know they will stand me in good stead as I take on the honour of serving as Lord Mayor of Dublin.”
Ray’s Great Grandfather, James Clarke, was involved in setting up the Fine Gael cumann in Cootehill back in the 1930s, so “politics was always part of the conversation growing up”, he recalls. With his whole family steeped in community life, Ray still has vivid memories of his Grandfather Seamie Clarke from New Line canvassing during the 1992 general election. “A quietly spoken man, but one who was deeply proud of his family, his politics, and his county”. It was through them that he learned about the value of community involvement. Whether it was his mother and aunts “a talented and determined bunch” who helped to put Cootehill camogie on the map in the 1980s or Granny McAdam from Bunnoe, who remembers Blueshirts being sewn in the family home: Community and politics were interwoven in Ray’s upbringing.
“An experience that probably did more than anything else to get me hooked on politics,” Ray says, was facilitated by Andrew Boylan, the former Fine Gael TD from Butlersbridge, who with Seamie Clarke made a visit to Leinster House possible.
During his time on the council, McAdam has held various senior roles, including Chair of the Planning & Urban Form Strategic Policy Committee and the North Inner City Policing Committee. He currently chairs the Protocol Committee and co-chairs the O’Devaney Gardens Redevelopment Community Consultative Forum. In his speech, McAdam announced that the theme of his mayoral term will be “Celebrating Dublin,” focusing on the city’s people, places, and development potential.
His stated priorities for the year include launching a commission on Dublin’s future to 2050, addressing vacancy and dereliction, promoting physical activity through the “Get Dublin Moving” initiative, supporting accessibility and inclusion, and creating a platform for youth engagement.