The 35 First Citizens I have known... and why the role is so important to Corkonians
PJ Coogan with then Lord Mayor of Cork city, Cllr Kieran McCarthy, at City Hall last year. Dan Boyle is the 36th Lord Mayor he has engaged with in his time in radio
IN his speech on becoming Lord Mayor of Cork last year, Cllr Kieran McCarthy recalled ‘Lord Mayor’s Day’ in his schooldays, and told us he was the boy in his class who “wanted to be the Lord Mayor when I grew up”.
I smiled when I heard that, remembering my own schooldays when the Lord Mayor of the day would declare our homework “cancelled” and that “by the powers of his office”, he was granting us a half day. It was a wonderful Cork tradition - one that was almost scuppered in the early ‘noughties’ by an interfering Education Minister.
These days, I enjoy a different tradition connected to the Lord Mayor. Early every December, and obviously barring such minor inconveniences as pandemics, a letter arrives for me at Broadcasting House at 96FM, inviting me to a Christmas drink for the media in the First Citizen’s office.
Kieran McCarthy was the 35th Lord Mayor I’ve dealt with on what you might call a ‘professional’ level, since 96FM came on the air in 1989 (Dan Boyle this year was the 36th!). That sunny August day in 1989, the late Chrisse Ahern was brought by helicopter (eat yer heart out, Finbarr Archer) to the studio, then out in Whites Cross, in what was once the home of pirate radio giant, ERI, to formally launch ‘Radio South’. I interviewed Chrissie, a lovely, jolly woman, that day and have interviewed, at one point or another, usually several times during their year in office, every Lord Mayor since.
Looking back over that list, there are names that stand out. Many have gone on to serve in national politics, most notably ex-Taoiseach Micheál Martin, Lord Mayor in 1992/93 (yes, over 30 years ago, now!).
Before the ’90s, it was commonplace for councillors to be TDs too, but the end of the ‘dual mandate’ stopped that. As a councillor, you can be a candidate for the Dáil or Seanad, but if you get elected, you must give up your council seat.
The ‘State of The Parties’ count over the past 35 years is interesting. Chrissie was in Fianna Fáil and 12 other members of that party have worn the chain of office in the years since, as well as 11 members of Fine Gael, eight from the Labour Party, one from Sinn Féin (Chris O’Leary was the first since Seán French in 1925) and two Independents: Mick Finn, the first Independent for 70 years when he was elected in 2018, and present Lord Mayor, Cllr McCarthy.
I’m sometimes asked, given my years covering council matters as a journalist, if there are people I feel should have been given their chance to serve as Lord Mayor. Two in particular spring to mind.
Mairín Quill, now in her eighties, served in council for 30 years, but as a Progressive Democrat (remember them?) was never part of the voting ‘pact’ that kept the office rotating between Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and Labour up until 2005. I have always said she would have been an excellent First Citizen.
The other is Northside legend Con O’Leary, of ‘Con’s Shop’ in Gurranabraher. Passionate, outspoken, and truly one of the funniest people I ever met in politics, Con as Lord Mayor would have been a howl!
As Corkonians, we have a unique level of respect for the office of Lord Mayor, steeped as it is in history. It’s safe to say that no matter what one achieved in public life thereafter, every one of the 35 Lords Mayor (yes, that is the correct plural!) I’ve met through my job will say without question that it was a career highlight, and their greatest honour.
I recall my friend Dino Cregan, for example, with a smile like a spring sunrise, shedding a quiet tear of joy as I waited to interview him on his election night in 1991.
Dave, as a councillor, was a dab hand at getting houses allocated for constituents. He had little handwritten notebooks full of different cases. He hadn’t much interest in soccer (GAA was his passion) and never took a drink in his life. However, if a certain Premier League club were playing on a Sunday, there was one official who Dave would knowingly target first thing Monday, hoping he had had a pint or two while watching his team, and would sign off on a house or two just to get rid of him! That, my friends, is local politics for you!
To finish, I mentioned the name of Finbarr Archer earlier. He has been the very popular driver of the Lord Mayor’s official car since 2010. Any past Lord Mayor will tell you he “taught them the job” in their first month.
Finbarr has earned the affectionate nickname of ‘De Real Lord Mayor’, and if I may, in recognition of that, I’d like to dedicate this little piece to him and his wife Mary.
