Fianna Fáil councillor Emma Murphy has been elected mayor of South Dublin County Council, becoming the first LGBTQ+ woman to be elected as mayor of a local authority in Ireland.
Speaking after her election, Cllr Murphy said she was “thrilled” to be elected.
“As an LGBTQ+ woman it is a huge honour to be the first woman from my community to hold the office of mayor in the State. On the eve of the Dublin Pride Festival, I hope this sends a message of hope and solidarity to all members of the LGBTQ+ community,” she said.
“Pride is an opportunity to not only celebrate the LGBTQ+ community but also to show solidarity with the discrimination the community face.”
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Ms Murphy said she was “looking forward to representing the community” as mayor, as well as attending Dublin Pride Festival alongside Taoiseach Micheál Martin.
The count council called her election a “landmark moment for the State”.
The council is now led by two women as Labour councillor Joanna Tuffy was elected as deputy mayor at the annual meeting.
The State’s first openly gay man elected to position of mayor was in Fingal County Council in 2012, when councillor Cian O’Callaghan was elected, also coinciding with the annual Pride festival.
