Lord Mayor of Belfast

Lord Mayor of Belfast, Councillor Niall Ó Donnghaile The current Lord Mayor of Belfast is Councillor Niall Ó Donnghaile (Sinn Féin).

A representative for the Pottinger area of east Belfast, Councillor Ó Donnghaile was elected to office on 26 May 2011 and will continue to serve as Lord Mayor until June 2012.

The 25-year-old is Belfast's youngest ever Lord Mayor.

Before his election to council in May 2011, he was a full-time party activist, joining Sinn Féin at the age of 16, before becoming the party's press officer in the Stormont Assembly.

Educated through the Irish Medium sector, Councillor Ó Donnghaile is a politics graduate and fluent Irish speaker who actively campaigns on language rights and equality. He was born and bred in the Short Strand area of the city, where he is well-known for his community work.

Councillor Ó Donnghaile is a member of the Short Strand Partnership Board which lobbies for economic and social regeneration in east Belfast. A GAA enthusiast, he is an avid support of the Co. Down football team.

Duties and responsibilities

As Lord Mayor of Belfast, Councillor Ó Donnghaile has a number of duties and responsibilities:

Addressing the Lord Mayor

If you are speaking in public and would like to welcome or introduce the Lord Mayor, the usual form of address is simply 'Lord Mayor'. For example, "and so, I'd like to welcome Councillor Niall Ó Donnghaile, Lord Mayor of Belfast."

If you are speaking to the Lord Mayor in conversation, the correct title remains 'Lord Mayor'.

If you would like to write to the Lord Mayor, you should address your letter to 'the Right Honourable, the Lord Mayor, Councillor Niall Ó Donnghaile'. You can also abbreviate this to 'Rt Hon, the Lord Mayor, Councillor Niall Ó Donnghaile'.

You should also begin your letter with 'Dear Lord Mayor'.

Contact the Lord Mayor's office

For more information about the Lord Mayor, contact us at:

Lord Mayor's Office
Belfast City Hall
Belfast
BT1 5GS

Telephone: 028 9027 0486
Email: lordmayorsoffice@belfastcity.gov.uk