Belfast’s new Lord Mayor urges city to unite

Belfast’s new Lord Mayor has used her first address in the role to call for a city-wide summer effort as the capital prepares to host Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann, one of Europe’s largest cultural gatherings.

Councillor Róis-Máire Donnelly was installed at City Hall on 1 June 2026, taking over the chain of office from Councillor Tracy Kelly after Belfast City Council’s annual general meeting. Her message to residents was direct: the Fleadh will depend not only on venues, performers and organisers, but on communities across Belfast showing what the city can offer visitors.

The event is due to take place in Belfast in both 2026 and 2027, giving the city two successive summers to place Irish music, language, local neighbourhoods and civic hospitality in front of a wide audience.

Róis-Máire Donnelly takes office at City Hall

Councillor Donnelly, a Sinn Féin representative, comes from Ballymurphy and has served the Black Mountain electoral area in west Belfast since May 2023. At 30, she begins her term as Lord Mayor with youth engagement placed near the centre of her civic agenda.

Speaking after the council meeting, she said Belfast was facing a “huge year” and called on citizens to get involved in the summer ahead. She also spoke in Irish, saying the city had an opportunity to show its musical heritage and traditions to the island and beyond.

Her mayoral priorities include celebrating young people, supporting girls and young women, and promoting the Irish language. She pointed to Belfast’s young population, saying 40% of residents are aged 30 or under, and linked that generation directly to issues such as the cost of living, inclusive growth and climate change.

Donnelly said she wanted to hear young people’s ideas and encourage them to help shape solutions. She also said she was keen to highlight projects that empower younger women, challenge negative behaviour towards women and improve access to support services.

Fleadh Cheoil puts Belfast communities in the spotlight

Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann is more than a performance schedule for Belfast. For the city, the staging of the event brings a practical test of transport, public space, hospitality, cultural programming and neighbourhood participation.

Donnelly described the Fleadh as a “team effort” and said the event would give Belfast a platform to highlight its people, diversity, traditions and stories. The fact that Belfast is also set to host the Fleadh in 2027 means the work done this summer is likely to shape expectations for a second major year of cultural activity.

For residents, the impact will be felt in visible ways: visitors moving through the city, cultural events reaching beyond formal venues, and local groups being asked to play a role in how Belfast presents itself. For businesses, community organisations and language groups, the coming months offer a chance to connect local identity with a major visitor economy moment.

Irish language and youth projects form mayoral priorities

The new Lord Mayor also signalled that the Irish language community will be a visible part of her term. She said Belfast’s Irish language community is flourishing and, like other languages, should be protected and nurtured.

Her comments place language alongside wider community development rather than treating it as a separate cultural issue. Donnelly said Irish language groups are central to the city’s redevelopment, relationship-building and Belfast’s future.

That focus is likely to intersect with the Fleadh’s wider cultural programme. As Irish music, dance and language draw visitors into the city, local groups will be watching how the event connects with everyday community life in areas beyond the city centre.

New deputy mayor and council roles confirmed

The annual meeting also confirmed Councillor Hedley Abernethy as Belfast’s new Deputy Lord Mayor. Abernethy, an Alliance Party councillor for the Ormiston electoral area, takes over from outgoing Deputy Lord Mayor Councillor Paul Doherty.

The meeting, streamed live through the council’s website, was the last annual meeting of the current four-year council term. It also included the appointment of new committee chairs, setting the civic leadership structure for a summer in which Belfast’s public profile will be closely tied to how it hosts, manages and shares the Fleadh.

Source: Belfast City Council