Balbriggan councillor Tony Murphy has been elected as the new Mayor of Fingal County Council.
The three-term council veteran was elected as Mayor at a special meeting on June 12, seeing off a bid from Social Democrats councillor Joan Hopkins.
The Fianna Fail/Fine Gael/Labour grouping, which had agreed to back a candidate for Mayor in the aftermath of the 2024 elections, appears to have split.
Labour, which voted to install Fine Gael councillor Tom O’Leary as Mayor last June (and had Brian McDonagh elected as Mayor in June 2024 thanks to FF/FG backing), opted to nominate Howth-Malahide councillor Hopkins as the left’s preferred candidate.
Labour’s relationship with Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael had become increasingly strained, with Labour voting against the government parties on issues such as rent increases and the local property tax, leading to the coalition breaking down.
However, the left’s attempt to install Hopkins as Mayor fell short; she received 13 votes to Murphy’s 21.
Murphy, an independent first elected in 2014, received support from an esoteric coalition of Aontú, Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael, and various independent councillors.
Murphy was proposed for Mayor by fellow independent Jimmy Guerin.
Guerin noted, “we both entered this chamber together 12 years ago, and I have had the privilege of serving alongside him.”
The Howth-Malahide councillor praised Murphy for his “unwavering service” to the people of North Fingal.
“He entered public life not for himself, but for Balbriggan; he wanted Balbriggan to be heard at the council table,” he said.
Guerin noted that Murphy has been elected on the first count in both the 2019 and 2024 local elections, topping the poll on both occasions, which he says is proof of his popularity in Balbriggan.
Outgoing Mayor Tom O’Leary looked back on an eventful year as Mayor.
“This has been one of the busiest and most rewarding years of my life. The greatest privilege of this office has been representing the people of Fingal at home and abroad,” he sasid.
“Whether attending community events, school visits, sporting occasions, business meetings or international engagements, I have been constantly reminded of the ambition, energy and spirit that exists throughout the county,” the Balbriggan councillor said.
O’Leary handed over the reins to his fellow Balbriggan councillor, who said it was an “honour and privilege” to be elected as Mayor.
“I’d like to thank our outgoing Mayor, councillor O’Leary and our deputy mayor, councillor Maguire, for their hard work and leadership over the last year,” Murphy said.
Murphy said he would be “working closely” with O’Leary to carry on the “economic groundwork” laid by the Fine Gael councillor and working with Maguire on community issues.
The Balbriggan councillor said his journey into politics was “not planned,” and said he was encouraged to run by his colleagues in the Balbriggan Chamber of Commerce back in 2014.
“I simply wanted to see improvements in my community, and I felt that if you want to see things change, you have to get involved. I’m the kind of person who rolls up my sleeves and looks for actions rather than being a bystander,” he told the meeting.
Murphy said that regardless of party or background, Fingal County Council members were all committed to improving their communities and that the county itself is “full of opportunity.”
“We are one of the fastest-growing areas in the country; we are home to thriving towns and villages, world-class business, a strong community spirit and a young and ambitious population.”
The Balbriggan councillor said that housing is the biggest issue facing Ireland today, and Fingal was no stranger to the housing crisis.
He said that while the council has made progress on attempting to put a dent in the housing crisis (despite the best efforts of the Minister for Housing – see page four for more), he wanted his term as Mayor to be focused on housing delivery.
“For me, successful communities are more about the actual areas that we live in than the bricks and mortar; we are looking at parks, libraries, green spaces, places where people can come together,” he explained.
“One of my ambitions as Mayor is to make sure that every park in Fingal benefits from the opportunities that lie ahead, whether you live in Skerries, Rush, Lusk, Howth, Malahide, Portmarnock, you should feel that your community matters and your voice is heard.”
Murphy said that Balbriggan “inspired” him to get involved in politics, saying that the town was “overlooked” for years.
“I wanted to make sure the town got the attention and investment it deserved; today, Balbriggan is a different place. We have seen investment and real progress,” he said.
“There is still more work to do,” Murphy stated.
“If Balbriggan represents what we can achieve through community belief and investment, Swords represents the scale of what Fingal County Council can achieve when it invests in a vision,” pointing to the Swords Cultural Quarter works as an example.
Murphy said he was “looking forward” to working with the various Fingal County Council members, and said, “while we might not always agree, that’s the nature of democracy, I believe we all share the same objective; improving the lives of the people we represent.”
The new Mayor thanked his family and friends for their “support, patience and understanding.”
He explained, “anyone involved in public life knows that it requires time, commitment and sacrifice, and I could not do this without their commitment and support,” and that he looked forward to serving the people of Fingal with “energy and enthusiasm” over the coming year.
Murphy finished the speech with a personal flourish; he paid homage to his two grandchildren.
He noted that his grandson is only 18 months old, so he would not be able to recognise the scope of the achievement, but said his granddaughter was well aware.
“When she is asked what she wants to be when she grows up, she says she wants to be famous like her granddad,” which drew laughs from the chamber.
“I think I would change that perception of fame,” he joked.
Swords councillor Luke Corkery will serve as Murphy’s deputy over the next year
Corkery was first elected to Fingal County Council in 2024, and was among the youngest councillors in the country to be elected that year.
The Fine Gael councillor was 22 years old when he first got elected to public office, and has now ascended to the lofty position of deputy mayor.
Corkery saw off a bid from fellow Swords councillor Dean Mulligan to become Deputy Mayor.
He was nominated for the position by Fine Gael colleague Aoibhinn Tormey, who said it was fitting that the youngest county in Ireland was represented by its youngest elected representative.
She said that Corkery would be a “great ambassador” for Fingal.
“He is a very talented and impressive public representative who will do us proud as deputy mayor,” the Howth-Malahide councillor said.
Sinn Féin councillor Angela Donnelly backed Mulligan for the deputy mayor slot, saying that Mulligan is a “true independent.”
“We’d all agree he’s known for his passion and integrity in this room; he’s often a bit of a peacemaker and did a great job of trying to pull together a coalition two years ago,” she noted.
The left-wing coalition may have fallen apart two years ago (after Labour and Solidarity reportedly disagreed on mayoral allotments), but there appear to be new signs of life for what once seemed a doomed project.
Labour, Sinn Féin, the Social Democrats, the Greens, and independent left-wing councillors such as Mulligan all worked together to vote for a mayor and deputy mayor candidate.
Indeed, Aontú, which was formed as a breakaway from Sinn Féin in the wake of the Repeal referendum, had to spare the government party’s blushes on this occasion.
Their three councillors (with Swords councillor Darren Jack Kelly the newest addition to their ranks) voted for both Murphy and Corkery as mayor and deputy mayor.
Party leader Peader Tóibín is a vocal critic of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, with the Aontú TD recently tweeting that “Micheál Martin has transformed Fianna Fáil into a subsidiary of Fine Gael.”
His only Dublin councillors subsequently backed those same two parties to run Fingal County Council.