DUBLIN’S 350th Lord Mayor is Finglas man Paul McAuliffe and he’s hoping to celebrate local heroes during his term in office.
The new first citizen is launching a new initiative called Finglas Believe to highlight locals who have succeeded in life.
“Areas like Finglas and Ballymun often get negative publicity but we have some amazing people who have achieved great success,” he said.
“I want to celebrate them this year and see how we can use their success to inspire the next generation of kids in our area.
“Many well off areas in the city have their 'Old School networks'; well I think it's time we had our own network our own alumni to support each other and more importantly inspire, encourage and support others coming behind us.”
The new Lord Mayor hopes to launch Finglas Believe later this year and is asking locals to let him know of anybody who has succeeded in life.
“Success can be defined very broadly,” he added. “People who want to give back, then please email me their story or your own story to paul.mcauliffe@dublincity.ie.
“This isn't just about famous names. I want small business owners and managers, sportspeople and artists, people who have worked against the odds and expectations and who want to share that story with others who want to do that same.
“While we are starting with Finglas Believe, I believe every community in the city that is often called 'disadvantaged' can do the same.
“There's no reason why we can't have a Ballymun Believe, a Ballyfermot Believe, a Cabra Believe and many more. As Lord Mayor I'll work with any local committee that forms a group in their area. Just get in touch on lordmayor@dublincity.ie.
Lord Mayor McAuliffe has made a blistering start to his term in office since being elected on June 7. Within days of taking office he launched the New Finglas Library Project, attended the Ballymun4Business Summer BBQ, met the King and Queen of the Netherlands, had lunch with Finglas Addiction Support Team, hosted the International Dublin Literary Awards, opened the 1916 Children’s Commemorative Play Garden at St Audeon's Park and attended the DCU Alumni Awards.
Cllr McAuliffe was born and reared in Finglas. His family has lived in Finglas for more than 60 years, with both grandparents settling there when it was only a small village on the outskirts of Dublin.
He was educated at De La Salle Primary School, Beneavin College Secondary School and the National College of Ireland.
He’s married to Ciara and they have two young children, Millie and Hugh and has been an elected member of Dublin City Council since 2009, where he has represented the people of Finglas, Glasnevin, Ballymun and Santry.
He has also served as the chairperson of the City Council’s Enterprise and Economic Development Committee and he is a member of the seven-person Corporate Policy Group (CPG) chaired by the Lord Mayor.
As chairperson he led the City Economic and Community Plan and published the Dublin City Brexit Summits.
He has also served as the Chairperson of the City's Local Community Development Committee (LCDC) where he has overseen the Social Inclusion Community Activation Programme.