Belfast’s new Lord Mayor has used her first night in office to call on residents to help the city present itself at its best during one of the biggest cultural summers it has hosted.
Councillor Róis-Máire Donnelly was installed as Lord Mayor at Belfast City Hall on 1 June 2026, taking over the chain of office from Councillor Tracy Kelly. Her first message focused on the build-up to Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann, which is due to bring visitors, performers and community activity into the city this summer and return again in 2027.
Donnelly said the Fleadh would give Belfast a platform to show its people, diversity, traditions and stories, while also creating benefits that could be felt beyond the event itself.
Róis-Máire Donnelly takes the chain of office at City Hall
Donnelly, 30, is a Sinn Féin councillor from Ballymurphy and represents the Black Mountain electoral area in west Belfast. She has served as a councillor since May 2023.
Her appointment came during the council’s annual general meeting at City Hall, the final annual meeting of the current four-year council term. The meeting was streamed live through the council’s website and also confirmed new committee chairs.
Speaking after her installation, Donnelly framed the coming months as a shared civic effort. She said Belfast residents should get involved and show what the city can do together, especially as it prepares to welcome people from across Ireland and further afield.
She also used Irish in her remarks, saying that people do not only live in one another’s shadow but thrive together, and that the city has a summer ahead that can reflect its musical heritage and traditions.
Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann puts Belfast communities in the spotlight
Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann is one of Europe’s largest cultural events, centred on traditional Irish music, performance and community participation. For Belfast, the event is not a one-off: it is also scheduled to take place in the city in 2027.
That two-year run gives local groups, venues, businesses and neighbourhoods more time to connect with visitors and build momentum around culture-led activity. Donnelly said delivering an event of this scale would take a team effort, with communities involved in staging and welcoming people across the city.
“The Fleadh in Belfast is all about ‘celebrating together’,” she said, adding that the city had a chance to engage communities while encouraging visitors to explore what Belfast has to offer.
For residents, the practical impact will be felt in how the city manages crowds, cultural programming, hospitality, transport pressure and local participation. For community organisations, it brings an opportunity to put local traditions, language work and youth projects in front of a wider audience.
Young people and the Irish language named as mayoral priorities
Donnelly said young people, particularly girls and young women, would be a focus during her term. She noted that 40 per cent of Belfast’s population is aged 30 or under, and linked that generation directly to major pressures facing the city, including the cost of living, inclusive growth and climate change.
She said she wanted to hear young people’s ideas and encourage them to take part in shaping solutions. She also said she was particularly keen to support younger women in communities and highlight projects that empower them, challenge negative behaviours towards women and improve access to support services.
The Irish language will also be part of her mayoral focus. Donnelly said Belfast’s Irish-speaking community is growing and should be protected and nurtured like other language communities in the city.
She said Irish-language groups were central to redevelopment, relationship-building and Belfast’s future, and that she wanted to showcase work being done to foster interest and connection across the city.
Deputy Lord Mayor confirmed for the new civic year
Councillor Hedley Abernethy has become Belfast’s new Deputy Lord Mayor. Abernethy is an Alliance Party councillor for the Ormiston electoral area and succeeds Councillor Paul Doherty in the role.
The leadership change places City Hall’s civic team in position ahead of a summer when Belfast will be judged not only by the scale of the Fleadh, but by how widely its communities are able to take part.
Source: Belfast City Council
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This report is based on Belfast City Council’s published account of the mayoral installation and Fleadh remarks.
- Confirmed the installation date as 1 June 2026.
- Checked the named office holders and outgoing office holders against the source text.
- Verified that the story’s geographic scope is Belfast rather than the council as a publish...
- Kept event context limited to details stated in the source, including the Fleadh returning...
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- Belfast City Council
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- Belfast
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- 2026-06-03 19:02
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