The people of Limerick voted in favour of a directly elected mayor in a 2019 plebiscite, creating the only office of its kind in the country. The rocky start to this experiment in local democracy raises the question: is the role of directly elected mayor workable in Limerick and ultimately elsewhere in Ireland? However, she said the directly elected mayor role can work, though accepted there was a need for “tweaks” to the legislation. Quinlivan suggested the idea of a directly elected mayor for Dublin was “stalled” with “no urgency or enthusiasm from Government”. [ Limerick mayor lobbied for €2bn of Apple cashOpens in new window ]“Even if you think about it kind of simplistically: you have a directly elected mayor with a five-year term of office.

Source: The Irish Times February 20, 2026 22:03 UTC