Cork city's first Green Party Lord Mayor wants more open spaces

Councillor Dan Boyle said that THE 'coming years will see the wider, and necessary, infrastructure being put in place' across Cork city

Councillor Dan Boyle, left, was elected the first Green Party Lord Mayor of Cork at City Hall on Friday evening. He received his chain of office from outgoing lord mayor councillor Kieran McCarthy. Picture: David Creedon

Former TD and now councillor Dan Boyle has been elected the first Green Party Lord Mayor of Cork, saying the city needs more green and open spaces.

Mr Boyle, 61, who represents the Cork City South-Central, was elected at the annual general meeting of Cork City Council on Friday night. 

He defeated the Sinn Féin nominee, councillor Fiona Kerins, thanks to a pact involving the Green Party, Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael, Labour, and some Independents.

Chicago-born Mr Boyle, who has been involved in politics for 33 years, was the first Green Party councillor elected to the city council in 1991. In 2002, he became the first Green TD elected outside the capital.

He lost his Dáil seat in 2007, but helped negotiate the Green’s Programme for Government with Fianna Fáil, before being nominated to the Seanad — where he served as deputy leader from 2007 to 2011. He was re-elected to city council in 2019, retaining his seat two weeks ago.

A father of one and grandfather of three, he has written three books on political history: A Journey to Change (2006); Without Power of Glory (2012) and Making Up The Numbers (2017). He has also released a music album, Third Adolescence.

Party colleague Honore Kamegni, who just two weeks ago became Cork's first black city councillor, was elected deputy lord mayor — defeating Sinn Féin's councillor Ken Collins.

Mr Kamegni said he hopes his historic election to council will serve as "a pathway to future generations". 

Green Party councillor Homore Kamegni with his wife Viviane after his election to the office of deputy lord mayor at the City Hall, Cork. Picture: David Creedon

In his acceptance speech, Mr Boyle said that for half a century, Cork has adopted a plan-led approach to reaching its potential — from the Luts [Land Use and Transportation Study] plan of the 1970s, through Casp [Cork Area Strategic Plan], to the Cork Metropolitan Area Transportation Strategy.

“It has only been in recent years that we have been able to put in place the more integrated proposals of these plans — a balanced city that relies less on car dependence, that can offer more for those who can walk, cycle, or take public transport,” he said.

We have only started the process that signals that change

“The coming years will see the wider, and necessary, infrastructure being put in place — Bus Connects, a connected cycle network, enhanced suburban rail, and ultimately a light rail system interconnected with each other.” 

However, he said the most affecting moment for him in the recent local election campaign was when he met a fiercely independent wheelchair user in Greenmount, who described every metre of her daily 1km journey as “an unnecessary obstacle”.

“Recently, a renewal programme has started for our city centre. This ambition needs to extend across the entire city,” he said.

He said there are too many vacant and neglected buildings in the city, and said a new generation of social service volunteers is needed to make the city "tick more fairly and better”.

“When I began my public service, my motivation was to work towards achieving a better and safer world for my daughter and her generation. Now that ambition is also for my grandchildren and theirs,” he said.

Sinn Féin's new group leader on council, councillor Joe Lynch, criticised the Green Party and Labour for agreeing to the mayoral pact — describing it as “a cosy deal to carve up position and perks”.