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James Geoghegan is an Irish Fine Gael politician, who has served as Lord Mayor of Dublin since June 2024.[1]

Early life and family

Born in Ranelagh, Dublin, Geoghegan is a son of Hugh Geoghegan and Mary Finlay Geoghegan, both of whom served on the Supreme Court of Ireland. He has two sisters.[2] Both his grandfathers, James Geoghegan and Thomas Finlay, also served on the Supreme Court.

He is a practising barrister.[3]

Political career

Geoghegan was a founding member of Renua in 2015 but later left the party.[4] Lucinda Creighton, the founder of Renua, had been expelled from the Fine Gael parliamentary party when she voted against the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Bill 2013, which had permitted abortion under certain limited circumstances. Geoghegan said he disagreed with Creighton's "social views on abortion", and "I certainly don't share any of the social views that I suppose that party subsequently became associated with". He said that he voted in favour of the repeal of the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution permitting the Oireachtas to legislate for abortion, and in favour of the Thirty-fourth Amendment of the Constitution which legalised same-sex marriage.[5]

He was elected for Fine Gael at the 2019 Dublin City Council election for the Pembroke area.

2021 Dublin Bay South by-election

Geoghegan announced his intention to seek the Fine Gael nomination for the 2021 Dublin Bay South by-election on 31 April, noting that in the 2019 Dublin City Council election he had received the highest vote share of any Fine Gael candidate in Dublin.[6] He also stressed that he had backed Leo Varadkar in the 2017 Fine Gael leadership election.[6] Geoghegan won the support of all 12 party branches in Dublin Bay South.[7] He was the only Fine Gael candidate to be nominated by party members as of the party deadline on 10 May, and was formally selected on 13 May.[8][9]

Geoghegan described himself as "liberal and progressive" and described housing among his three main campaign priorities.[10] He stated "I want to speak for a generation stuck in a rent trap or living in their parents' homes", and said he "is not a fan of co-living", a contrast to the Fine Gael incumbent Eoghan Murphy. When asked by journalists about his own circumstances, Geoghegan added that he had a mortgage on his home with his wife. He declined to comment on whether he had drawn on "the bank of mum and dad" for it, saying "we were lucky enough to put a deposit together" for the home.[11][12]

Following an article in The Irish Times by columnist Una Mullally criticising what the author claimed was Geoghegan's privileged family background,[13] Fine Gael requested that people focus on Geoghegan's politics. The Irish Daily Mail subsequently complained that Geoghegan was refusing to answer questions on political issues, especially Fine Gael housing policy.[13][14] Similarly, two podcasts covering Irish politics, The Echo Chamber Podcast and Una & Andrea's United Ireland podcast, complained that they had reached out to Geoghegan for interviews but he had refused all offers. Both podcasts had featured several other election candidates over the course of the campaign.[15][16]

Geoghegan received 7,052 (26.2%) first preference votes in the by-election, coming second to Labour's Ivana Bacik.

Lord Mayor of Dublin

Following the 2024 Dublin City Council election, a coalition was formed between Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil, the Green Party and Labour.[17] As part of the agreement, Geoghegan was appointed Lord Mayor of Dublin on 21 June 2024.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b "Fine Gael Councillor James Geoghegan elected as new Lord Mayor of Dublin". Fine Gael. 21 June 2024. Retrieved 21 June 2024.
  2. ^ "Fine Gael Councillor James Geoghegan elected as new Lord Mayor of Dublin".
  3. ^ https://www.finegael.ie/our-people/councillors/dublin/dublin-city/pembroke/james-geoghegan/
  4. ^ Gataveckaite, Gabija (13 May 2021). "'I'm not a posh barrister' - Fine Gael's James Geoghegan fires back at 'personalised attacks' as he is selected party candidate for by-election". Irish Independent. Archived from the original on 8 July 2021. Retrieved 21 June 2024.
  5. ^ Ward, James (17 May 2021). "Dublin Bay South byelection likely to be held in summer, Varadkar suggests". BreakingNews.ie. Press Association. Archived from the original on 8 July 2021. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
  6. ^ a b Bray, Jennifer (1 May 2021). "Geoghegan seeks Fine Gael nod for Dublin Bay South byelection". The Irish Times. Dublin. ISSN 0791-5144. Archived from the original on 1 January 2022. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
  7. ^ Dwyer, Orla (7 May 2021). "Former TD Kate O'Connell will not run in Dublin Bay South by-election". TheJournal.ie. Dublin. Archived from the original on 2 January 2022. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
  8. ^ Hurley, Sandra (10 May 2021). "Geoghegan only Fine Gael candidate nominated for by-election". RTÉ News. Dublin. Archived from the original on 11 May 2021. Retrieved 11 May 2021.
  9. ^ Fine Gael [@FineGael] (13 May 2021). "Councillor @GeogheganCllr has been selected as the Fine Gael candidate in the upcoming Dublin Bay South bye-election" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 13 May 2021 – via Twitter.
  10. ^ "Fine Gael bye-election candidate James Geoghegan intends to deliver for Dublin Bay South as bid to win Dáil seat begins". Fine Gael. 17 May 2021. Archived from the original on 8 July 2021. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
  11. ^ Duffy, Rónán (17 May 2021). "FG candidate in Dublin Bay South wants to be 'voice for generation locked out of housing market'". TheJournal.ie. Dublin. Archived from the original on 18 June 2021. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
  12. ^ Leahy, Pat (17 May 2021). "Fine Gael favours summer byelection but no decision made on timing". The Irish Times. Dublin. ISSN 0791-5144. Archived from the original on 8 July 2021. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
  13. ^ a b Mulally, Úna (5 July 2021). "Fine Gael's byelection candidate? You couldn't make him up". The Irish Times. Dublin. ISSN 0791-5144. Archived from the original on 23 September 2021. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
  14. ^ Browne, Colette [@colettebrowne] (7 July 2021). "James Geoghegan has refused to answer questions on his housing policies - days after his party colleagues called on him to be judged on his policies" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 7 July 2021. Retrieved 7 July 2021 – via Twitter.
  15. ^ The Echo Chamber Podcast (1 July 2021). "Dublin Bay South with PBP's Brigid Purcell" (Podcast). Event occurs at 0:30. Archived from the original on 9 July 2021.
  16. ^ Una and Andrea's United Ireland podcast (29 June 2021). "DBS Spesh #3: Neck & Neck" (Podcast). Event occurs at 10:00. Archived from the original on 9 July 2021.
  17. ^ "AGREEMENT REACHED ON DUBLIN CITY COUNCIL COALITION". Dublin People. 21 June 2024. Retrieved 21 June 2024.
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Preceded by Lord Mayor of Dublin
2024–present 		Incumbent
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