Micky Murray

Micky Murray
Lord Mayor of Belfast
Incumbent
Assumed office 3 June 2024
Deputy	Andrew McCormick
Preceded by	Ryan Murphy
Member of Belfast City Council
Incumbent
Assumed office 27 May 2022
Preceded by	Kate Nicholl
Constituency	Balmoral
Personal details
Born	Belfast, Northern Ireland
Political party	Alliance Party

Micky Murray is a Northern Irish politician, serving as Lord Mayor of Belfast since June 2024.[1] He is the city's first openly gay mayor.[2] A member of the Alliance Party, he has been a Belfast City Councillor for the Balmoral DEA since May 2022[3]

Background

Murray's first election was in 2019, where he stood in Belfast's Botanic District. He was eliminated on the tenth count, polling 754 first-preference votes (7.7%).[4]

He was co-opted onto Belfast City Council in May 2022, following the election of then lord mayor Kate Nicholl to the Northern Ireland Assembly.[5][6] Murray was re-elected at the 2023 local elections, being the last candidate elected in the Balmoral District[7][8]

Lord Mayor of Belfast

In April 2024, Murray was announced as the next Lord Mayor of Belfast, succeeding Ryan Murphy of Sinn Fein.[9] As an openly gay man, Murray became the first member of the LGBTQ+ Community to hold the office of Lord Mayor.[10][11] On his selection, he said: “I want to help transform Belfast into a more inclusive city where everyone can enjoy, regardless of who you are or where you’re from. We’re 26 years on from the Good Friday Agreement and we were promised peace, which has largely been delivered, but now is the time to further break down barriers and create a thriving city. Our city should be recognised for its inclusivity, rather than its division. As the first openly gay Lord Mayor, I want to use this platform to represent the LGBTQ+ community and be a positive role model for them.”[12] He officially took office on 3 June 2024.[13]

References

1. "Councillor Micky Murray becomes new Lord Mayor of Belfast". Belfast City council. 3 June 2024. Retrieved 3 November 2024.
2. "'Significant moment' as Alliance councillor to become Belfast's next lord mayor". Irish News. 29 April 2024. Retrieved 3 November 2024.
3. "AI Con 2024 - Speaker: Lord Mayor of Belfast Councillor Micky Murray". AI Con. Retrieved 3 November 2024.
4. "Botanic: in Belfast results - NI Local Elections 2019". Belfast Telegraph. Retrieved 3 November 2024.
5. "Alliance Party of Northern Ireland". Facebook. 27 May 2022. Retrieved 3 November 2024.
6. "Alliance councillor to make history as city's first openly gay Lord Mayor". Yahoo News. 30 April 2024. Retrieved 3 November 2024.
7. "Belfast result - Northern Ireland Council Elections 2023". BBC News. Retrieved 3 November 2024.
8. "Balmoral: Belfast result - Northern Ireland Local Elections 2023". Belfast Telegraph. Retrieved 3 November 2024.
9. "Belfast Lord Mayor: Alliance councillor Micky Murray to become next lord mayor". BBC News. 30 April 2024. Retrieved 3 November 2024.
10. "First gay Lord Mayor of Belfast Micky Murray installed in historic moment". Pink News. 4 June 2024. Retrieved 3 November 2024.
11. "NI's first Black Mayor and Belfast's first openly gay Mayor". mygwork. 5 June 2024. Retrieved 3 November 2024.
12. "Micky Murray to make history as Belfast's first out gay Lord Mayor". gcn. 30 April 2024. Retrieved 6 November 2024.
13. "Micky Murray officially installed as Belfast Lord Mayor". Alliance Party of Northern Ireland. 3 June 2024. Retrieved 3 November 2024.