The Lord Mayor of Belfast is the leader and chairperson of Belfast City Council, elected annually from and by the city's 60 councillors. The lord mayor also serves as the representative of the city of Belfast, welcoming guests from across the United Kingdom and Ireland.
The current lord mayor is Róis-Máire Donnelly of Sinn Féin who has been in the position of lord mayor since 1 June 2026. The Deputy Lord Mayor is Hedley Abernethy of the Alliance Party
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History
The position that is now the lord mayor originated in 1613 in the town's Royal Charter as the sovereign of Belfast. In 1842, this position was restyled the mayor of Belfast. In 1892, four years after Belfast was granted city status, the position was given lord mayor status, making it one of only three cities on the island of Ireland having a lord mayor, the other two being Cork and Dublin. In 1929, it became one of only six cities in the United Kingdom to have a lord mayor styled "the Right Honourable". Until 1973 the position was held for three years, when it was reduced to its current term of one year. From 1921 until 1972, the lord mayor was automatically entitled to a seat in the Senate of Northern Ireland. Until the mid 1990s, the lord mayor would have the option for a set of ornamental streetlights installed on their street for the duration of their term, which would then be moved to their successor's street. They were entitled to decline this and the streetlights are now permanently installed outside Ulster Hall.
