Castlederg man chosen as new Mayor of Derry and Strabane council

A CASTLEDERG man has been selected as the new Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council.

Sinn Fein councillor Ruairí McHugh took up the role of First Citizen at the annual general meeting of the council this evening.

As first revealed by the Strabane Chronicle last week, the Derg councillor took over the job from current encumbent, SDLP representative Lillian Seenoi Barr.

Cllr McHugh, 46, has been an elected representative since the days of Strabane District Council, having been co-opted into the seat in November 2008 following the death of his father, the late Charlie McHugh, who was the first ever Sinn Féin representative on the old Strabane District Council.

Since entering local politics, Ruairí McHugh has been subsequently elected in each local government election and served as chair of Strabane District Council in 2023, just prior to the amalgamation with Derry City Council. On being elected, he vowed to be a ‘representative for all.’

Speaking at this evening’s meeting, Cllr McHugh said he was proud to represent the people of the Derg area.

“This is as much their year in office as it is mine,” he said.

Cllr McHugh said he was someone who normally shunned the ‘limelight’ and admitted taking on the Mayor’s role would place him out of ‘comfort zone’.

He thanked his family and friends for their support, and said he would work to be an ‘inclusive’ Mayor for the council area.

He said his chosen charities to support this year would Derry-based suicide preventation group, PIPS, and the Castlederg Patient and Terminally Ill Comfort Fund.

Cllr McHugh is a former pupil of St. Patrick’s PS Castlederg and the Christian Brothers Grammar School in Omagh, before embarking on further education, graduating with a BSc in Politics from Ulster University.

Outside of the political arena, Ruairí McHugh is a passionate follower and member of his local GAA club Castlederg St Eugene’s.

The new Deputy Mayor on Derry City and Strabane District Council is DUP councillor Niree McMorris.