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School of Law and Government
DCU All Hallows

The Martin McEvoy 2025 Conference - Mayoral Governance in Dublin - Democracy, Devolution and Impact

DCU School of Law and Government is delighted to invite you to the Martin McEvoy 2025 Conference taking place at the All Hallows Campus on Tuesday 29 April 2025

The introduction of a directly-elected mayor for Dublin has been a recurring topic of debate in politics and policy circles. Recent efforts to introduce the measure have had widespread endorsement from the recent Citizens' Assembly, the Oireachtas, citizens, communities and many political parties but have failed to be implemented. The Martin McEvoy Conference 2025 will examine how such a reform might work in practice and how a new model of political leadership, new institutional structures, delegated powers in key areas such as planning, education, enterprise and economic development, childcare, climate action, and public safety might work and how new taxation and finance raising powers might be operationalised.

The conference will offer a platform to citizens, communities, councillors, local government officials and academics to examine the challenges facing Dublin and the characteristics of an appropriate model of mayoral governance for Dublin.

To register for the event please email Natalja Matease: natalja.matease@dcu.ie

 

Conference schedule

9.00am - 9.30am Registration

9.30am - 9.40am Welcome – Professor Derek Hand (DCU)

9.40am – 10.00am Opening Address – John Moran (Mayor of Limerick)

10.00am - 11.05am Session 1: Setting the context

Chairperson – Dr. Tanya Ní Mhuirthile 

  • The Citizens’ Assembly said..., Art O’Leary (Electoral Commission)
  • Lessons from Limerick, Diarmuid Scully (UL)
  • Learning from Bristol, David Sweeting (UBristol)

11.05am - 11.20am Coffee

11.20am – 12.30pm Session 2: New powers and competences I

Chairperson – Prof. Iain McMenamin

  • Public Safety, Matt Bowden (TU Dublin)
  • Planning, Jordana Corrigan (TU Dublin)
  • Tertiary Education and Skills, Deirdre Giblin (NCI)

12.30pm – 1.15pm Lunch

1.15pm – 2.30pm Session 3: New powers and competences II

Chairperson – Prof. Maura Conway

  • Early Childhood Education, Mathias Urban (DCU)     
  • Housing, Valesca Lima/Aishling Silke (DCU)
  • New Relationships and Powers, Andrew Montague

2.30pm – 2.50pm Coffee

2.50pm – 4pm Political Roundtable

Chairperson – Prof. Gary Murphy

  • Representatives of Sinn Féin, Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael, Labour, Greens, Social Democrats, Aontú and the People Before Profit.