Lord Mayor of Dublin James Geoghegan was presented with his official bicycle by the Dublin Cycling Campaign on Monday 14 October at the Mansion House.

The bicycle was handed over by Dublin Cycling Campaign volunteers Mairéad Forsythe, Hugh Raftery, Siobhán McNamara, and Miren Maialen Samper and by Dr Damien Ó Tuama, National Cycling Coordinator with Irish Cycling Campaign and An Taisce. The upcycled bike was funded by Campaign members and purchased from Frontline Bikes , a social enterprise bike shop and training centre. Frontline Bikes provides people with a background of addiction, long-term unemployment, or a criminal record with a pathway to recovery and employment, through their training programme in bike mechanics, using donated bikes.

Our volunteers were glad to meet the new Lord Mayor to thank him for all the infrastructure that has been developed in the city in recent years to make active mobility more accessible to more people.

The official bicycle provides the Mayor with a sustainable mode of transport that is efficient, healthy and emissions-free. As we face up to the climate crisis the bicycle is a visible manifestation of a new era where officials in authority lead by example in efforts to tackle climate change.

The Lord Mayor said: ‘I’m very happy to accept this official bicycle from Dublin Cycling Campaign. I like to cycle for some of my journeys because it is a quick, reliable, efficient and sustainable way of getting around the city. Dublin City Council have been working hard to make active travel more accessible to more people over the last few years. When more people are enabled to walk, wheel or cycle for more of their journeys, this has positive effects on air quality, traffic congestion, and road safety. This benefits everyone who lives, works or studies in our city, as well as making it a more attractive place to visit.’

Vice-chair of Dublin Cycling Campaign Siobhán McNamara said: ‘We’re delighted to present the Lord Mayor with this bicycle. As well as being good for physical and mental health, cycling is a cheap, efficient and reliable way of getting around and is an important part of the battle against climate change. We appreciate the leadership of elected representatives such as Cllr Geoghegan who are happy to make journeys by bicycle, and the work being done by Dublin City Council to make cycling safer and more attractive for people of all ages and abilities.’

Our meeting with the Lord Mayor took place alongside a reception for approx 50 guests from Spain, Portugal, Poland and Waterford who are visiting Dublin as part of an Erasmus+ programme co-organised by Irish Cycling Campaign. The Lord Mayor gave the guests a very warm welcome in the Oak Room of the Mansion House and outlined the history of the house as well as describing the role of Lord Mayor. We thank him and his team very much for their hospitality and good wishes to our guests.