Mayor of Derry hosts Drogheda Mayor ahead of rival football game
May the best team win!
Cllr Lilian Seenoi Barr, Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District, hosted a reception in the Guildhall, on Friday, November 1, for Cllr Paddy McQuillan, Mayor of Drogheda, when he visited the county, ahead of Derry City and Drogheda United competing against each other at the 2024 Sports Direct Men’s FAI Cup Final on Sunday, November 10 at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin.
Mayor Barr said she was delighted when the Drogheda Mayor reached out to her, in the spirit of their shared histories, friendship, sportsmanship and politics, to use the occasion to further strengthen ties between Derry and Drogheda.
During his visit, Mayor McQuillan took the opportunity to view John Hume’s, a Nobel Laureate, peace prize exhibition, and spoke about when he was conferred with the Freedom of Drogheda, again highlighting the common historical links between the two counties.
Mayor McQuillan was accompanied by Hubert Murphy, the CEO of Drogheda and District Chamber of Commerce, and Councillor Joanna Byrne, who is the Chairperson of Drogheda United F.C., and the first women chair of a football club in the League of Ireland’s history.
Mayor Lilian Seenoi Barr is a prominent Kenyan Irish political, and community activist, known for her commitment to social justice, equality, and human rights. The 43-year-old was conferred on June 3 of 2024 and in doing so became the first black person to be elected to public office in Northern Ireland.
May the best team win!