Mayors in Northern Ireland
In Northern Ireland, the office of Mayor or Lord Mayor had long been ceremonial posts, with little or no duties attached to it. The Local Government Act (Northern Ireland) 1972 provides that one councillor shall be Chairman and one Vice Chairman.[1] A council may under the legislation petition the Government for a charter, which has the effect of making a district council a borough council. A council with a charter is extended several ceremonial rights including the right to appoint councillors aldermen, the right of councillors to wear robes as well as the right to a borough Mayor and Deputy Mayor.[2]
Lord Mayors
The right to appoint a Lord Mayor is a rare honour, even less frequently bestowed than city status; a Lord Provost also acts as Lord Lieutenant of their city.
Currently, only the cities of Belfast and Armagh have a Lord Mayor, with the latter being conferred with the honorific title by the Queen as part of the Diamond Jubilee celebrations.
Mayoresses and Lady Mayoresses
The wife of a male Mayor is called the Mayoress and accompanies him to civic functions. A female Mayor or an unmarried male one may appoint a female consort as Mayoress. The former Lord Mayor of Belfast, Naomi Long, broke with tradition and appointed her husband as Lord Mayor's Consort, the first man to hold this position.