BREAKING: History made as John Moran becomes the first ever directly elected mayor of Limerick

HISTORY has been made.

The Limerick public have elected the first ever directly elected mayor in Ireland.

John Moran has been returned to the hugely significant role following 12 counts at Limerick Racecourse.

The 58-year old had a comfortable lead from the first count to the final count, securing the biggest electoral mandate of any Limerick politician in history.

He beat 14 other candidates in the landmark election, with his nearest rival being XXX in second place.

There were scenes of huge celebration as the Mungret man was joined by family, friends, and his partner Damien Duggan, from Raheen. His dog, Henri has been a key figure on this campaign trail and on Mr Moran's X account, he even describes himself as a "parent" of a red setter.

Having lived in New York where he held high-profile Wall Street law positions, as well as running a juice bar in France, he returned to Ireland in 2010.

Then during the midst of the financial crash, he worked at the Central Bank, then later was secretary general at the Department of Finance. More recently, he was a board member at the European Investment Bank and the chair of the Land Development Agency, the government body charged with delivering housing on public lands.

In very recent years, he overcame bowel cancer and now finds himself a key entry in Limerick's history books by becoming its first directly elected mayor.

More to follow