'It has been a tremendous honour and privilege'- Outgoing Derry & Strabane Mayor Patricia Logue
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My year as Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council has been fantastic. It has been a tremendous honour and privilege to be Mayor and to represent the people of this fantastic city and district. But all good things come to an end and it’s time for me to pass on the reins, but I sincerely hope I have left a lasting impression on the people of this district and that they will deem my year a success.
Being Mayor has given me an entirely new perspective on life and the role of Mayor and the level of work involved. It was a very hectic schedule and saw me travelling the length and breadth of the Council area every day of the week, including weekends with meetings, receptions, and engagements. I particularly enjoyed welcoming people to the Guildhall and making the building accessible and open to everyone to visit.
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Hide AdOne of many highlights of my Mayoral year has been seeing at first hand the level of community support and solidarity that exists here in this city and district and the amount of good work being done by people from all communities. The people of this region are amazing, everyone is so kind and generous and I am eternally grateful for the friendship, hospitality, and warm welcome I received everywhere I went this past year.


It is no doubt a very difficult time for many people too as we all struggle with the impact of the ongoing war in Ukraine and Palestine and the impact that is having on the economy, the price of fuel and the increasing cost of living that is having detrimental impacts on people across all our communities. It is imperative therefore that we continue to work towards achieving our goals to realising our full potential for investment, regeneration, and economic success.
My biggest and proudest achievement must be the work that I have done supporting all charities and in particular my own Mayoral charities, the Foyle Hospice and the Ryan McBride Foundation and raising up to £40k during the Mayoral year. They are an amazing bunch of people, and I can’t thank them enough for their support. I sincerely hope the money raised will assist them in the fantastic work they do. I would also like to thank everyone who donated throughout the year to the charity at various events such as the Supercar Saturday, the Rock the Boat Record, the Giddy Up event, the Pantomime at the Millennium Forum, and the mayor’s ball. The recent Rock the Boat World Record was just amazing - it put Derry on the international stage once again. Always up for the craic and getting involved, people from Derry, Strabane and Donegal came in their droves to secure the record and support the charity, it was just fantastic, and I was delighted to be part of it. It is so humbling to see the generosity of people at a time when money is scarce and there are so many good causes out there.
I was also very privileged to lend my support to so many initiatives and projects throughout the year and turning the Guildhall clockface and Council offices various colours in support of many charities and causes. There are too many to name but all of them were important and it was an excellent way of showing support and raising awareness across the Council area.
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Hide AdI thoroughly enjoyed meeting community and voluntary groupings, church leaders, those involved in the education, health and business sectors and representatives from various sports clubs and charities as well as hosting receptions and photocalls for local GAA and football teams, hockey, cricket and golf clubs and Olympians.


I really enjoyed attending our festivals, events and live music concerts during my Mayoral year and was delighted to take part in the fantastic Halloween festival, the Christmas Switch Ons, the City of Derry Jazz Festival and our St Patrick’s Day Spring Carnival celebrations. I am disappointed I won’t be mayor for the forthcoming Foyle Maritime Festival but I am looking forward to attending in a different capacity as a spectator walking along the Quay with my grandchildren.
It goes without saying however that the highlight of my Mayoral term has been meeting with young people and hearing their stories. I’ve really enjoyed visiting schools, colleges and youth clubs across the Council area and hearing at first-hand about the work they are doing and their hopes and aspirations for the future. It really highlights the need for all of us to do what we can to work together to ensure these young people get the life they deserve.
There have been many highlights during my Mayoral year - too many to mention individually but all of them have been special and memorable. During my Mayoral year I attended almost 1,000 engagements in my term and welcomed in excess of 7,500 citizens to the Mayor’s office. I had the honour of hosting over 160 Mayoral receptions for a wide range of organisations and individuals including sports clubs and teams from across the district in recognition of their sporting achievements.
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Hide AdOne of the challenges I set myself during my Mayoral year was to learn to swim. The reopening and refurbishment of the City Baths was the perfect opportunity for me to face my fears and take on this challenge and while progress is slow, I am very proud of my achievements to date and want to thank the staff at the Baths for their continued patience. I intend to continue with the lessons so that swimming can become part of my relaxation and exercise plan.


I will never forget my year as Mayor and leave with great memories of this experience. I would like to acknowledge all the staff at Council, particularly the staff at the Mayor’s Office and my two drivers, who were always on hand to offer help and guidance. I also want to acknowledge all the support I received from Councillors in the Council chamber but most importantly, I want to say a sincere thanks and appreciation to all my family in particular my mother husband, children, and grandchildren as well as my wider family circle, who have done me proud and supported me throughout the year.
I would like to wish to my successor all the very best in her new role and look forward to working with her and all the elected representatives as we continue our journey at Council to work together for a better future. I am going to take some time off over the coming weeks to refresh and spend much needed time with the family before returning to serving the public as an elected representative.
Thanks again to every single person across this Council area for your continued support and well wishes, I will not forget it.
Councillor Patricia Logue
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