The Chief Executive Officer of Limerick Chamber, Dee Ryan, has confirmed her intention to seek the nomination of the Fianna Fáil party as its candidate for the upcoming Directly Elected Mayor position, writes John Barrett.
This decision comes after weeks of speculation that the high-profile Co. Limerick mother of four would enter the race
A native of Castleconnell, Dee Ryan attended the local national school, followed by Laurel Hill Secondary School. She studied Business at the University of Limerick and subsequently established and ran an SME ‘Spark Marketing’ in the city centre for 14 years. She was appointed to the Chief Executive position at Limerick Chamber in 2018. Since then, she has represented the business community, serving on various boards and two government taskforces; the Implementation Advisory Group for Directly-Elected Mayor, upon whose report to Government in 2020 the legislation for the new role was based, and most recently on the Shannon Estuary Economic Taskforce, which in its July 2023 report made key findings and recom-mendations around the renewable energy opportunity, Floating Offshore Wind from the port of Foynes. Ms. Ryan has been a prominent voice advocating for improved connectivity to Shannon Airport, high-lighting the importance of air access into the region for securing foreign direct investment. She is a vocal critic of the lack of affordable housing in Limerick, urging the local authority and Government to bring forward more affordable homes in the city and across county towns.
Commenting on her decision to pursue the Fianna Fáil nomination, Ms. Ryan said, “I’m committed to working for Limerick city and county and look forward to engaging with the Fianna Fáil Oireachtas members, councillors and party members in this internal selection process. If chosen to be the Fianna Fáil candidate, my priorities would be delivery of affordable housing, improved tran-sport and connectivity across the county, and seizing the green energy opportunity from the Estuary to secure sustainable jobs for Limerick into the future.” The Fianna Fáil party is expected to hold its selection convention in the coming weeks.