Congratulations to Cllr Ruth Illingworth on her election as Mayor/ Cathaoirleach of Mullingar Town Council.

Ruth is being described as Ireland’s first Out Mayor a tag I think she doesn’t really have much truck with. I do think she’s probably one of the first elected out lesbian councillors in the state. A member of Fine Gael, Cllr Illingworth has spoken out about homophobic bullying and the role of the Catholic Church in education/management of schools.

She was interviewed on Tuesday by Matt Cooper on The Last Word and spoke about lesbian and gay issues and her personal experiences of coming out.

A historian, Cllr Illingworth plans on donating her allowance to charities in the town.