Alliance: Michael Long makes history as three-week mayor

Lord mayor Michael Long said he was 'delighted' to take on the role

History was made at Belfast City Hall on Monday evening as Alliance Party councillor Michael Long was installed as lord mayor for just three weeks.

It will be the shortest term of office for a mayor in the city.

It is also the first time the spouse of a previous lord mayor has held the post. Mr Long's wife, Naomi, the Alliance Party leader, was mayor in 2009.

Mr Long is replacing party colleague Kate Nicholl.

Her term of office ends on 1 June, but she was elected last week to the Northern Ireland Assembly and, under rules banning assembly members from sitting as councillors, must give up her council seat.

Five other councillors were also elected and will now vacate their places in City Hall - Danny Baker of Sinn Féin, the DUP's Brian Kingston and David Brooks, and Nuala McAllister and Peter McReynolds from Alliance.

Three of them - Mr Baker, Mr Kingston and Ms McAllister - are former mayors.

In 2019, the serving Sinn Féin mayor John Finucane stepped down from the position after six months, when he was elected as MP for North Belfast in the general election.

It was the first time in more than 100 years that a lord mayor was not in post for a full year.

Now, Mr Long will wear the mayoral chain for 23 days.

The 51-year-old dentist is a former high sheriff of the city.

He was born in Kingston in Canada, but his family moved to Northern Ireland when he was young and he went to school at Sullivan Upper in Holywood, County Down.

He first met Naomi when they were teenagers and they married in 1995. They were both elected as councillors in 2001.

The Alliance Party's Michael Long with his wife, party leader Naomi Long

There have been a number of married couples involved in Northern Ireland politics over the past 25 years, including Diane and Nigel Dodds, and Iris and Peter Robinson.

The installation of Mr Long as lord mayor took place at Monday's monthly meeting of the council at City Hall.

In his opening speech, Mr Long said that he was "delighted" to be the new lord mayor of Belfast - both in Irish and in English.

He also thanked Ms Nicholl for the work she had undertaken during her tenure in office, adding that she was an "inspiration".

Mr Long also paid tribute to his father, Prof Adrian Long, who passed away last month.

In his remarks, he added that his appointment meant that he was the second foreign-born mayor in a row for the city.

Ms Nicholl grew up in Marondera in Zimbabwe before her family moved to Belfast in 2000.

"I think it sends a very positive message that this city is opening and welcoming and inclusive, and wants to reach out to everybody in our society," he said.

Mr Long also said a priority in his short term as lord mayor is to visit volunteers across the city who help refugees settle into Northern Irish society.