Boston’s mayor of Galwegian descent, Marty Walsh, won re-election to the office in the early hours of yesterday morning and within hours of his re-election, vowed to visit Galway next summer
Mayor Walsh, whose father comes from Carna and mother from Rosmuc, was comfortably re-elected winning more than 65 per cent of the vote (70,125 ), holding majorities in 20 of the 22 wards.
He defeated Tito Jackson who was looking to become Boston’s first African-American mayor.
The mayor’s mother, Mary Walsh, was with hi m on stage at a Boston hotel last night when victory was declared.
In his victory speech at the Copley Plaza hotel, he thanked campaign staff and volunteers for running a positive and diverse campaign throughout the city.
‘‘You are union members, you are housing advocates, you are artists, you are members of the LGBT community, you are women and you are seniors,’’ Mayor Walsh said. ‘‘You are Boston.’’
Mr Walsh - who has dual US and Irish citizenship, grew up in a household in Boston where Irish was spoken.
The 50-year-old was born in Boston, Massachusetts, to John Walsh originally from Callowfeenish, a townland near Carna, and Mary (nee O’Malley ), from Rosmuc.
The couple emigrated to the United States in the 1950s.
