Cllr. James Collins, Mayor of the City and County of Limerick
Councillor James Collins was elected Mayor of the City and County of Limerick on 29th June, 2018 and has been selected to contest the next general election as a candidate for Fianna Fáil.
He is married to Eileen and they have four children and live on O’Connell Avenue, Limerick.
After graduating from the University of Limerick with a Business Degree in Economics and Financial Services, James completed a Masters in Business at UCD, specialising in IT. After working for several years both in Ireland and overseas as a Management Consultant with Accenture, James returned to Limerick and opened Collins Bar in Dooradoyle, where 30 people are now employed.
James was elected to Limerick City and County Council in 2009 and currently serves as a Director of Innovate Limerick, where he has assisted in the establishment of Troy Studios, ENGINE and Andersen Employment Hub.
James is also a Director of Limerick 2030 where he has played a key role in the Gardens International, Opera Centre, Cleeves, and Mungret Housing Neighbourhood Park projects. The establishment of a community college for the Dooradoyle, Raheen, Mungret area was one of James’ key priorities on entering local politics and to that end he serves on the Board of Management of Mungret Community College, for which a new school build project is planned on the grounds of Mungret College.
James was instrumental in the creation of the first Arts and Culture SPC nationwide, and played a key role in the introduction of a new festivals, events and concerts scheme.
James has been a leading voice for the protection of the environment, serving as a member of the Environment SPC, in which capacity he presented at an An Bord Pleanála oral hearing against toxic waste incineration at Irish Cement, Mungret.