Cork city man (85) elected deputy mayor of Brighton & Hove in UK

A Gurranabraher man who left Cork more than 60 years ago has been elected deputy mayor of an English city at the age of 85, and is in line to become the city's mayor next year.

Last month, Labour councillor Ty Galvin was elected deputy mayor of Brighton & Hove for 2025-2026, with his party saying he was bringing to the role a lifelong commitment to social justice, community advocacy and inclusive public service.

Mr Galvin – who was christened Tadhg - is a native of MacSwiney Villas, although he was born in Montenotte.

“One of my favourite memories of my youth was being in Croke Park that day when Christy Ring got his eighth All-Ireland medal,” he told The Echo.

“I played for Ringmahon Rangers the first trophy they ever won, the under-16 cup in Turner’s Cross. There was a picture of that team in the Holly Bough, and someone told me it was in The Echo a few weeks ago.” 

A fan of Caoimhín Kelleher, he was delighted to hear the news of his old club’s recent €3m windfall thanks to Mr Kelleher’s transfer from Liverpool to Brentford. 

He said he gets home to Cork as often as he can, travelling in January to the funeral of his first cousin, Pat Goggin in Ballyvolane.

Mr Galvin left Cork for England in the 1960s, working first as an electrician in Southampton before contributing to rail electrification projects across the country. He settled in Brighton in the 1970s, playing a part in restoring the Brighton Palace Pier, and he still lives in the city with his wife Marie.

Something of a latecomer to electoral politics, he was first elected Labour councillor for Brighton’s Hanover and Elm Grove ward in 2023. Brighton and Hove is “not dissimilar to Cork”, he said, and has a population of about 300,000.

He thinks his ion for fairness, comion, and a belief in the power of collective action may be an inheritance from his great-uncle, Tadhg Barry, who was a founder of the Irish Transport and General Workers’ Union.

“When I was elected, I said I’d be a champion for the less well off, the elderly and the disabled, and being deputy mayor gives me the platform to continue advocating for those who are too often overlooked,” he said.

“On the night of the main vote of the council, the other parties backed me. I’m with Labour, we’ve got a majority, but the Greens and the Tories actually spoke in favour of my appointment while they objected to a lot of others,” he said.

He serves as deputy to the current mayor, Amanda Grimshaw, and – “in the normal run of things” – he should become mayor next year.

“If I do, I’ll be the oldest mayor of Brighton ever, as far as I know. I can’t say I’ll be the oldest mayor in Britain, I think there’s some fellow 90 up around the country somewhere,” he said.

When he was elected deputy mayor, Mr Galvin said the position for him was not about prestige, but about continuing the work he has always done — fighting for dignity, fairness and opportunity for all.

“I see this as a chance to serve,” he said. “And I’ll do it with heart, commitment and deep pride — both in this city and in the values I carry with me.”