London borough celebrates Irish connections as Councillor Ryan Hack becomes youngest ever Mayor
At 26, Cllr Hack is the youngest mayor in Brent's history.
Because of the extent of its Irish population, this area of northwest London - which is surrounded by Kilburn, Cricklewood, and Willesden - has often been referred to as the 33rd county of Ireland.
Since 1977 Brent has been twinned with South Dublin County Council in Ireland. This twinning arrangement was established in 1997 and is based on shared geographical and historical connections.
Mayor of Brent, Councillor Ryan Hack
In 1970, Cllr Hack's grandparents had big dreams and emigrated from Mallow, County Cork, before eventually settling in Willesden.
In his maiden mayoral speech, Cllr Hack expressed his gratitude, 'for the blessing of [his] Irish heritage,' and vowed to champion and celebrate 'Brent's diversity and community'.
One of Cllr Hack's notable achievements was organising the first Multicultural St. Patrick's Day Celebration in Brent this year, sharing Montserrat's deep connection to both African and Irish traditions.
He plans to host a Mayoral St. Patrick's Day Celebration during his tenure as mayor to honour Irish culture and unite people from all walks of life.
Cllr Hack was the first person from his family to attend university and graduate with a Master's Degree from University College London.
His first summertime work placement was stacking shelves in Irish-owned MP Moran Builders Merchants in Willesden, one of London's leading hardware stores.
Ever since being elected as a councillor, Cllr Hack has used his platform to coordinate and campaign to improve residents' access to healthy food – mostly in areas of deprivation – by opening or supporting community kitchens as well as surplus food markets.
As mayor, Cllr Hack will be supporting the Brent Irish Advisory Service (BIAS), which strives to improve the health and well-being of the Irish community across North London and beyond.
BIAS was set up in 1978 as a response to the welfare needs of the Irish community, one of the largest immigrant communities in London.
Mike McGing CEO said: 'It's great to have an Irish mayor once again providing a voice for the often over looked Irish Community and we look forward to working with Cllr Hack over the next year.'
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