The Lord Mayor of Belfast is a ceremonial position held by a member of Belfast City Council and annually elected by that council. The post originated in 1613 as the Sovereign of Belfast. In 1842, this position was restyled the Mayor of Belfast, and in 1892, it was given Lord Mayor status. In 1929, it became one of only six cities in the United Kingdom to have a Lord Mayor styled "the Right Honorable". On the island of Ireland, it is one of three cities having a Lord Mayor, the other two being Cork and Dublin. The position was held for three years until 1973. From 1921 until 1972, the Lord Mayor was automatically entitled to a seat in the Senate of Northern Ireland. Given the nature of politics in Northern Ireland, the candidate for this position and their political orientation are often a cause of controversy. The first non-Unionist Lord Mayor was David Cook in 1978; while no nationalist was elected to the post until Alban McGuinness in 1997. (via Wikipedia)