On June 28, 2021, Alison Gilliland was elected by Dublin City Council the 353rd Lord Mayor of Dublin, a sister city of Beijing.

Alison Gilliland, female, elected as a Dublin City Councilor for the Labor Party in Ireland's local election in 2014

Dublin is the capital and biggest city in Ireland. Reputed as "City of Theater" in Europe, Dublin has lots of theaters and historical sites and is where world-famous playwright Bernard Shaw, playwright and poet Oscar Wilde and novelist James Joyce were born. On June 2, 2011, Beijing and Dublin officially established sister city ties and have maintained close exchanges ever since. The two cities have conducted pragmatic cooperation and achieved remarkable results in a number of fields such as economy and trade, education, culture and tourism. During the Spring Festival in 2021, Beijing launched online "Happy Chinese New Year" activities in Dublin, with mayors of both cities delivering remarks via video link to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the establishment of sister-city ties.