[2] One of 10 children,[3] he was originally a carpenter by profession and became involved with a variety of community and youth projects in Ballyfermot in Dublin.

Prior to standing in the 1991 local elections, he changed his middle name to B, which stood for Ballyfermot.

He unsuccessfully stood for Dáil Éireann at the 1992, 1997 and 2002 general elections.

He was elected Lord Mayor of Dublin in 2006, with the backing of Fianna Fáil, Sinn Féin and a number of independent councillors.

[4][5] In 2023, Jackson spoke about his family home being targeted by anti-immigrant protesters.