List of people from Belfast

This is a list of notable people born, raised or resident in Belfast.

Arts[edit]

Derek Bell (1935–2002), harpist and composer
Eric Bell (born 1947), guitarist; former member of Them and Thin Lizzy
James Bingham (1925–2009), artist
Doris Blair (born 1915), artist
Kenneth Branagh (born 1960), actor and director
Jake Burns (born 1958), musician (Stiff Little Fingers)
Vivian Campbell (born 1962), musician (Dio, Def Leppard)
Ciaran Carson (1948–2019), poet and novelist
Catoan, band
Nathan Connolly (born 1981), musician (Snow Patrol)
Mairtín Crawford (1967–2004), poet
Gerald Dawe (born 1952), poet
Gerald Dillon (1916–1971), artist
Laura Donnelly (born 1982), actress
Jamie Dornan (born 1982), actor
Barry Douglas (born 1960), concert pianist
Garth Ennis (born 1970), comics writer
Padraic Fiacc (1924–2019), poet
Olga Fielden (1903–1973), playwright and novelist
James Galway (born 1939), musician
Joe Graham (1944–2021), writer and historian
Stuart Graham (born 1967), actor
Ceara Grehan, theatre and opera singer
Karen Hassan (born 1981), actress
Hector Heathwood (born 1957), photographer of erotica, fetish and burlesque
Paul Henry (1876–1958), painter
John Hewitt (1907–1987), poet
Ciarán Hinds (born 1953), actor
P.J. Holden (born 1969), comic artist
David Holmes (born 1969), DJ
Brian Desmond Hurst (1895–1986), film director
Oliver Jeffers (born 1977), artist
Brian Keenan (born 1950), hostage and writer
Ian Knox (born 1943) comic artist and political cartoonist
Sam Kydd (1915–1982), actor
Ben Kyle (born 1981), musician, leader of Romantica
Sir John Lavery (1856–1941), artist
C.S. Lewis (1898–1963), author and scholar
Michael Longley (born 1939), poet
Ian Masterson, musician^[1]
Paul Masterson, music producer^[2]
Gerry McAvoy (born 1951), musician
Christopher McCafferty, DJ, club promoter
Gerard McCarthy (born 1981), actor and television presenter
John McCrea (born 1966), comic artist
Ian McDonald (born 1960), science fiction author
Siobhán McKenna (1922–1986), actress
Ali McMordie (born 1959), musician (Stiff Little Fingers)
Katie Melua (born 1984), musician
Seaneen Molloy, blogger and columnist^[3]
Brian Moore (1921–1999), novelist
Gary Moore (1952–2011), musician, blues and rock guitarist formerly of Thin Lizzy
Van Morisson (born 1945), musician
Clara Mulholland (1849–1934), writer
Ruby Murray (1935–1996), singer/actress
Doc Neeson (1947–2014), musician
Una O'Connor (1880–1959), actress
Jonjo O'Neill (born 1952), actor
Patricia Quinn (born 1944), actress in The Rocky Horror Picture Show
Stephen Rea (born 1946), actor
Bob Shaw, science fiction (1931–1996), author
Duke Special (born 1971), musician
Bronágh Taggart, actress
Austin Trevor (1897–1978), actor
Rachel Tucker (born 1981), actress (West End)
And So I Watch You From Afar (formed 2005) Instrumental Math Rock Band

Business[edit]

Thomas Andrews, shipbuilder
Andrew Mulholland, flax manufacturer
William Pirrie, 1st Viscount Pirrie, shipbuilder and politician
Frank Carson, comedian
Nauheed Cyrusi, actress, model, VJ
Mary Gormley, beauty queen (Miss Universe Ireland 2000)
Mickey Marley, street entertainer
Declan Mulholland, actor
Ruby Murray, singer
Holly Quin-Ankrah, actress
Roy Walker, comedian
Adrian Zagoritis, songwriter

Law[edit]

Robert James McMordie, QC, Irish barrister, politician, and Lord Mayor of Belfast
Professor Denis Moloney OBE, solicitor

Media[edit]

Gerry Anderson (1944–2014), radio and TV presenter; born and raised in Derry
Christine Bleakley (born 1979), TV presenter; born in Newry; grew up in Newtownards
Andrea Catherwood (born 1967), newsreader; born and raised in Belfast
Eamonn Holmes (born 1959), television presenter; born and raised in Belfast
John Irvine, broadcast journalist; born and raised in Belfast
Shauna Lowry (born 1970), television presenter; born and raised in Belfast
Abeer Macintyre (born 1964), television and radio presenter; born in Amman and moved to Belfast in 1969
Lyra McKee (1990–2019), journalist; born and raised in Belfast
Colin Murray (born 1977), radio DJ and journalist; born and raised in Belfast
Denis Murray (born 1951), broadcast journalist; born in Worcestershire and raised in Belfast
Bill Neely (born 1959), broadcast journalist; born and raised in Belfast
Stephen Nolan (born 1973), radio and TV presenter DJ; born and raised in Belfast
Julian Simmons (born 1952), UTV, TV presenter and public figure; born in Kent and raised in Belfast
Fionnuala Sweeney, CNN presenter and reporter; born and raised in Belfast

Military[edit]

Bryan Budd, soldier and posthumous VC recipient
Patrick Carlin, Victoria Cross recipient
Colonel Tim Collins OBE, former commander, Royal Irish Regiment, British Army
James Joseph Magennis, submariner and VC recipient
William Frederick McFadzean, soldier and posthumous VC recipient

Politics[edit]

Gerry Adams (born 1948), republican political leader
Paddy Ashdown (1941–2018), former leader of the Liberal Democrats; born in New Delhi, brought up near Comber
Tony Banks (1942–2006), later Lord Stratford, politician; born in Befast, grew up in London
Sarah "Venie" Barr, political and community activist
May Blood, Baroness Blood (1938–2022), Labour member of the House of Lords
Robert Bradford (1941–1981), assassinated unionist politician; born in Limavady
Sir William Cairns (1826–1886), colonial administrator and Governor of Queensland, Australia
Mairead Corrigan (born 1944), Nobel Laureate (Peace)
James Craig, 1st Viscount Craigavon (1871–1940), Prime Minister of Northern Ireland
Reg Empey (born 1947), unionist political leader
Frank Gault (1826–1896), member of the Wisconsin State Assembly
Gerry Fitt (1926–2005), later Lord Fitt, nationalist political leader
Chaim Herzog (1918–1997), sixth President of Israel
Mary McAleese (born 1951), eighth President of Ireland
David McCalden (1951–1990), far-right activist and AIDS victim
Arlene McCarthy (born 1960), politician; Member of the European Parliament for North West England for the Labour Party from 1994 to 2014
Henry Joy McCracken (1765–1798), leading member of the Society of the United Irishmen
Adam McGibbon (born 1988), environmentalist and writer
Julia McMordie (1860–1942), Ulster Unionist Party politician; first female High Sheriff of Belfast; born in Hartlepool
Peter Robinson (born 1948), unionist political leader and First Minister of Northern Ireland
Bobby Sands (1954–1981), anti H-Block MP for Fermanagh and South Tyrone; hunger striker
David Trimble (1944–2022), Nobel Peace Prize winner; first First Minister of Northern Ireland
Betty Williams (1943–2020), Nobel Laureate (Peace)

Religious[edit]

William Conway (1913–1977), Roman Catholic Archbishop of Armagh
Henry Cooke (1788–1868), Presbyterian minister
Robin Eames (born 1936), Church of Ireland Archbishop of Armagh

Science[edit]

Thomas Andrews (1813–1885), chemist and physicist
Isobel Agnes Arbuthnot (1870–1963), botanist and botanical collector based in South Africa
John Stewart Bell (1928–1990), physicist
Jocelyn Bell Burnell (born 1943), astronomer (discoverer of pulsars); born in Lurgan
Sidney Elisabeth Croskery (1901–1990), doctor;^[4] born in Gortgranagh, Killinure, County Tyrone
John Boyd Dunlop (1840–1921), inventor and veterinary surgeon; born in Dreghorn, North Ayrshire, and studied to be a veterinary surgeon at the Dick Vet, University of Edinburgh, moving to Downpatrick, Ireland in 1867
George Crawford Hyndman (1796–1867), biologist
Charles Lanyon (1813–1889), architect; born in Eastbourne, Sussex; moved to Antrim in 1836 to become county surveyor until 1860; elected Mayor of Belfast in 1862
William Lewis (1885–1956), Professor of Physical Chemistry, Liverpool; propounded collision theory
William Thomson, 1st Baron Kelvin, OM, GCVO, PC, PRS, FRSE, (1824–1907), mathematical physicist, engineer, and leader in the physical sciences of the 19th century

Sport[edit]

Tom Armstrong, football player
George Best, football player
Billy Bingham, football player and manager
Danny Blanchflower, football player
William Clay, football player
Sammy Clingan, pro footballer
Ray Close, boxer
David Cullen, basketball player and 2007 winner of the Arthur Ashe for Courage Award at the ESPY awards for work with Peace Players International
Joey Dunlop, international motorcycle champion
Dave Finlay, professional wrestler
Johnny Flynn, football player
John Graham, NASCAR driver
David Healy, football player
Alex Higgins, former world snooker champion
Eddie Irvine, Formula One driver
Damaen Kelly, former professional boxer and Olympic bronze medalist
Jim Magilton, football player and manager
Wayne McCullough, former world champion boxer and Olympic medalist
Alexander McDonnell, early 19th-century chess master
Sammy McIlroy, football player
Eric McMordie, football player
Rinty Monaghan, former undisputed world flyweight boxing champion
Alanna Nihell, boxer^[5]
Owen Nolan, Ice hockey player
Andrew Patterson, cricketer
Mark Patterson, cricketer
Mary Peters, athlete and Olympic gold medalist
Paul Stirling, cricketer
Tucker, professional wrestler
John Watson, Formula One driver
Norman Whiteside, football player

Other[edit]

John Bodkin Adams (1899–1982), doctor and suspected serial killer; born and raised in Randalstown; attended Queen's University Belfast; obtained post as general practitioner in Eastbourne in 1922
Hamish Kippen (1987–2008), Canadian fashion photographer and former junior athlete; born in Belfast, emigrated with family to Toronto in 1989
Alexander Robinson (c. 1901–1995), boxer and loyalist paramilitary; born and lived in Belfast

References[edit]

^ "Ian Masterson". Discogs. Retrieved 31 May 2021.
^ "Paul Masterson". Discogs. Retrieved 31 May 2021.
^ "Seaneen Molloy", guardian.co.uk, London: Guardian Media Group, 17 December 2010, retrieved 13 January 2011
^ Sidney Elisabeth Croskery: Whilst I Remember, The Blackstaff Press, Dundonald, 1983, ISBN 978-0-85640-260-9
^ "Glasgow 2014 - Alanna Audley-Murphy Profile". g2014results.thecgf.com. Retrieved 24 October 2020.

54°35′34″N 5°55′04″W / 54.59266°N 5.91790°W / 54.59266; -5.91790

[1] "Ian Masterson". Discogs. Retrieved 31 May 2021.

[2] "Paul Masterson". Discogs. Retrieved 31 May 2021.

[3] "Seaneen Molloy", guardian.co.uk, London: Guardian Media Group, 17 December 2010, retrieved 13 January 2011

[4] Sidney Elisabeth Croskery: Whilst I Remember, The Blackstaff Press, Dundonald, 1983, ISBN 978-0-85640-260-9

[5] "Glasgow 2014 - Alanna Audley-Murphy Profile". g2014results.thecgf.com. Retrieved 24 October 2020.

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