Copyright: PA Media
Michelle O’Neill, Sinn Féin’s deputy leader, makes history as the first nationalist to hold the role of first minister at the
Northern Ireland Assembly.
Born Michelle Doris on 10 January 1977, she was raised in the
village of Clonoe in rural County Tyrone and hails from a family of prominent
Irish republicans.
Her father, Brendan Doris, was a former IRA prisoner who became
a Sinn Féin councillor in Dungannon. Her uncle, Paul Doris, was president of
Noraid, a republican fundraising group.
When the Good Friday Agreement was signed in 1998, she began working
for the party.
When her father stepped down from Dungannon Borough Council
ahead of the 2005 election, O’Neill won the seat he vacated. She became the
first woman to hold the post of mayor in Dungannon.
Her assembly career began in 2007, when she joined Martin
McGuinness and Francie Molloy as a Mid Ulster MLA.
After four years on the back benches at Stormont, Sinn Féin
appointed her as minister for agriculture in 2011.
In 2015, she was promoted to minister for health, one of
Stormont’s most high-profile and challenging portfolios.
When Martin McGuinness resigned as deputy first minister in
2017, it led to a political stalemate at Stormont for three years.
When he died soon afterwards, she was chosen to lead the party
in Northern Ireland – a younger face and, significantly, a woman like her
counterpart in the Republic, Mary Lou McDonald.
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William Turner is a seasoned U.K. correspondent with a deep understanding of domestic affairs. With a passion for British politics and culture, he provides insightful analysis and comprehensive coverage of events within the United Kingdom.
