List of people from Belfast

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

Arts

Brian Desmond Hurst in 1976 (portrait by Allan Warren)

John Lavery

Siobhan McKenna

• 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 (1915-2011), 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
• George Cassidy (1936–2023), musician
• 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 Morrison (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

• 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)
• John Kelly, coal merchant, shipowner
• Sir Samuel Kelly, coal merchant, shipowner
• Mickey Marley, street entertainer
• Declan Mulholland, actor
• Ruby Murray, singer
• Holly Quin-Ankrah, actress
• Roy Walker, comedian
• Adrian Zagoritis, songwriter

Law

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

Media

• 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

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

Politics

Chaim Herzog

David Trimble

• 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

• 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

• 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
• Samuel Martin Stephenson (1742–1833), prominent Belfast doctor who founded a hospital, the medical society and medical school
• William Thomson, 1st Baron Kelvin (1824–1907), mathematical physicist, engineer, and leader in the physical sciences of the 19th century

Sport

See also: Category:Sportspeople from Belfast

• 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

• 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

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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