Sian Mulholland

Sian Mulholland
MLA
Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly
for North Antrim
Incumbent
Assumed office
6 April 2023
Preceded byPatricia O'Lynn
Member of
Lisburn & Castlereagh Council
In office
26 May 2022 – 6 April 2023
Preceded byDavid Honeyford
Succeeded byClaire Kemp
ConstituencyKillutagh
Member of
Belfast City Council
In office
1 September 2015 – 26 May 2022
Preceded byLaura McNamee
Succeeded byChristine Bower
ConstituencyOrmiston
Personal details
Born
Sian O'Neill
NationalityNorthern Irish
Political partyAlliance
Spouse
Kieran Mulholland
​
(m. 2018)​
Children3
OccupationPolitician

Sian Mulholland (née O'Neill) is a Northern Irish politician who has been an Alliance Party Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for North Antrim since April 2023.

Political career

Belfast City Council (2015-22)

In September 2015, Mulholland was co-opted onto Belfast City Council for the constituency of Ormiston following the resignation of Laura McNamee.[1] Prior to being co-opted, Mulholland worked as a caseworker for Alliance Party leader Naomi Long.[2]

Lisburn & Castlereagh Council (2022-23)

Mulholland, already a member of Belfast City Council, was co-opted onto Lisburn & Castlereagh Council to fill the vacancy left by David Honeyford's election to the Assembly.[3]

Member of the Legislative Assembly (2023-present)

On 6 April 2023, Mulholland was sworn in as MLA for North Antrim following the resignation of Patricia O'Lynn.[4][5]

She contested North Antrim at the 2024 general election, coming fourth and outpolling the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) candidate, winning 4,488 votes (10.9%).[6][7][8]

Personal life

In November 2018, Mulholland married Kieran Mullholland, a Sinn Féin councillor on the Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council.[2] Mulholland and her husband have two sons [9] and a daughter born five weeks before the restoration of the Northern Ireland Assembly.[10]

References

  1. ^ "Councillor Sian Mulholland". Belfast City Council. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
  2. ^ a b Hughes, Brendan (22 November 2018). "Alliance councillor and Sinn Féin councillor get married". The Irish News. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
  3. ^ McGonagle, Suzanne (4 April 2023). "Sian Mulholland confirmed as new Alliance MLA for North Antrim". The Irish News. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
  4. ^ Alliance Party [@allianceparty] (6 April 2023). "It's official! Today we welcome North Antrim's newest MLA @sianalliance to the team. It's time to get Stormont back up and running so Sian and other Alliance MLAs can legislate on behalf of all people in NI" (Tweet). Retrieved 7 April 2023 – via Twitter.
  5. ^ Reid, Kurtis (4 April 2023). "Alliance councillor 'honoured' to replace outgoing Patricia O'Lynn in North Antrim". Belfast Telegraph. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
  6. ^ @allianceparty (17 May 2024). "Congratulations to @sianalliance on being selected as Alliance's General Election candidate for North Antrim" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  7. ^ "North Antrim - General election results 2024 - BBC News". BBC News. Retrieved 28 October 2024.
  8. ^ "UK Parliament election results: Election for the constituency of North Antrim on 4 July 2024". UK Parliament. Retrieved 28 October 2024.
  9. ^ McGovern, Eimear (3 September 2021). "Survey labelling Belfast parents unfriendly on school run is false, says councillor mum of P1 pupil". Belfast Telegraph. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
  10. ^ https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/life/christmas/christmas-arrives-early-for-alliance-mla-as-she-welcomes-baby/a502310561.html