Carál Ní Chuilín | |
|---|---|
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| Principal Deputy Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly | |
| Assumed office 6 February 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Christopher Stalford |
| Minister for Communities | |
| In office 15 June 2020 – 16 December 2020 | |
| First Minister | Arlene Foster |
| Preceded by | Deirdre Hargey |
| Succeeded by | Deirdre Hargey |
| Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure | |
| In office 5 May 2011 – 6 May 2016 | |
| First Minister | Peter Robinson Arlene Foster |
| Preceded by | Nelson McCausland |
| Succeeded by | Office abolished |
| Member of theNorthern Ireland Assembly forBelfast North | |
| Assumed office 7 March 2007 | |
| Preceded by | Kathy Stanton |
| Member of Belfast City Council | |
| In office 5 May 2005 – 7 March 2007 | |
| Preceded by | Eoin Ó Broin |
| Succeeded by | Conor Maskey |
| Constituency | Oldpark |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Caroline Cullen (1964-12-18)18 December 1964 (age 60) New Lodge, Belfast, Northern Ireland |
| Nationality | Irish |
| Political party | Sinn Féin |
| Spouse | Gerard Magee |
| Residence(s) | New Lodge, Belfast, Northern Ireland |
| Alma mater | Open University Queen's University Belfast |
| Website | Official website |
Carál Ní ChuilínMLA (Irish pronunciation:[kəˈɾˠaːl̪ˠn̠ʲiːˈxɪlʲiːnʲ]; born 18 December 1964), formerly known asCaroline Cullen,[1] is an IrishSinn Féin politician and formerProvisional Irish Republican Army (IRA)volunteer serving as thePrincipal Deputy Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly since 2024. She has been a member of theNorthern Ireland Assembly forBelfast North since 2007 and served in theNorthern Ireland Executive asMinister of Culture, Arts and Leisure until 2016. On 15 June 2020, she was appointedMinister for Communities on a temporary basis, due to the health of the previous minister,Deirdre Hargey.[2]
Ní Chuilín was born and raised in theNew Lodge area of Belfast.[3] She graduated from theOpen University in 1994 with a BSc in Social Studies after completing a degree which she began whilst in prison. She later received a master's degree in Management fromQueen's University Belfast.[4]
Ní Chuilín was an activevolunteer in the IRA. In 1989, she was arrested after trying to place a booby-trap bomb under the gates ofCrumlinRoyal Ulster Constabulary station.[5] At Belfast Crown Court the following year, she was convicted of firearm possession, possession of explosives with the intent to endanger life, and attempted murder. Ní Chuilín was sentenced to eight years in prison, but she was released after four years.[6] She worked for ten years as coordinator of Tar Anall, a project for republican ex-prisoners.[3]
In 1999, Ní Chuilín was one of two founding directors ofCoiste na nIarchimí, a company described as "the umbrella organisation for republican ex-prisoner self-help groups throughout Ireland".[7] The company was struck off in 2011 after failing to provide accounts, and Ní Chuilín resigned her position.[8]
Ní Chuilín has been active withSinn Féin since her release from prison and represented the Oldpark electoral area onBelfast City Council from 2005 to 2007, when she was replaced byConor Maskey following her election to theNorthern Ireland Assembly.[9]
Ní Chuilín was elected in2007 to theNorthern Ireland Assembly as aSinn Féin member forNorth Belfast. Re-elected in2011, she was on 17 May 2011 elected by the Assembly under theD'Hondt method asMinister of Culture, Arts and Leisure.
In this capacity Ní Chuilín became the first senior Sinn Féin representative to attend anassociation football match involving theNorthern Ireland team, when it defeated theFaroe Islands atWindsor Park on 10 August 2011, but she did not attend until after the playing of theNorthern Ireland Anthem of "God Save The Queen", and she commended "the very real efforts that have been made by theIFA to tackle sectarianism at their matches".[10]
In September 2011 Ní Chulín's Department launchedLíofa 2015, a project aimed at encouraging people in Northern Ireland to learn, teach and speakIrish. Among those taking up the challenge to achieve conversational fluency by 2015 wasJudith Gillespie, Deputy Chief Constable of thePolice Service of Northern Ireland, and some 1509 other PSNI officers.[11]
In August 2012 Ní Chuilín revealed a £3m investment programme to improve facilities for boxing in Northern Ireland, saying "Over £3m will be invested through Sport NI; it's an initial investment, but it is to make sure that boxing clubs have the facilities that are fit for purpose, because at the minute many of them don't."[12]
In 2011 former IRA prisonerMary McArdle was appointed Special Adviser to Ní Chuilín. This appointment prompted much public controversy, as McArdle had been convicted of involvement in the murder ofMary Travers and the attempted murder of her father Tom Travers. Ann Travers, sister of Mary, spoke to the press of her anger at the appointment, and repeatedly demanded that McArdle resign.[13] McArdle was later moved from the post, and in June 2013 the Northern Ireland Assembly passed a bill to bar anyone with a serious conviction from being a special political adviser.[14]
On 15th June 2020 Carál Ní Chuilín MLA was appointed as Minister for Communities as Deirdre Hargey MLA has temporarily stepped aside from the role for health reasons.
| Northern Ireland Assembly | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | MLA forBelfast North 2007–present | Incumbent |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure 2011–2016 | Office abolished |