Máirtín Ó Muilleoir | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Ó Muilleoir in 2013 | |
| Member of theNorthern Ireland Assembly forBelfast South | |
| In office 4 November 2014 – 7 January 2020 | |
| Preceded by | Alex Maskey |
| Succeeded by | Deirdre Hargey |
| Minister for Finance | |
| In office 12 May 2016 – 7 January 2017 | |
| Preceded by | Mervyn Storey |
| Succeeded by | Conor Murphy |
| 70th Lord Mayor of Belfast | |
| In office 2 June 2013 – 2 June 2014 | |
| Preceded by | Gavin Robinson |
| Succeeded by | Nichola Mallon |
| Member ofBelfast City Council | |
| In office 5 May 2011 – 7 January 2020 | |
| Preceded by | Jim Kirkpatrick |
| Succeeded by | Geraldine McAteer |
| Constituency | Balmoral |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1959-12-31)31 December 1959 (age 65) Belfast, Northern Ireland |
| Nationality | Irish |
| Political party | Sinn Féin |
| Spouse | Helen O'Hare |
| Children | 4 |
| Alma mater | Queen's University Belfast |
| Profession |
|
Máirtín Ó Muilleoir (born 31 December 1959[1]) is an IrishSinn Féin politician, author, publisher, and businessman, who served as the 70thLord Mayor of Belfast from 2013 to 2014.[2]
Ó Muilleoir's siblings include writer, blogger, andHuffington Post columnist Adrian Millar,[3] and journalist and editor Gerry Millar/Gearóid Ó Muilleoir ofThe Belfast Telegraph.
Ó Muilleoir was educated atSt Mary's Christian Brothers' Grammar School, Belfast, and atQueen's University Belfast.[4]
In 1997, Ó Muilleoir became part-owner of theAndersonstown News, which subsequently purchased theNew York-basedIrish Echo.[4] A fluentIrish speaker,[2] he has interests in other Irish and American businesses.[4] He served as a temporary director ofNorthern Ireland Water.[5]
Ó Muilleoir entered politics in 1985, when he stood as a Sinn Féin candidate for theUpper Falls area and narrowly missed out on being elected.[6]
WhenPip Glendinning of theAlliance Party resigned her seat two years later due to the birth of Glendinning's daughter, Ó Muilleoir won the resulting by-election in October 1987. During his time on the council, he initiated a number of legal actions over what he claimed was discrimination by theunionist-dominated council,[4] detailing these experiences in his book,The Dome of Delight.[2]
He was re-elected at the1989 and1993 local elections, retiring at the1997 local elections to concentrate on his business interests.[2] In 1996, he was an unsuccessful candidate in theNorthern Ireland Forum election inNorth Down.[7]
He re-entered politics in 2011, when he was elected as a Belfast City Councillor forBalmoral, South Belfast, gaining the seat previously held byJim Kirkpatrick of theDemocratic Unionist Party, and was electedLord Mayor in 2013, serving a one-year term.[8]
In 2014, he was co-opted as an MLA into theNorthern Ireland Assembly.[9] He stood inBelfast South in the2015 United Kingdom general election, losing to theSocial Democratic and Labour Party incumbent,Alasdair McDonnell.[10] On 12 May 2016, he was appointedMinister of Finance in theNorthern Ireland Executive.[11] He resigned as an MLA in December 2019,[12] andDeirdre Hargey was co-opted in his place.[13]
| Civic offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Lord Mayor of Belfast 2013–2014 | Succeeded by |
| Northern Ireland Assembly | ||
| Preceded by | MLA forBelfast South 2014–2020 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Minister of Finance 2016–2017 | Succeeded by |