TheUlster Liberal Party was aliberal andnon-sectarian political party inNorthern Ireland linked to theBritish Liberal Party. The party was officially neutral on the constitutional position of Northern Ireland. Members expressed different views on the issue but agreed thatNorthern Ireland could only join theRepublic of Ireland if that was the wish of the majority of the people of Northern Ireland.^[1]

Active before theFirst World War, the Ulster Liberal Association sought to avoid a position on the question ofHome Rule (the restoration of an Irish parliament in Dublin) which had seenLiberal Unionists split and join Conservatives in theIrish Unionist Alliance. In 1908, the Association dismissed the formerIndependent Orangeman and Liberal candidate forMid Armagh in the 1906 parliamentary election,R. Lindsay Crawford as editor of its paper,Ulster Guardian, because it could not allow its pages "to be used directly or indirectly in support of devolution orHome Rule".^[2]

After the creation ofNorthern Ireland as a home-ruled division of theUnited Kingdom in 1921, the Association was restyled theNorthern Ireland Liberal Association, and in May 1928 relaunched itself as the Ulster Liberal Party.^[3] It nominated candidates in the1929 UK general election,^[4] including futureSeanad Éireann memberDenis Ireland andUnbought Tenants' Association MPGeorge Henderson, before the party became inactive.

The party was re-founded byAlbert McElroy in 1956, as (again) theUlster Liberal Association.^[5] From 1961 to 1969, the party had one seat in theHouse of Commons of Northern Ireland, whenSheelagh Murnaghan held one of the four seats allocated toQueen's University, Belfast.^[5] It was represented on the committee of theNorthern Ireland Civil Rights Association in 1967. As a party it sought to end sectarian divisions in Northern Ireland and Murnaghan tried on four occasions to pass a Bill of Rights in theNorthern Ireland Parliament to address discrimination.^[6]

In 1969Claude Wilton became a senator for the party in theSenate of Northern Ireland.^[7]

After 1970, it suffered the loss of many of its members to theAlliance Party of Northern Ireland.^[5] Its last political contest was the1985 local government election,^[8] after which its last remnants joined theLabour '87 group.^{[citation needed]} TheLiberal Democrats, successor to the British Liberal Party, later formed links with theAlliance Party. There is also a small local party of theLiberal Democrats in Northern Ireland, who do not contest elections.

As of 1971, the party's president was McElroy, while John Quinn was the chair, and Berkley Farr was the secretary.^[9] Cecil Bell replaced Farr as secretary, and James Murray took over in 1979. From 1978 until 1982, the chair was Mervyn Cowan, the secretary was James Murray, and the position of president had been abolished. Patricia Cowan was the treasurer throughout.^[10]

• Liberal parties in the United Kingdom
• Defunct political parties in Northern Ireland
• Political parties established in 1956
• Political parties disestablished in 1987
• 1956 establishments in Northern Ireland
• Ulster unionist organisations
• Liberal Party (UK)
• Alliance Party of Northern Ireland

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