List of people from Northern Ireland

This list includes notable people who were born in, or lived in Northern Ireland .

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.

A–G

• Gerry Adams  – politician ^[1]
• Max Adrian  – actor
• Mark Allen  – snooker player ^[2]
• Gerry Anderson  – television presenter ^[3]
• Willie Anderson  – Ireland Rugby Union International ^[4]
• Kevin Baird – bassist for Two Door Cinema Club
• Colin Bateman  – actor, director and writer
• David Bates  – physicist
• Andrea Begley  – singer
• Philomena Begley  – country music singer
• Eric Bell  – guitarist for Them and Thin Lizzy
• John Stewart Bell  – physicist
• Jocelyn Bell Burnell  – astrophysicist ^[5]
• George Best  – footballer
• Rory Best  – rugby player
• Colin Blakely  – actor
• Danny Blanchflower  – footballer
• May Blood  – trade unionist and peer ^[6]
• Robert Bradford  – politician
• Kenneth Branagh  – actor and director
• Anna Burns  – novelist
• Jake Burns  – founder of and singer in the punk band Stiff Little Fingers
• Amanda Burton  – actress
• Stephen Boyd  – actor
• Vivian Campbell  – rock guitarist for Def Leppard
• Peter Canavan  – Gaelic footballer
• Joshua Cargill  – Drag queen
• Adam Carroll  – racing driver
• Ciarán Carson  – poet
• Frank Carson  – comedian
• George Cassidy  – jazz musician
• Andrea Catherwood  – journalist and television presenter
• Darren Clarke  – golfer
• George Clarke  – filmmaker
• Clare Crockett Roman Catholic religious sister and actress
• Una O'Connor  – actress
• Phil Coulter  – songwriter, pianist and music producer, arranger and director
• Nadine Coyle  – singer for Girls Aloud
• Sean Coyle  – radio presenter
• James Craig  – loyalist paramilitary criminal
• Steven Davis  – footballer
• John Daly  – television presenter
• George Dawson  – politician
• Martin Dillon  – author and journalist
• Richard Dormer  – actor
• Brendan Dolan  – darts player
• Laura Donnelly  – actress
• Jamie Dornan  – actor, model, musician
• Roma Downey  – actress
• Adrian Dunbar  – actor
• Hugo Duncan  – singer and broadcaster
• Joey Dunlop  – motorcycle racer
• Robert Dunlop  – motorcycle racer
• Garth Ennis  – comics writer
• St. John Greer Ervine  – writer
• Jonny Evans  – footballer
• Michelle Fairley  – Game of Thrones actress
• Harry Ferguson  – inventor; developed modern agricultural tractor and first four-wheel drive formula one car; first person to build and fly his own plane in Ireland ^[7]
• Dave Finlay  – professional wrestler; associated with World Wrestling Entertainment
• Brendan Foley  – writer, director
• Arlene Foster  – former First Minister of Northern Ireland ^[8]
• Fra Fee  – actor
• Carl Frampton  – boxer
• Brian Friel  – playwright
• Jackie Fullerton  – television presenter
• Bronagh Gallagher  – actress and singer
• Mike Gibson  – rugby player
• Sue Gray  – UK civil servant
• Daryl Gurney  – darts player

H–M

• John Hallam  – actor
• Sam Halliday – guitarist for Two Door Cinema Club
• David Healy  – footballer
• Holly Hamilton  – journalist and television presenter
• Neil Hannon  – musician, The Divine Comedy
• Seamus Heaney  – poet
• Paul Henry  – artist
• Alex Higgins  – snooker player
• Conleth Hill  – Game of Thrones actor
• Ciarán Hinds  – actor
• David Holmes  – composer, DJ and musician
• Eamonn Holmes  – television presenter
• Geraldine Hughes  – actress
• John Hume  – recipient of Nobel Peace Prize
• David Humphreys  – rugby player
• Gloria Hunniford  – television presenter
• Eddie Irvine  – racing driver
• Saoirse-Monica Jackson  – actress
• Oliver Jeffers  – artist and author
• Pat Jennings  – footballer
• Jimeoin  – actor and comedian
• Marie Jones  – playwright
• Patrick J. Jones  – painter
• Valene Kane  – actress
• John Kelly  – author and broadcaster
• John Kelly  – coal merchant and shipowner
• Samuel Kelly  – coal merchant and shipowner
• Sir Samuel Kelly  – coal merchant and shipowner
• Brian Kennedy  – musician
• Patrick Kielty  – television presenter
• Jack Kyle  – rugby player
• Kyle Lafferty  – footballer
• Christine Lampard  – television presenter
• Joseph Larmor  – physicist
• John Lavery  – painter
• Michael Legge  – actor
• Neil Lennon  – footballer
• C. S. Lewis  – writer
• Helen Lewis  – choreographer and pioneer of modern dance
• Gary Lightbody  – singer for Snow Patrol
• John Linehan  – entertainer
• Jane Loughrey  – journalist for UTV
• John Lynch  – actor
• Susan Lynch  – actress
• Bernard MacLaverty  – writer
• Patrick Magee  – actor
• Simone Magill professional footballer
• Derek Mahon  – poet
• Paula Malcomson  – actress
• Dominick Martin  – musician, DJ (a.k.a. Calibre)
• Linda Martin  – singer
• Brian Mawhinney (PC) – former British politician and chairman of the Football League in England
• Paddy Mayne  – soldier and explorer
• Mary McAleese  – President of Ireland
• Stephen McAnena  – writer and screenwriter
• Willie John McBride  – rugby player, captained Ireland and British Lions
• Christopher McCafferty  – Club Promoter, DJ
• Graeme McDowell  – golfer Lions
• Ian McElhinney  – actor
• Leah McFall  – singer-songwriter
• Damian McGinty  – singer and actor
• Lisa McGee  – playwright and screenwriter
• Matt McGinn (born 1978)  – singer-songwriter
• Eimear McGeown  – flautist
• Alister McGrath  – Christian theologian
• Medbh McGuckian  – poet
• Martin McGuinness  – politician
• Rory McIlroy  – golfer
• Gerry McKenna MRIA  – biologist
• Robert McKenzie  – actor
• David McKittrick  – journalist
• Ralph McLean  – television presenter
• Paul McLoone  – radio producer and lead singer The Undertones
• James McParland  – Pinkerton detective
• Peter McParland  – footballer
• Gerard McSorley  – actor
• Stephanie Meadow  – athlete ^[9]
• Ian Mitchell – musician for the Bay City Rollers
• Brian Moore  – novelist
• Gary Moore  –former blues rock guitarist for Thin Lizzy
• Colin Morgan  – actor
• Van Morrison  – singer
• William Mulholland  – civil engineer
• Hercules Mulligan  –Irish-American tailor and spy during the American Revolutionary War. He was a member of the Sons of Liberty.
• Colin Murray  – radio DJ
• Ruby Murray – pop chart star

N–Z

• Kristian Nairn  – actor
• Liam Neeson  – actor
• Sam Neill  – actor
• James Nesbitt  – actor
• Alanna Nihell  – boxer ^[10]
• Stephen Nolan  – radio and television presenter
• Martin O'Neill  – footballer and football manager
• Michelle O'Neill  – politician
• Jamie-Lee O'Donnell  – actress
• Ian Paisley  – preacher and politician
• Rhonda Paisley  – author
• Norman Parke  – MMA-Fighter
• Glenn Patterson  – novelist
• Mary Peters  – athlete
• William Pirrie – co-designed the RMS Titanic
• Graeme Purdy  – photographer and author
• Patricia Quinn  – actress
• Ronan Rafferty  – golfer
• Stephen Rea  – actor
• Brendan Rodgers  – football manager
• Zöe Salmon  – television presenter
• Feargal Sharkey  – lead singer The Undertones
• Dean Shiels  – footballer
• Hans Sloane  – inventor ^[11]
• Victor Sloan  – photographer and artist
• Michael Smiley  – comic actor
• Joe Swail  – snooker player
• Bronágh Taggart  – actress
• Phil Taggart (broadcaster)  –
• Dennis Taylor  – snooker player
• William Thomson, 1st Baron Kelvin  – mathematical physicist and engineer
• Austin Trevor  – actor
• Alex Trimble – singer and guitarist for Two Door Cinema Club
• Andrew Trimble  – rugby player
• Juliet Turner  – singer-songwriter
• John Watson  – Formula One driver
• Jayne Wisener  – actress
• Tim Wheeler  – lead singer, guitarist and songwriter of the band Ash
• Norman Whiteside  – footballer
• Tony Wright – musician and singer/songwriter known as VerseChorusVerse
• Jo Zebedee  – author and businesswoman ^[12]

References

1. "Gerry Adams: Profile of Sinn Féin leader". BBC News. 20 November 2017. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
2. "Allen pockets world title". BBC News. 4 December 2004. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
3. "Gerry Anderson: Broadcaster dies after long illness". BBC News. 21 August 2014. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
4. "Anderson given Scots role". BBC News. 28 May 2004. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
5. BBC website, Dame Jocelyn Bell-Burnell: NI scientist awarded Royal Society's highest prize, August 24, 2021
6. BBC website, May Blood: Trade unionist and former Labour peer dies aged 84, dated 21 October 2022
7. Ulster Transport Museum website, The life and legacy of Harry Ferguson
8. Guardian website, Arlene Foster to Quit as DUP Leader, article by Rory Carroll dated April 28, 2021
9. Olympics website, Stephanie Meadow
10. "Glasgow 2014 - Alanna Audley-Murphy Profile". g2014results.thecgf.com. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
11. Sir Hans Sloane Centre website
12. Northern Ireland World website, The Secret Bookshelf: Carrickfergus Retailer Scoops Independent Bookshop of the Year Award, article written Helena McManus dated 13 March 2024