Michelle O'Neill: Difference between revisions
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In August 2022, O'Neill was asked in a [[BBC]] interview whether it was right during [[The Troubles]] for the Provisional IRA "to engage in violent resistance to British rule". O'Neill was criticised for her response, "I think at the time there was no alternative, but now thankfully we have an alternative to conflict, and that is the Good Friday Agreement – that is why it’s so precious to us all."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Rainey |first=Mark |date=3 August 2022 |title=Michelle O’Neill’s ‘no alternative’ to violence comment provokes backlash |work=News Letter |url=https://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/crime/michelle-oneills-no-alternative-to-violence-comment-provokes-backlash-3792585}}</ref> |
In August 2022, O'Neill was asked in a [[BBC]] interview whether it was right during [[The Troubles]] for the Provisional IRA "to engage in violent resistance to British rule". O'Neill was criticised for her response, "I think at the time there was no alternative, but now thankfully we have an alternative to conflict, and that is the Good Friday Agreement – that is why it’s so precious to us all."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Rainey |first=Mark |date=3 August 2022 |title=Michelle O’Neill’s ‘no alternative’ to violence comment provokes backlash |work=News Letter |url=https://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/crime/michelle-oneills-no-alternative-to-violence-comment-provokes-backlash-3792585}}</ref> |
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In September 2022, O'Neill broke with Republican tradition to attend the funeral of [[Queen Elizabeth II]] of |
In September 2022, O'Neill broke with Republican tradition to attend the funeral of [[Queen Elizabeth II]] of the United Kingdom.<ref>https://www.independent.ie/regionals/cork/news/fermoys-michelle-oneill-breaks-long-standing-republican-tradition-to-attend-queen-elizabeth-iis-funeral/42001568.html</ref> |
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In May 2023, O'Neill attended the coronation of King Charles, saying, "Well obviously I wanted to be here. We live in changing times and it was the respectful thing to do, to show respect and to be here for all those people at home, who I had said I would be a first minister for all. Attendance here is about honouring that and fulfilling my promise."<ref>{{Cite news |date=2023-05-06 |title=Michelle O’Neill: I wanted to be at King Charles’ coronation ‘to show respect’ |language=en-GB |work=BelfastTelegraph.co.uk |url=https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/sunday-life/news/michelle-oneill-i-wanted-to-be-at-king-charles-coronation-to-show-respect/1980082223.html |access-date=2023-09-24 |issn=0307-1235}}</ref> |
In May 2023, O'Neill attended the coronation of King Charles, saying, "Well obviously I wanted to be here. We live in changing times and it was the respectful thing to do, to show respect and to be here for all those people at home, who I had said I would be a first minister for all. Attendance here is about honouring that and fulfilling my promise."<ref>{{Cite news |date=2023-05-06 |title=Michelle O’Neill: I wanted to be at King Charles’ coronation ‘to show respect’ |language=en-GB |work=BelfastTelegraph.co.uk |url=https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/sunday-life/news/michelle-oneill-i-wanted-to-be-at-king-charles-coronation-to-show-respect/1980082223.html |access-date=2023-09-24 |issn=0307-1235}}</ref> |
Revision as of 21:10, 30 January 2024
Michelle O'Neill | |
---|---|
![]() O'Neill in Edinburgh, 2023 | |
First Minister-designate of Northern Ireland[1] | |
Assuming office TBD | |
Succeeding | Vacant |
Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland | |
In office 11 January 2020 – 4 February 2022[a] Serving with Arlene Foster and Paul Givan | |
Preceded by | Martin McGuinness (2017) |
Succeeded by | Vacant |
Vice President of Sinn Féin | |
Assumed office 10 February 2018 | |
President | Mary Lou McDonald |
Preceded by | Mary Lou McDonald |
Minister of Health | |
In office 25 May 2016 – 2 March 2017 | |
Preceded by | Simon Hamilton (Health, Social Services and Public Safety) |
Succeeded by | Robin Swann |
Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development | |
In office 5 May 2011 – 6 May 2016 | |
Preceded by | Michelle Gildernew |
Succeeded by | Michelle McIlveen (Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs) |
Mayor of Dungannon and South Tyrone | |
In office June 2010 – June 2011 | |
Preceded by | Francie Molloy |
Succeeded by | Kenneth Reid |
Member of the Legislative Assembly for Mid Ulster | |
Assumed office 7 March 2007 | |
Preceded by | Geraldine Dougan |
Personal details | |
Born | Michelle Doris 10 January 1977 Fermoy, County Cork, Ireland |
Political party | Sinn Féin |
Spouse |
Paddy O'Neill
(m. 1995; sep. 2014) |
Children | 2 |
Website | Official website |
^a O'Neill left the role of dFM when Arlene Foster resigned as FM on 14 June 2021. She was reappointed dFM alongside FM Paul Givan on 17 June 2021. | |
Michelle O'Neill (née Doris; born 10 January 1977)[2] is an Irish politician who served as deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland between 2020 and 2022.[a] She has been serving as Vice President of Sinn Féin since 2018 and is the Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Mid Ulster since 2007.
O'Neill served on the Dungannon and South Tyrone Borough Council from 2005 to 2011. She served as the first female Mayor of Dungannon and South Tyrone from 2010 to 2011. In 2007, she was elected to represent Mid Ulster in the Northern Ireland Assembly. In 2011, she was appointed to the Northern Ireland Executive by deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness as Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development. In 2016, she was promoted to Minister of Health.[3][4][5][6][7] In January 2020, she became deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland after the New Decade, New Approach agreement restored the power-sharing executive.
O'Neill automatically relinquished her office following Paul Givan's resignation as first minister on 3 February 2022.[8] Sinn Féin became the largest party after the 2022 Assembly election, putting O'Neill in line for the position of First Minister of Northern Ireland; however she has not taken up the position because the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) has refused to nominate a deputy First Minister, citing its opposition to the Northern Ireland Protocol.
Background
O'Neill was born in Fermoy, a town in County Cork, Republic of Ireland.[9] She comes from an Irish republican family in Clonoe, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. Her father Brendan Doris was a Provisional IRA prisoner and Sinn Féin councillor.[10] Her uncle Paul Doris is a former national president of the Irish Northern Aid Committee (NORAID).[11] A cousin, Tony Doris, was one of three IRA members killed in an ambush by the Special Air Service in 1991.[12] Another cousin, IRA volunteer Gareth Malachy Doris, was shot and wounded during the 1997 Coalisland attack.[13]
O'Neill attended St. Patrick's Girls' Academy, a Catholic grammar school in Dungannon, Tyrone.[2] She subsequently began to train as an accounting technician, before pursuing a political career.[2]
Political career
Early career
O'Neill became involved in republican politics in her teens,[10] assisting her father with constituency work in his role as a Dungannon councillor.[11] She joined Sinn Féin after the Good Friday Agreement in 1998, at the age of 21,[2][12] and started working as an advisor to Francie Molloy in the Northern Ireland Assembly. She kept this role until 2005,[14] when she was elected to represent the Torrent electoral area on Dungannon and South Tyrone Borough Council, taking the seat which had been vacated by her father.[15] O'Neill was elected as an MLA for Mid Ulster in the 2007 Assembly election, succeeding her Sinn Féin colleague Geraldine Dougan.[15] While a backbencher in the Assembly, she sat on Stormont's education and health committees.[16] In 2010, she became Mayor of Dungannon and South Tyrone.[17] O'Neill was the first woman to hold the position of Mayor, as well as one of the youngest people.[10] She held the council position until 2011.[15]
Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development
O'Neill succeeded Michelle Gildernew as Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development in the Northern Ireland Executive after the 2011 Assembly election.[18] One of her key decisions in the role was the relocation of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development's headquarters from Belfast to a former British Army barracks in Ballykelly, County Londonderry in a bid to decentralise civil service jobs.[19] The decision overruled an internal report on the matter, which recommended Strabane as a more appropriate location.[2]
In December 2013, the High Court quashed a decision by O'Neill to reallocate 7% of Common Agricultural Policy funds to rural development projects that had been favoured by environmentalists.[20] The court ruled that she was in breach of the Ministerial Code, having not sought the necessary permissions for the transfer from the Executive.[20]
Minister of Health
O'Neill replaced the DUP's Simon Hamilton as Minister of Health following the 2016 election. After just eight days in office, she announced she would be scrapping the lifetime ban on gay and bisexual men donating blood in Northern Ireland.[21] On 25 October 2016, O'Neill unveiled a document titled Health and Wellbeing 2026: Delivering Together, a ten-year plan which is based on the findings of the Bengoa Report and aims to modernise the health and social care system.[22]
Vice President of Sinn Féin
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/98/Martin_McGuinness_and_Michelle_O%27Neill.jpg/220px-Martin_McGuinness_and_Michelle_O%27Neill.jpg)
In January 2017, when Martin McGuinness resigned as deputy First Minister in protest against the Renewable Heat Incentive scandal, and said that he would not stand in the resulting snap election, O'Neill was chosen as Sinn Féin's new "party leader in the North".[note 1][5][25] The fact that she was favoured for the leadership ahead of former IRA member Conor Murphy marked a notable break in the leadership's direct association with the organisation.[12][26]
In the 2017 Assembly election that followed McGuinness's resignation, O'Neill was returned to the Assembly, topping the poll in Mid Ulster and with a 20.6% share of first-preference votes.[27][28] In March 2017, she called for a referendum on the reunification of Ireland "as soon as possible" in response to Brexit.[29] O'Neill led the Sinn Féin side in the inter-party negotiations that followed the election, aiming to restore a power-sharing coalition in Northern Ireland, but said at the end of March that the talks had failed, and Sinn Féin would not nominate her for the position of deputy First Minister.[30][31]
In February 2018, O'Neill became vice president of Sinn Féin, succeeding Mary Lou McDonald, who became president following the retirement of Gerry Adams.[32] In November 2019 she faced a leadership challenge from John O'Dowd, winning with 67% of the vote.[33]
Deputy First Minister
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5e/First_Minister_Humza_Yousaf_meets_with_First_Minister_of_Northern_Ireland_designate_Michelle_O%27Neill%2C_2023.jpg/220px-First_Minister_Humza_Yousaf_meets_with_First_Minister_of_Northern_Ireland_designate_Michelle_O%27Neill%2C_2023.jpg)
In January 2020, O'Neill was appointed deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland.[34] She automatically lost her position on 14 June 2021 when Arlene Foster resigned as First Minister,[35] and regained it three days later when she and Paul Givan were nominated as deputy First Minister and First Minister respectively on 17 June 2021. In February 2022, O'Neill once again lost her position as deputy First Minister with the resignation of Paul Givan as First Minister.[8]
First Minister (Designate)
Following the 2022 Assembly election, Sinn Féin won the largest number of seats with 27 seats, becoming the largest political party in the Northern Ireland Assembly.[36] Their unionist counterparts, the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) came second with 25 seats.[37] As a result of being the largest party, this puts O'Neill in line to become the First Minister of Northern Ireland, and the DUP leader to become the deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland.[38] However, O'Neill remains to be officially sworn in as First Minister because, as part of its opposition to the Northern Ireland Protocol, the DUP has refused to nominate a deputy First minister and there is therefore no functioning executive of Northern Ireland.[39]
In August 2022, O'Neill was asked in a BBC interview whether it was right during The Troubles for the Provisional IRA "to engage in violent resistance to British rule". O'Neill was criticised for her response, "I think at the time there was no alternative, but now thankfully we have an alternative to conflict, and that is the Good Friday Agreement – that is why it’s so precious to us all."[40]
In September 2022, O'Neill broke with Republican tradition to attend the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom.[41]
In May 2023, O'Neill attended the coronation of King Charles, saying, "Well obviously I wanted to be here. We live in changing times and it was the respectful thing to do, to show respect and to be here for all those people at home, who I had said I would be a first minister for all. Attendance here is about honouring that and fulfilling my promise."[42]
Under her leadership, Sinn Fein has led most opinion polls for the next general election.[43]
On 30 January 2024 with the Democratic Unionist Party announcing their return to powersharing, O'Neill became the presumed first Irish nationalist First minister of Northern Ireland.[44]
Legal issues
In May 2023, O'Neill won a libel action against a DUP councillor for defamation following a comment made on social media in April 2021.[45] In November 2023, she was awarded no damages.[46] The councillor in question was suspended by his party.[47]
Personal life
O'Neill became pregnant at the age of 16. She married Paddy O'Neill when she was 18. Together they have two children. They separated in 2014.[2][14][48]
Electoral history
Northern Ireland Assembly elections
Year | Constituency | Party | First-preference votes | % | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2022 | Mid Ulster | Sinn Féin | 10,845 | 21.0 | Elected |
2017 | Mid Ulster | Sinn Féin | 10,258 | 20.6 | Elected[49] |
2016 | Mid Ulster | Sinn Féin | 6,147 | 15.1 | Elected[49] |
2011 | Mid Ulster | Sinn Féin | 5,178 | 11.9 | Elected |
2007 | Mid Ulster | Sinn Féin | 6,432 | 14.5 | Elected |
Notes
References
- ^ Creighton, Sarah (24 May 2023). "Unionism is in crisis in Northern Ireland - and Sinn Féin is becoming an election-winning machine". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f "Michelle O'Neill: Who is Sinn Féin's new Northern leader?". BBC News. 23 January 2017. Archived from the original on 25 January 2017. Retrieved 25 January 2017.
- ^ "New northern Sinn Féin leader tells both governments to step up to the plate". Sinn Féin. 23 January 2017. Archived from the original on 26 January 2017. Retrieved 24 January 2017.
- ^ "We stand for equality, respect and integrity – O'Neill". Sinn Féin. Archived from the original on 29 January 2017. Retrieved 23 January 2017.
- ^ a b Moriarty, Gerry (23 January 2017). "Michelle O'Neill takes over as new Sinn Féin leader in North". The Irish Times. Dublin. ISSN 0791-5144. Archived from the original on 22 February 2017. Retrieved 23 January 2017.
- ^ "Mid Ulster". ARK.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 10 June 2009. Retrieved 3 March 2017.
- ^ "The Northern Ireland Assembly". niassembly.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 2 May 2017. Retrieved 29 March 2017.
- ^ a b Kearney, Vincent (3 February 2022). "Paul Givan resigns as NI First Minister". RTÉ News. Archived from the original on 3 February 2022. Retrieved 3 February 2022.
- ^ "Michelle O'Neill – Acceptance speech as Leas Uachtarán Shinn Féin". Sinn Féin. 10 February 2018. Archived from the original on 23 April 2021. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
- ^ a b c "5 things you should know about Michelle O'Neill, the new Sinn Fein leader at Stormont". The Irish News. Belfast. 23 January 2017. Archived from the original on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 24 January 2017.
- ^ a b Breen, Suzanne (23 January 2017). "How does SF's Michelle O'Neill measure up to Arlene Foster?". Belfast Telegraph. Belfast. ISSN 0307-5664. Archived from the original on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 24 January 2017.
- ^ a b c McDonald, Henry (23 January 2017). "Michelle O'Neill: new Sinn Féin leader marks republican sea change". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 24 January 2017. Retrieved 24 January 2017.
- ^ Barnes, Ciaran (20 February 2017). "Sinn Fein's Michelle O'Neill 'has no problem condemning criminality' after cousin convicted of fuel laundering". Belfast Telegraph. Belfast. ISSN 0307-5664. Archived from the original on 19 October 2017. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
- ^ a b Lonergan, Aidan (23 January 2017). "Who is Michelle O'Neill? Meet the new leader of Sinn Féin in Northern Ireland". The Irish Post. London. ISSN 0959-3748. Archived from the original on 27 February 2017. Retrieved 25 January 2017.
- ^ a b c "Mid Ulster – Michelle O'Neill profile". Sinn Féin. Archived from the original on 4 May 2010. Retrieved 24 May 2010.
- ^ Young, Connla (21 January 2017). "Who is Michelle O'Neill?". The Irish News. Belfast. Archived from the original on 30 March 2017. Retrieved 29 March 2017.
- ^ "Sinn Fein lady Mayor in Dungannon". Tyrone Times. Retrieved 23 January 2017.
- ^ "Michelle new Agriculture Minister". Tyrone Times. 20 May 2011. Archived from the original on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 24 January 2017.
- ^ "Department of Agriculture's Ballykelly HQ plans unveiled". BBC News. 30 April 2015. Archived from the original on 28 May 2017. Retrieved 29 March 2017.
- ^ a b Simpson, Mark (30 December 2013). "Michelle O'Neill will not challenge legal judgement". BBC News. Archived from the original on 28 May 2017. Retrieved 29 March 2017.
- ^ McDonald, Henry (2 June 2016). "Northern Ireland to lift ban on gay men donating blood". The Guardian. London. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 29 March 2017.
- ^ "O'Neill launches 10 year vision for Health & Social Care". Department of Health. 25 October 2016. Archived from the original on 30 March 2017. Retrieved 29 March 2017.
- ^ a b Breen, Suzanne (23 January 2017). "Sinn Féin's Michelle O'Neill poised to be selected as party's new leader in Northern Ireland". Irish Independent. Dublin. ISSN 0021-1222. Archived from the original on 5 December 2019. Retrieved 2 December 2019.
- ^ McDonald, Henry (19 November 2017). "Search for new Sinn Féin leader begins after Gerry Adams steps down". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 5 December 2019. Retrieved 2 December 2019.
- ^ McDonald, Henry (23 January 2017). "Sinn Féin names Michelle O'Neill as new leader in Northern Ireland". The Guardian. London. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 25 March 2017. Retrieved 29 March 2017.
- ^ McKeown, Gareth (23 January 2017). "Michelle O'Neill set to be named new Sinn Féin leader at Stormont". The Irish News. Belfast. Archived from the original on 30 March 2017. Retrieved 29 March 2017.
- ^ "Sinn Féin's Michelle O'Neill tops poll in Mid Ulster". ITV News. Archived from the original on 30 March 2017. Retrieved 29 March 2017.
- ^ "NI Assembly Election 2017 Result Sheet – Mid Ulster (XLS)". The Electoral Office of Northern Ireland – EONI. Archived from the original on 30 March 2017.
- ^ "Michelle O'Neill calls for 'urgent' referendum on Irish unity". BBC News. 13 March 2017. Archived from the original on 29 March 2017. Retrieved 29 March 2017.
- ^ "NI political talks have run their course, says Sinn Féin". BBC News. 26 March 2017. Archived from the original on 28 March 2017. Retrieved 29 March 2017.
- ^ McDonald, Henry (26 March 2017). "Northern Ireland power-sharing talks break down". The Guardian. London. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 29 March 2017. Retrieved 29 March 2017.
- ^ Preiss, Bert (2020). Conflict at the Interface: Local Community Divisions and Hegemonic Forces in Northern Ireland. LIT Verlag. p. 97. ISBN 978-3643911919.
- ^ "Sinn Féin: O'Neill polled 67% in deputy leadership contest". BBC News. 22 November 2019. Archived from the original on 5 December 2019. Retrieved 2 December 2019.
- ^ "Stormont deal: Arlene Foster and Michelle O'Neill new top NI ministers". BBC News. 12 January 2020. Archived from the original on 13 January 2020. Retrieved 19 January 2020.
- ^ "Arlene Foster urges NI parties to stick to language deal". BBC News. 14 June 2021. Archived from the original on 14 June 2021. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
- ^ "Northern Ireland: Sinn Fein secures historic election win". DW. 7 May 2022. Archived from the original on 9 May 2022. Retrieved 9 May 2022.
- ^ "Northern Ireland Assembly Election Results 2022".
- ^ Neville, Steve (8 May 2022). "Michelle O'Neill: Her path from Fermoy to Northern Ireland's first minister". Irish Examiner. Archived from the original on 9 May 2022. Retrieved 9 May 2022.
- ^ "Michelle O'Neill unable to attend Labour conference after contracting viral infection". Belfasttelegraph.
- ^ Rainey, Mark (3 August 2022). "Michelle O'Neill's 'no alternative' to violence comment provokes backlash". News Letter.
- ^ https://www.independent.ie/regionals/cork/news/fermoys-michelle-oneill-breaks-long-standing-republican-tradition-to-attend-queen-elizabeth-iis-funeral/42001568.html
- ^ "Michelle O'Neill: I wanted to be at King Charles' coronation 'to show respect'". BelfastTelegraph.co.uk. 6 May 2023. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 24 September 2023.
- ^ "Sinn Fein 'on course to hit new general election high': new poll". BelfastTelegraph.co.uk. 13 November 2023. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 22 November 2023.
- ^ "NI Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris says 'all conditions in place' for return to power-sharing at Stormont after DUP deal". BelfastTelegraph.co.uk. 30 January 2024. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
- ^ "Michelle O'Neill wins libel action against DUP councillor who said she should be 'put back in her kennel'". The Irish Times. Retrieved 22 November 2023.
- ^ "Michelle O'Neill awarded no damages over kennel remark". BBC News. 7 November 2023. Retrieved 22 November 2023.
- ^ "John Carson: DUP councillor suspended over Michelle O'Neill post". BBC News. 10 October 2022. Retrieved 22 November 2023.
- ^ Preston, Allan (6 February 2017). "Being a teenage mother turned me into a stronger person, reveals Sinn Fein's Michelle O'Neill". Belfast Telegraph. Belfast. ISSN 0307-5664. Archived from the original on 30 September 2019. Retrieved 26 September 2019.
- ^ a b "Mid Ulster Northern Ireland Assembly constituency". BBC News. Archived from the original on 24 June 2021. Retrieved 17 June 2021.
External links
Media related to Michelle O'Neill at Wikimedia Commons
- 1977 births
- Living people
- Female members of the Northern Ireland Assembly
- LGBT rights activists from Northern Ireland
- Ministers of the Northern Ireland Executive (since 1999)
- Northern Ireland MLAs 2007–2011
- Northern Ireland MLAs 2011–2016
- Northern Ireland MLAs 2016–2017
- Northern Ireland MLAs 2017–2022
- Northern Ireland MLAs 2022–2027
- People from Fermoy
- Sinn Féin MLAs
- Women ministers of the Northern Ireland Executive
- Sinn Féin councillors in Northern Ireland
- Members of Dungannon and South Tyrone Borough Council
- Women councillors in Northern Ireland
- Women activists from Northern Ireland
- People educated at St Patrick's Academy, Dungannon