Máirtín Ó Muilleoir facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Máirtín Ó Muilleoir
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Ó Muilleoir in 2013
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| Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly for Belfast South |
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| In office 4 November 2014 – 7 January 2020 |
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| Preceded by | Alex Maskey |
| Succeeded by | Deirdre Hargey |
| Minister for Finance | |
| In office 12 May 2016 – 7 January 2017 |
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| Preceded by | Mervyn Storey |
| Succeeded by | Conor Murphy |
| 70th Lord Mayor of Belfast | |
| In office 2 June 2013 – 2 June 2014 |
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| Preceded by | Gavin Robinson |
| Succeeded by | Nichola Mallon |
| Member of Belfast City Council | |
| In office 5 May 2011 – 7 January 2020 |
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| Preceded by | Jim Kirkpatrick |
| Succeeded by | Geraldine McAteer |
| Constituency | Balmoral |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 31 December 1959 Belfast, Northern Ireland |
| Nationality | Irish |
| Political party | Sinn Féin |
| Spouse | Helen O'Hare |
| Children | 4 |
| Alma mater | Queen's University Belfast |
| Profession |
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Máirtín Ó Muilleoir (born 31 December 1959) is an Irish politician, author, publisher, and businessman. He is a member of the Sinn Féin political party. From 2013 to 2014, he served as the 70th Lord Mayor of Belfast.
Máirtín Ó Muilleoir has siblings who are also involved in writing. His brother, Adrian Millar, is a writer and blogger. His other brother, Gerry Millar (also known as Gearóid Ó Muilleoir), is a journalist and editor for The Belfast Telegraph.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Growing Up in Belfast
Máirtín Ó Muilleoir was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland. He grew up in the city and attended local schools.
School and University Years
He went to St Mary's Christian Brothers' Grammar School, Belfast. After that, he continued his education at Queen's University Belfast.
Career Journey
Business Ventures
In 1997, Ó Muilleoir became a part-owner of the Andersonstown News. This company later bought The Irish Echo, a newspaper based in New York City. He speaks Irish fluently and has business interests in both Ireland and America. He also worked as a temporary director for Northern Ireland Water.
Political Path
Starting in Politics
Ó Muilleoir first entered politics in 1985. He ran as a Sinn Féin candidate for the Upper Falls area but was not elected that time.
Joining the Council
Two years later, in October 1987, he won a special election. This happened when another council member, Pip Glendinning, resigned. During his time on the council, Ó Muilleoir took legal action. He claimed there was unfair treatment by the council, which was mostly controlled by unionist politicians. He wrote about these experiences in his book, The Dome of Delight.
Leaving and Returning to Politics
He was re-elected to the council in 1989 and 1993. However, he decided to leave politics in 1997 to focus on his businesses. In 1996, he tried to get elected to the Northern Ireland Forum for North Down, but he was not successful.
Ó Muilleoir returned to politics in 2011. He was elected as a Belfast City Councillor for Balmoral, South Belfast. He took over the seat from Jim Kirkpatrick. In 2013, he was elected Lord Mayor of Belfast, serving for one year.
Roles in the Assembly
In 2014, he became a member of the Northern Ireland Assembly, known as an MLA. He ran for a seat in the UK Parliament in 2015 for Belfast South. He lost to Alasdair McDonnell. On 12 May 2016, he was appointed Minister of Finance in the Northern Ireland Executive. He resigned as an MLA in December 2019. Deirdre Hargey then took his place in the Assembly.
