Niall Ó Donnghaile
Niall Ó Donnghaile | |
|---|---|
 At the 2011 MTV Europe Music Awards | |
| 56th Lord Mayor of Belfast | |
| In office 2011–2012 | |
| Preceded by | Pat Convery |
| Succeeded by | Gavin Robinson |
| Councillor on Belfast City Council | |
| Assumed office 2011 | |
| Constituency | Pottinger, Belfast East |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Lord Mayor of Belfast 1986 (age 29–30) Belfast, Northern Ireland |
| Died | Lord Mayor of Belfast |
| Resting place | Lord Mayor of Belfast |
| Nationality | Irish |
| Political party | Sinn Féin |
| Parent |
|
| Education | Colaiste Feirste |
| Alma mater | University of Ulster |
Niall Ó Donnghaile was the 56th Lord Mayor of Belfast. He was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Ó Donnghaile is a Sinn Féin councillor for the Pottinger ward in Belfast East.[1] He was educated through Irish, which he speaks fluently, and is a politics graduate. A full-time Sinn Féin councillor, Ó Donnghaile was previously employed as the party's Press Officer in the Northern Ireland Assembly.[2] [3] Ó Donnghaile is also a community worker in the Short Strand, the area of East Belfast in which he was born, and is a member of the Short Strand Partnership Board.[1]
Ó Donnghaile works with various other organisations in Belfast on issues such as the developments at Titanic Quarter and Sirocco Quays, and has spoken strongly in support of residents on the issue of the proposed runway extension at Belfast City Airport.[1]
Lord Mayor of Belfast
Ó Donnghaile became Lord Mayor of Belfast in June 2011. Aged 25 at the time, he was the city's youngest ever Lord Mayor.[4] Ó Donnghaile said he wanted to represent all the people of Belfast. Ruth Patterson, of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), became Deputy Lord Mayor. Controversially, she refused to talk to Ó Donnghaile or shake his hand. Her party backed her in this decision.[5]
After taking office, he removed portraits of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and Prince Charles from the Mayor's parlour, replacing them with a portrait of the United Irishmen and a copy of the Proclamation of the Irish Republic. He kept portraits of Elizabeth II and Prince Philip on display. Ó Donnghaile explained that he did this to make the parlour "more reflective of Belfast". However, Unionist councillors demanded that the two royal portraits be put back.[6]
In December 2011 he was again slammed by Unionists, who accused him of refusing to present an award to a British Army cadet. They called for him to apologize or resign. Ó Donnghaile apologized and explained: "At the last minute I was informed that one of the awards was to be presented to a representative of the Army Cadet Force [...] to avoid any unnecessary sensitivities to either party, it was arranged for the outgoing chairman of the organisation to present some of the certificates alongside me". He said he would be happy to meet the cadet and her family to explain his decision.[7]
See also
References
- ^ a b c "South and East Belfast: Cllr. Niall Ó Donnghaile (Pottinger)". Sebelfastsinnfein.com. Retrieved 2012-06-02.
- ^ "BBC News – DUP backs Ruth Patterson over Sinn Fein mayor snub". Bbc.co.uk. 2011-05-27. Retrieved 2012-06-02.
- ^ "Niall O Donnghaile: Electoral history and profile | Politics". The Guardian. 2011-11-16. Retrieved 2012-06-02.
- ^ "Sinn Fein man is Belfast's youngest Mayor – Politics, News". Belfasttelegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 2012-06-02.
- ^ "DUP backs Ruth Patterson over Sinn Fein mayor snub". BBC News, 27 May 2011. Retrieved 1 June 2013.
- ^ "SF mayor removes royal portraits". UTV News, 10 June 2011. Retrieved 1 June 2013.
- ^ "BBC News – Sinn Fein mayor slammed over failure to present award to army cadet". Bbc.co.uk. 2011-11-29. Retrieved 2012-06-02.