Sian Mulholland (née O'Neill) is a Northern Irish politician who has been an Alliance Party Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for North Antrim since April 2023.

Sian Mulholland
Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly
for North Antrim
Assumed office
6 April 2023
Preceded byPatricia O'Lynn
Member of
Lisburn & Castlereagh Council
In office
26 May 2022 – 6 April 2023
Preceded byDavid Honeyford
Succeeded byClaire Kemp
ConstituencyKillutagh
Member of
Belfast City Council
In office
1 September 2015 – 26 May 2022
Preceded byLaura McNamee
Succeeded byChristine Bower
ConstituencyOrmiston
Personal details
Born
Sian O'Neill
NationalityNorthern Irish
Political partyAlliance
Spouse
Kieran Mulholland
(m. 2018)
Children3
OccupationPolitician

Political career

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Belfast City Council (2015-22)

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In September 2015, Mulholland was co-opted onto Belfast City Council for the constituency of Ormiston following the resignation of Laura McNamee.[1] Prior to being co-opted, Mulholland worked as a caseworker for Alliance Party leader Naomi Long.[2]

Lisburn & Castlereagh Council (2022-23)

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Mulholland, already a member of Belfast City Council, was co-opted onto Lisburn & Castlereagh Council to fill the vacancy left by David Honeyford's election to the Assembly.[3]

Member of the Legislative Assembly (2023-present)

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On 6 April 2023, Mulholland was sworn in as MLA for North Antrim following the resignation of Patricia O'Lynn.[4][5]

She contested North Antrim at the 2024 general election, coming fourth and outpolling the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) candidate, winning 4,488 votes (10.9%).[6][7][8]

Personal life

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In November 2018, Mulholland married Kieran Mullholland, a Sinn Féin councillor on the Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council.[2] Mulholland and her husband have two sons [9] and a daughter born five weeks before the restoration of the Northern Ireland Assembly.[10]

References

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  1. ^ "Councillor Sian Mulholland". Belfast City Council. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
  2. ^ a b Hughes, Brendan (22 November 2018). "Alliance councillor and Sinn Féin councillor get married". The Irish News. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
  3. ^ McGonagle, Suzanne (4 April 2023). "Sian Mulholland confirmed as new Alliance MLA for North Antrim". The Irish News. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
  4. ^ Alliance Party [@allianceparty] (6 April 2023). "It's official! Today we welcome North Antrim's newest MLA @sianalliance to the team. It's time to get Stormont back up and running so Sian and other Alliance MLAs can legislate on behalf of all people in NI" (Tweet). Retrieved 7 April 2023 – via Twitter.
  5. ^ Reid, Kurtis (4 April 2023). "Alliance councillor 'honoured' to replace outgoing Patricia O'Lynn in North Antrim". Belfast Telegraph. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
  6. ^ @allianceparty (17 May 2024). "Congratulations to @sianalliance on being selected as Alliance's General Election candidate for North Antrim" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  7. ^ "North Antrim - General election results 2024 - BBC News". BBC News. Retrieved 28 October 2024.
  8. ^ "UK Parliament election results: Election for the constituency of North Antrim on 4 July 2024". UK Parliament. Retrieved 28 October 2024.
  9. ^ McGovern, Eimear (3 September 2021). "Survey labelling Belfast parents unfriendly on school run is false, says councillor mum of P1 pupil". Belfast Telegraph. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
  10. ^ https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/life/christmas/christmas-arrives-early-for-alliance-mla-as-she-welcomes-baby/a502310561.html
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