List of Northern Ireland members of the House of Lords
Encyclopedia
This is a list of sitting Members of the United Kingdom
House of Lords
who were born, live or lived in Northern Ireland
.
This list does not include hereditary peers who have lost their seat in the Lords following the House of Lords Act 1999
, or those in the Peerage of Ireland
, who have never had an automatic right to a seat in the House of Lords at Westminster.
Note: There is no such thing as the Peerage of Northern Ireland and peers do not represent geographic areas as such. Some do, however, choose titles which reflect geographical localities, e.g. Lord Kilclooney, this is, however, entirely nominal.
Listed in order of surname, not title
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
who were born, live or lived in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
.
This list does not include hereditary peers who have lost their seat in the Lords following the House of Lords Act 1999
House of Lords Act 1999
The House of Lords Act 1999 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that was given Royal Assent on 11 November 1999. The Act reformed the House of Lords, one of the chambers of Parliament. For centuries, the House of Lords had included several hundred members who inherited their seats;...
, or those in the Peerage of Ireland
Peerage of Ireland
The Peerage of Ireland is the term used for those titles of nobility created by the English and later British monarchs of Ireland in their capacity as Lord or King of Ireland. The creation of such titles came to an end in the 19th century. The ranks of the Irish peerage are Duke, Marquess, Earl,...
, who have never had an automatic right to a seat in the House of Lords at Westminster.
Note: There is no such thing as the Peerage of Northern Ireland and peers do not represent geographic areas as such. Some do, however, choose titles which reflect geographical localities, e.g. Lord Kilclooney, this is, however, entirely nominal.
Listed in order of surname, not title
Current members
- John Alderdice, Baron AlderdiceJohn Alderdice, Baron AlderdiceJohn Thomas Alderdice, Baron Alderdice is a Northern Ireland politician. He was Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly 1998-2004, leader of the Alliance Party of Northern Ireland 1987-1998, and since 1996 sits in the House of Lords as a Liberal Democrat.-Personal life:Alderdice was born to the...
, former leader of the Alliance Party of Northern IrelandAlliance Party of Northern IrelandThe Alliance Party of Northern Ireland is a liberal and nonsectarian political party in Northern Ireland. It is Northern Ireland's fifth-largest party overall, with eight seats in the Northern Ireland Assembly and one in the House of Commons....
and first Speaker of the Northern Ireland AssemblySpeaker of the Northern Ireland AssemblyThe Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly is the presiding officer of the Northern Ireland Assembly, elected on a cross-community vote by the Members of the Northern Ireland Assembly...
, now Liberal DemocratLiberal DemocratsThe Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the... - Paul Bew, Baron Bew, professor at Queen's University Belfast
- May Blood, Baroness BloodMay Blood, Baroness BloodMay Blood, Baroness Blood of Blackwatertown MBE is a Labour member of the British House of Lords.Blood was born and raised in Belfast and worked in a linen mill from 1952-90 where she soon became an active member of the trade union and a shop steward. She was involved in creating the women's...
, member of the Labour PartyLabour Party (UK)The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after... - Alan Brooke, 3rd Viscount Brookeborough, (representative peerRepresentative peerIn the United Kingdom, representative peers were those peers elected by the members of the Peerage of Scotland and the Peerage of Ireland to sit in the British House of Lords...
), landowner and a Lord-in-WaitingLord-in-WaitingMost Lords in Waiting are Government whips in the House of Lords who are members of the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom. As members of the Royal Household their duties are nominal, though they are occasionally required to meet visiting political and state leaders on visits...
to The QueenElizabeth II of the United KingdomElizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
, is the grandson of a former Prime Minister of Northern IrelandPrime Minister of Northern IrelandThe Prime Minister of Northern Ireland was the de facto head of the Government of Northern Ireland. No such office was provided for in the Government of Ireland Act 1920. However the Lord Lieutenant, as with Governors-General in other Westminster Systems such as in Canada, chose to appoint someone...
and son of an Ulster UnionistUlster Unionist PartyThe Ulster Unionist Party – sometimes referred to as the Official Unionist Party or, in a historic sense, simply the Unionist Party – is the more moderate of the two main unionist political parties in Northern Ireland...
MP. - Wallace Browne, Baron Browne of BelmontWallace Browne, Baron Browne of BelmontWallace Hamilton Browne, Baron Browne of Belmont is a Northern Irish politician in the Democratic Unionist Party.He was Lord Mayor of Belfast in 2005-06, and it was announced on 11 April 2006 that he would be one of the first three members of the DUP to be created a life peer, giving the party its...
, former Lord Mayor of BelfastLord Mayor of BelfastThe Lord Mayor of Belfast is the leader and chairman of Belfast City Council, elected annually from and by the City's 51 councillors.The Lord Mayor is Niall Ó Donnghaile of Sinn Féin, while the Deputy Lord Mayor is Ruth Patterson of the Democratic Unionist Party, who were elected in May 2011.The...
, member of Democratic Unionist PartyDemocratic Unionist PartyThe Democratic Unionist Party is the larger of the two main unionist political parties in Northern Ireland. Founded by Ian Paisley and currently led by Peter Robinson, it is currently the largest party in the Northern Ireland Assembly and the fourth-largest party in the House of Commons of the... - Robert Carswell, Baron Carswell, PCRobert Carswell, Baron CarswellRobert Douglas Carswell, Baron Carswell, PC, QC , is a retired Lord of Appeal in Ordinary.The son of Alan and Nance Carswell was educated at the Royal Belfast Academical Institution and Pembroke College, Oxford, where he received a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts in classics and law in 1956...
, former Law Lord and former Lord Chief Justice of Northern IrelandLord Chief Justice of Northern IrelandThe Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland is the head of the judiciary in Northern Ireland, presiding over the Courts of Northern Ireland. The present Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland is Sir Declan Morgan... - Robin Dixon, 3rd Baron GlentoranRobin Dixon, 3rd Baron GlentoranMajor Thomas "Robin" Valerian Dixon, 3rd Baron Glentoran CBE is a former British bobsledder and Northern Irish politician, known as Robin Dixon. He is a former Conservative Party Shadow Minister for the Olympics....
, (representative peerRepresentative peerIn the United Kingdom, representative peers were those peers elected by the members of the Peerage of Scotland and the Peerage of Ireland to sit in the British House of Lords...
), member of the Conservative PartyConservative Party (UK)The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House... - Robin Henry Alexander Eames, Baron Eames OM, PhD, DDRobin EamesRobin Henry Alexander Eames, Baron Eames OM was the Anglican Primate of All Ireland and Archbishop of Armagh from 1986 to 2006.-Education:...
, retired Archbishop of Armagh (Church of Ireland)Archbishop of Armagh (Church of Ireland)The Anglican Archbishop of Armagh is the ecclesiastical head of the Church of Ireland, the metropolitan of the Province of Armagh and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Armagh.... - Edward Enda Haughey, Baron Ballyedmond OBEEdward Haughey, Baron BallyedmondEdward Enda Haughey, Baron Ballyedmond, OBE is an entrepreneur and politician. With an estimated personal wealth of £500m, he is the richest person in Northern Ireland, 9th richest in Ireland 250 member list and is joint 132nd richest person in the United Kingdom.-Biography:Edward Haughey was...
, businessman and member of Ulster Unionist PartyUlster Unionist PartyThe Ulster Unionist Party – sometimes referred to as the Official Unionist Party or, in a historic sense, simply the Unionist Party – is the more moderate of the two main unionist political parties in Northern Ireland... - Brian Hutton, Baron Hutton, PCBrian Hutton, Baron HuttonJames Brian Edward Hutton, Baron Hutton, PC, QC , is a former Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland and British Lord of Appeal in Ordinary.- Background :...
, former Law Lord and former Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland - Brian Kerr, Baron Kerr of Tonaghmore, PC, Law Lord and former Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland
- John Laird, Baron LairdJohn Laird, Baron LairdProfessor John Dunn Laird, Baron Laird FRSA of Artigarvan is an Ulster Unionist life peer and former chairman of the cross-border Ulster-Scots Agency.-Career:...
, former chairman of the Ulster-Scots AgencyUlster-Scots AgencyThe Ulster-Scots Agency is a cross-border body in Ireland which seeks "promote the study, conservation and development of Ulster-Scots as a living language; to encourage and develop the full range of its attendant culture; and to promote an understanding of the history of the Ulster-Scots...
and former StormontParliament of Northern IrelandThe Parliament of Northern Ireland was the home rule legislature of Northern Ireland, created under the Government of Ireland Act 1920, which sat from 7 June 1921 to 30 March 1972, when it was suspended...
MPMember of ParliamentA Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for the Ulster Unionist Party - Kenneth Wiggins Maginnis, Baron Maginnis of DrumglassKen Maginnis, Baron Maginnis of DrumglassKenneth Wiggins Maginnis, Lord Maginnis of Drumglass is a Northern Irish Ulster Unionist politician who sits in the House of Lords...
, former Ulster Unionist Party MP - Brian Mawhinney, Baron Mawhinney, former Secretary of State for TransportSecretary of State for TransportThe Secretary of State for Transport is the member of the cabinet responsible for the British Department for Transport. The role has had a high turnover as new appointments are blamed for the failures of decades of their predecessors...
and former Chairman of the Conservative PartyChairman of the Conservative PartyIn the United Kingdom, the Chairman of the Conservative Party is responsible for running the party machine, overseeing Conservative Central Office. When the Conservatives are in power, the Chairman is usually a member of the Cabinet being given a sinecure position such as Minister without Portfolio... - James Henry Molyneaux, Baron Molyneaux of Killead, KBE, PCJames MolyneauxJames Henry Molyneaux, Baron Molyneaux of Killead, KBE, PC is a Northern Irish Unionist politician and was leader of the Ulster Unionist Party from 1979 to 1995. He was a leading member and sometime Vice-President of the Conservative Monday Club...
, former leader of the Ulster Unionist Party - Maurice Morrow, Baron MorrowMaurice Morrow, Baron MorrowMaurice George Morrow, Baron Morrow is a Northern Irish unionist politician. He is one of two Democratic Unionist MLAs for Fermanagh and South Tyrone alongside Arlene Foster, and was made a life peer in June 2006...
, member of the Democratic Unionist Party - Nuala O'LoanNuala O'LoanNuala Patricia O'Loan, Baroness O'Loan, DBE is a noted public figure in Northern Ireland. She was the first Police Ombudsman in between 1999 and 2007. In July 2009, it was announced that she was to be appointed to the House of Lords. Consequently, she was raised to the peerage as Baroness O'Loan,...
, Baroness O'Loan of Kirkinriola, former Police Ombudsman - Onora O'Neill, Baroness O'Neill of Bengarve, academic and President of the British AcademyBritish AcademyThe British Academy is the United Kingdom's national body for the humanities and the social sciences. Its purpose is to inspire, recognise and support excellence in the humanities and social sciences, throughout the UK and internationally, and to champion their role and value.It receives an annual...
- Eileen Paisley, Baroness Paisley of St George'sEileen Paisley, Baroness Paisley of St George'sEileen Emily Paisley, Baroness Paisley of St George's is a Northern Irish Unionist politician, a vice-president of the Democratic Unionist Party, and the wife of Ian Paisley, now Lord Bannside, former leader of the DUP. She became a life peer in 2006.Eileen Cassells married Ian Richard Kyle...
, vice-president of the Democratic Unionist Party - Ian Paisley, Baron Bannside of North Antrim, PCIan PaisleyIan Richard Kyle Paisley, Baron Bannside, PC is a politician and church minister in Northern Ireland. As the leader of the Democratic Unionist Party , he and Sinn Féin's Martin McGuinness were elected First Minister and deputy First Minister respectively on 8 May 2007.In addition to co-founding...
, former leader of the Democratic Unionist Party - Diljit Rana, Baron RanaDiljit Rana, Baron RanaDiljit Singh Rana, Baron Rana, MBE is a British politician and member of the House of Lords. He is married to Lady Shruti Rana.In June 2004, he was created a life peer as Baron Rana, of Malone in the County of Antrim.-Life:...
, Indian-born Belfast businessman, sits as a Cross-bencherCross-bencherA crossbencher is an independent or minor party member of some legislatures, such as the British House of Lords and Australian Senate. They take their name from the crossbenches, between and perpendicular to the government and opposition benches, where crossbenchers sit in the chamber; compare... - Dennis Rogan, Baron Rogan, former chairman of the Ulster Unionist Party
- Trevor Arthur Smith, Baron Smith of CliftonTrevor Arthur Smith, Baron Smith of CliftonTrevor Arthur Smith, Baron Smith of Clifton Kt is a British politician who is currently the Liberal Democrat spokesman in the House of Lords on Northern Ireland and constitutional affairs...
, Liberal Democrat spokesman on Northern Ireland - John Taylor, Baron KilclooneyJohn Taylor, Baron KilclooneyJohn David Taylor, Baron Kilclooney, PC , is a former Ulster Unionist Party MP and a life peer. He was deputy leader of the UUP from 1995 to 2001, and a member of the Northern Ireland Assembly.-Career and family:...
, businessman and former deputy leader of the Ulster Unionist Party - David Trimble, Baron Trimble, PC, former leader of the Ulster Unionist Party, now Conservative
Deceased members
- William Blease, Baron BleaseWilliam Blease, Baron BleaseWilliam John Blease, Baron Blease JP was a British politician.Blease, the son of William John Blease and Sarah Watts, was educated at McClure Public Elementary School and Belfast Technical College, the National Council Labour Colleges and then the Workers' Educational Association.Blease worked...
, trade unionist and one-time member of the Northern Ireland Labour Party - Basil Stanlake Brooke, 1st Viscount Brookeborough, Bt, KG, CBE, MC, PCBasil Brooke, 1st Viscount BrookeboroughBasil Stanlake Brooke, 1st Viscount Brookeborough, Bt, KG, CBE, MC, PC, HML was an Ulster Unionist politician who became the third Prime Minister of Northern Ireland in 1943 and held office until 1963....
, Prime Minister of Northern Ireland, leader of the Ulster Unionist Party - John Warden Brooke, 2nd Viscount Brookeborough, PCJohn Brooke, 2nd Viscount BrookeboroughJohn Warden Brooke, 2nd Viscount Brookeborough, Bt, PC was a Northern Irish politician, the son of Prime Minister of Northern Ireland, the 1st Viscount Brookeborough.-Early life:...
, Stormont MP Ulster Unionist Party - James Dawson Chichester-Clark, Baron Moyola, PC, DL, Prime Minister of Northern Ireland, leader of the Ulster Unionist Party
- Victor Alexander Cooke, Baron Cooke of IslandreaghAlec Cooke, Baron Cooke of IslandreaghVictor Alexander Cooke, Baron Cooke of Islandreagh, OBE, DL was a politician in Northern Ireland.The son of Victor and Alice Cooke, he was educated in Marlborough College and graduated from Trinity College in Cambridge with a Master of Arts in mechanical science...
, former Ulster Unionist Senator in the Parliament of Northern Ireland - James Craig, 1st Viscount Craigavon BtJames Craig, 1st Viscount CraigavonJames Craig, 1st Viscount Craigavon, PC, PC , was a prominent Irish unionist politician, leader of the Ulster Unionist Party and the first Prime Minister of Northern Ireland...
, Prime Minister of Northern Ireland, leader of the Ulster Unionist Party - Daniel Dixon, 2nd Baron GlentoranDaniel Dixon, 2nd Baron GlentoranDaniel Stewart Thomas Bingham Dixon, 2nd Baron Glentoran KBE was a Northern Ireland soldier and politician....
, Ulster Unionist member of Northern Ireland House of Commons - Herbert Dixon, 1st Baron GlentoranHerbert Dixon, 1st Baron GlentoranHerbert Dixon, 1st Baron Glentoran OBE PC was a Northern Ireland Unionist politician.He was born in Belfast, the fourth son of Sir Daniel Dixon, 1st Baronet, and educated at Harrow and Sandhurst, being commissioned into the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers, with which regiment he served in the Second...
, Ulster Unionist member of Northern Ireland House of Commons - Robert Grosvenor, 5th Duke of WestminsterRobert Grosvenor, 5th Duke of WestminsterLieutenant-Colonel Robert George Grosvenor, 5th Duke of Westminster DSO TD JP DL , was a British soldier, landowner, businessman and politician. In the 1970s he was the richest man in Britain....
, Ulster Unionist member of British House of Commons - Arthur Brian Deane Faulkner, Baron Faulkner of DownpatrickBrian FaulknerArthur Brian Deane Faulkner, Baron Faulkner of Downpatrick, PC was the sixth and last Prime Minister of Northern Ireland from March 1971 until his resignation in March 1972...
, Prime Minister of Northern Ireland, Chief Executive of Northern Ireland, leader of the Ulster Unionist Party - Gerry Fitt, Baron FittGerry FittGerard Fitt, Baron Fitt was a politician in Northern Ireland. He was a founder and the first leader of the Social Democratic and Labour Party , a social democratic and Irish nationalist party.-Early years:...
, founder leader of the Social Democratic and Labour PartySocial Democratic and Labour PartyThe Social Democratic and Labour Party is a social-democratic, Irish nationalist political party in Northern Ireland. Its basic party platform advocates Irish reunification, and the further devolution of powers while Northern Ireland remains part of the United Kingdom... - Georgiana Maxwell, 27th Baroness de RosGeorgiana Maxwell, 27th Baroness de RosGeorgiana Angela Maxwell, 27th Baroness de Ros of Helmsley succeeded her grandmother Una Ross after the title was called out of abeyance in her favour in 1958. She was the first woman of her line to be allowed to sit in the House of Lords after the Peerage Act 1963.The 27th Baroness was the...
- suo jureSuo jureSuo jure is a Latin phrase meaning "in her [or his] own right".It is commonly encountered in the context of titles of nobility, especially in cases where a wife may hold a title in her own right rather than through her marriage....
peeress - James Hamilton, 4th Duke of AbercornJames Hamilton, 4th Duke of AbercornJames Edward Hamilton, 4th Duke of Abercorn . He was the son of James Hamilton, 3rd Duke of Abercorn and Lady Rosalind Cecilia Caroline Bingham...
- served in the Senate of Northern IrelandSenate of Northern IrelandThe Senate of Northern Ireland was the upper house of the Parliament of Northern Ireland created by the Government of Ireland Act 1920. It was abolished with the passing of the Northern Ireland Constitution Act 1973.-Powers:...
and at the House of Lords. - Robert Lowry, Baron LowryRobert Lowry, Baron LowrySir Robert Lynd Erskine Lowry, Baron Lowry PC , often known as Robbie Lowry, was a Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland and a Lord of Appeal in Ordinary...
- Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland 1971-1988. - John MacDermott, Baron MacDermottJohn MacDermott, Baron MacDermottJohn Clarke MacDermott, Baron MacDermott, MC PC was a Northern Irish politician and lawyer who was Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland from 1951 to 1971....
- Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland 1951-1971. - Brian McConnell, Baron McConnellBrian McConnell, Baron McConnellRobert William Brian McConnell, Baron McConnell was an Ulster Unionist MP in the Northern Ireland House of Commons....
, Ulster Unionist Stormont MP - Charles Mulholland, 4th Baron DunleathCharles Mulholland, 4th Baron DunleathLieutenant-Colonel Charles Edward Henry John Mulholland, 4th Baron Dunleath DL was a politician in Northern Ireland.Mulholland studied at Eton College and the University of Cambridge...
- Alliance Party Stormont MP - Hugh O'Neill, 1st Baron RathcavanHugh O'Neill, 1st Baron RathcavanRobert William Hugh O'Neill, 1st Baron Rathcavan PC , known as Sir Hugh O'Neill, Bt, from 1929 to 1953, was an Ulster Unionist member of both the UK Parliament and the Parliament of Northern Ireland....
, Ulster Unionist Westminster and Stormont MP - Phelim O'Neill, 2nd Baron RathcavanPhelim O'Neill, 2nd Baron RathcavanPhelim Robert Hugh O’Neill, 2nd Baron Rathcavan PC , was a politician in Northern Ireland and a hereditary peer in the British House of Lords....
, Ulster Unionist Stormont MP, later Alliance Party - Terence Marne O'Neill, Baron O'Neill of the MaineTerence O'NeillTerence Marne O'Neill, Baron O'Neill of the Maine, PC was the fourth Prime Minister of Northern Ireland and leader of the Ulster Unionist Party...
, Prime Minister of Northern Ireland, leader of the Ulster Unionist Party. - Leonard Steinberg, Baron SteinbergLeonard Steinberg, Baron SteinbergLeonard Steinberg, Baron Steinberg was a British life peer and multi-millionaire businessman.Born in Belfast on 1 August 1936, Steinberg was the founder and Non-Executive Chairman of Stanley Leisure Ltd...
, businessman and member of the Conservative Party
See also
- Edward Carson, Baron CarsonEdward Carson, Baron CarsonEdward Henry Carson, Baron Carson PC, PC , Kt, QC , often known as Sir Edward Carson or Lord Carson, was a barrister, judge and politician from Ireland...
- Irish Unionist politician and British Lord of Appeal in OrdinaryLord of Appeal in OrdinaryLords of Appeal in Ordinary, commonly known as Law Lords, were appointed under the Appellate Jurisdiction Act 1876 to the House of Lords of the United Kingdom in order to exercise its judicial functions, which included acting as the highest court of appeal for most domestic matters...
, originally from Dublin. - Demographics and politics of Northern Ireland
- List of Northern Ireland members of the Privy Council