List of people from Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland has had many people who have influenced society in many ways. This list includes notable people who were born in, or lived in Northern Ireland.

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by expanding it with reliably sourced entries.

A–G

• Gerry Adams  – politician
• Willie Anderson – Ireland Rugby Union International
• Kevin Baird  – bassist for Two Door Cinema Club
• Colin Bateman – actor, director and writer
• David Bates – physicist
• Eric Bell – guitarist for Them and Thin Lizzy
• John Stewart Bell – physicist
• Jocelyn Bell Burnell – astrophysicist
• George Best – footballer
• Rory Best – rugby player
• Colin Blakely – actor
• Danny Blanchflower – footballer
• Christine Bleakley – television presenter
• Kenneth Branagh – actor and director
• Jake Burns – founder of and singer in the punk band Stiff Little Fingers
• Amanda Burton – actress
• Vivian Campbell – rock guitarist for Def Leppard
• Peter Canavan – Gaelic footballer
• Adam Carroll – A1GP racing driver
• Ciarán Carson – poet
• Edward Carson – politician and judge
• Darren Clarke – golfer
• George Clarke – filmmaker
• Tim Collins  – soldier
• Phil Coulter – songwriter, pianist and music producer, arranger and director
• Nadine Coyle – singer for Girls Aloud
• Steven Davis – footballer
• Richard Dormer – actor
• Jamie Dornan – actor, model, musician
• Roma Downey – actress
• Adrian Dunbar – actor
• Joey Dunlop – motorcycle racer
• Robert Dunlop – motorcycle racer
• Garth Ennis – comics writer
• St. John Greer Ervine – writer
• Jonny Evans – footballer
• Harry Ferguson – Inventor. Developed modern agricultural tractor and first four wheel drive formula one car. First person to build and fly his own plane in Ireland
• Dave Finlay – professional wrestler; associated with World Wrestling Entertainment
• Brendan Foley – writer, director
• Fra Fee – actor
• Brian Friel – playwright
• Bronagh Gallagher – actress and singer

Patrick Humphreys  – flautist

• Mike Gibson – rugby player

H–M

• Sam Halliday  – guitarist for Two Door Cinema Club
• David Healy – footballer
• Seamus Heaney – poet
• Paul Henry – artist
• Alex Higgins – snooker player
• Cinnabar Hinds – actor
• David Holmes – composer, DJ and musician
• Eamonn Holmes – television presenter
• Geraldine Hughes – actress
• John Hume – recipient of Nobel Peace Prize
• David Humphreys – rugby player
• Eddie Irvine – racing driver
• Oliver Jeffers – artist and author
• Pat Jennings – footballer
• Jimeoin – actor and comedian
• Brian Kennedy – musician
• Patrick Kielty – television presenter
• Jack Kyle  – rugby player
• Kyle Lafferty – footballer
• Jerry Lang – broadcaster
• Joseph Larmor – physicist
• John Lavery – painter
• Neil Lennon – footballer
• C. S. Lewis – writer
• Helen Lewis – choreographer and pioneer of modern dance
• Gary Lightbody – singer for Snow Patrol
• John Lynch – actor
• Susan Lynch – actress
• Bernard MacLaverty – writer
• Patrick Magee – actor
• Derek Mahon – poet
• Paula Malcomson – actress
• Linda Martin – singer
• Brian Mawhinney (PC) – former British politician and chairman of the Football League in England
• Stella Maxwell  – model, Victoria's Secret
• Paddy Mayne – soldier and explorer
• Mary McAleese – President of Ireland
• Willie John McBride – rugby player, captained Ireland and British Lions
• Graeme McDowell – golfer
• Damian McGinty – singer and actor
• Alister McGrath – Christian theologian
• Medbh McGuckian – poet
• Martin McGuinness – politician
• Rory McIlroy – golfer
• James McParland – Pinkerton detective
• Peter McParland – footballer
• Gerard McSorley – actor
• Ian Mitchell – musician for the Bay City Rollers
• Brian Moore – novelist
• Gary Moore – former blues rock guitarist for Thin Lizzy
• Colin Morgan – actor
• Van Morrison – singer
• Colin Murray – radio DJ

N–Z

• Kristian Nairn – actor
• Liam Neeson – actor
• Sam Neill – actor
• James Nesbitt – actor
• Martin O'Neill – footballer and football manager
• Ian Paisley – politician
• Glenn Patterson – novelist
• Mary Peters – athlete
• William Pirrie – co-designed the RMS Titanic
• Patricia Quinn – actress
• Ronan Rafferty – golfer
• Stephen Rea – actor
• Peter Robinson  – First Minister of Northern Ireland
• Brendan Rodgers – football manager
• Zöe Salmon – television presenter
• Dean Shiels – footballer
• Victor Sloan – photographer and artist
• Michael Smiley – comic actor
• Dennis Taylor – snooker player
• William Thomson, 1st Baron Kelvin – mathematical physicist and engineer
• Craig Thompson (MiniLadd)  – YouTuber
• Alex Trimble – singer and guitarist for Two Door Cinema Club
• Andrew Trimble – rugby player
• Juliet Turner – singer-songwriter
• Jayne Wisener – actress
• Norman Whiteside – footballer
• Tony Wright – musician and singer/songwriter known as VerseChorusVerse