O'Neill automatically relinquished her office following Paul Givan's resignation as first minister on 3 February 2022.[8] Sinn Féin became the largest party after the 2022 Assembly election, putting O'Neill in line for the position of First Minister of Northern Ireland; however she did not take up the position until two years later because the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) refused to nominate a deputy First Minister, citing its opposition to the Northern Ireland Protocol. On 3 February 2024, O'Neill was appointed First Minister of Northern Ireland. This marked the first time that an Irish nationalist had held the title of First Minister in Northern Ireland.[b]
While a backbencher in the Assembly, she sat on Stormont's education and health committees.[16] In 2010, she became Mayor of Dungannon and South Tyrone.[17] O'Neill was the first woman to hold the position of Mayor, as well as one of the youngest people.[10] She held the council position until 2011.[15]
In December 2013, the High Court quashed a decision by O'Neill to reallocate 7% of Common Agricultural Policy funds to rural development projects that had been favoured by environmentalists.[20] The court ruled that she was in breach of the Ministerial Code, having not sought the necessary permissions for the transfer from the Executive.[20]
In the 2017 Assembly election that followed McGuinness's resignation, O'Neill was returned to the Assembly, topping the poll in Mid Ulster and with a 20.6% share of first-preference votes.[27][28] In March 2017, she called for a referendum on the reunification of Ireland "as soon as possible" in response to Brexit.[29] O'Neill led the Sinn Féin side in the inter-party negotiations that followed the election, aiming to restore a power-sharing coalition in Northern Ireland, but said at the end of March that the talks had failed, and Sinn Féin would not nominate her for the position of deputy First Minister.[30][31]
In February 2018, O'Neill became vice president of Sinn Féin, succeeding Mary Lou McDonald, who became president following the retirement of Gerry Adams.[32] In November 2019 she faced a leadership challenge from John O'Dowd, winning with 67% of the vote.[33]
Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland
In January 2020, O'Neill was appointed deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland.[34] She automatically lost her position on 14 June 2021 when Arlene Foster resigned as First Minister,[35] and regained it three days later when she and Paul Givan were nominated as deputy First Minister and First Minister respectively on 17 June 2021. In February 2022, O'Neill once again lost her position as deputy First Minister with the resignation of Paul Givan as First Minister.[8]
Following the 2022 Assembly election, Sinn Féin won the largest number of seats with 27 seats, becoming the largest political party in the Northern Ireland Assembly.[36] Their unionist counterparts, the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) came second with 25 seats.[37] As a result of being the largest party, this put O'Neill in line to become the First Minister of Northern Ireland, and the DUP leader to become the deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland.[38] However, O'Neill did not take up the position until February 2024 because, as part of its opposition to the Northern Ireland Protocol, the DUP refused to nominate a deputy First minister and there was therefore no functioning executive of Northern Ireland.[39]
In August 2022, O'Neill was asked in a BBC interview whether it was right during The Troubles for the Provisional IRA "to engage in violent resistance to British rule". O'Neill was criticised for her response, including by then DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson, when she said: "I think at the time there was no alternative, but now thankfully we have an alternative to conflict, and that is the Good Friday Agreement – that is why it's so precious to us all."[40] She added in February 2024, "I think the alternative was the Good Friday Agreement, it was peace, and I'm so glad that we arrived at that position".[41]
In September 2022, O'Neill broke with Republican tradition to attend the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom.[42]
In May 2023, O'Neill attended the coronation of King Charles III, saying, "Well obviously I wanted to be here. We live in changing times and it was the respectful thing to do, to show respect and to be here for all those people at home, who I had said I would be a first minister for all. Attendance here is about honouring that and fulfilling my promise."[43]
On 30 January 2024, the Democratic Unionist Party announced their willingness to return to power-sharing. This paved the way for O'Neill, as nationalist leader to be sworn in as First Minister of Northern Ireland.[45][46][47][48] O'Neill assumed office on 3 February 2024, becoming the first ever Irish nationalist, republican or Catholic to hold that position. In her Stormont acceptance speech, she again broke with republican tradition, by using the term, Northern Ireland. She pledged in her speech to represent all and to show respect to the royal family.[45][49][50][51] On 5 February, O'Neill held meetings with Rishi Sunak, Chris Heaton-Harris, Leo Varadkar, and Ministers of the Northern Ireland Executive. High on the agenda is the request for additional financial support for the Northern Ireland government in excess of the £3.3 billion package already pledged from the HM Treasury.[52][53]
In November 2024, O'Neill became the first senior Sinn Féin figure to take part in an official Remembrance Sunday ceremony, laying a laurel wreath at the Belfast Cenotaph at City Hall.[54] A banner was subsequently hung outside her office brandishing O'Neill a "traitor"; police investigated the incident as "hate-motivated."[55]
Libel action against John Carson
In May 2023, O'Neill pursued a libel action against former DUP councillor John Carson for defamation; this followed a comment he had made on social media in April 2021, and for which he later apologised.[56] In November 2023, the High Court ruled, "no award of damages is payable" as her reputation remained intact. The court recognised the comment was "abusive, highly offensive and misogynistic" but concluded it fell short of being defamatory. Both parties were made responsible for their own legal costs amounting to over £12,000 for each litigant.[57] Judge Bell concluded that it was a minor case, that should never have reached the High Court. Carson was suspended by his party for three months, when the local government commissioner for standards, found 'Mr Carson had breached the code of conduct for councillors' and they imposed a similar sanction.[58]
Personal life
O'Neill became pregnant at the age of 16 and gave birth to her daughter at the same age, and has said she was prayed over at school when she became pregnant.[59] She completed her A-level studies at her Catholic grammar school and went on to train as a welfare rights adviser. She married Paddy O'Neill when she was 18 and they have two children together. She separated from her husband in 2014. O'Neill became a grandmother in 2023.[60][1][14][61][45]
^O'Neill left the role of dFM when Arlene Foster resigned as FM on 14 June 2021. She was reappointed dFM alongside FM Paul Givan on 17 June 2021.
^Several Irish nationalists have held the title of deputy First Minister, which, despite the name, holds the same powers as the First Minister.
^O'Neill has been variously described as Sinn Féin's leader in Northern Ireland,[23] or leader in the Northern Ireland Assembly;[24] Sinn Féin stated her title was "party leader in the North".[23]
^Preiss, Bert (2020). Conflict at the Interface: Local Community Divisions and Hegemonic Forces in Northern Ireland. LIT Verlag. p. 97. ISBN978-3643911919.
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