List of notable people from Derry
From Infogalactic: the planetary knowledge core
This is a list of notable people who were born or have lived in Derry, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland.
Contents
Actors
- Amanda Burton - actress, best known for her role as forensic pathologist Doctor (later Professor) "Sam Ryan" in the BBC crime drama series Silent Witness
- Antonia Campbell-Hughes - actress whose films and shows include Kelly + Victor and Lead Balloon
- Roma Downey - actress, best known for her role as Monica, the main character of the religious TV series Touched by an Angel
- Michelle Fairley - actress, best known for her role as Catelyn Stark in the TV series Game of Thrones
- George Farquhar - Restoration dramatist
- Bronagh Gallagher - actress/singer whose films include Pulp Fiction and The Commitments
Artists
- Willie Doherty - visual artist twice nominated for the Turner Prize
- Diamanda Hagan - performance and visual artist working for Channel Awesome
- Eilis O'Connell - sculptor
Authors
- Willie Carson - photo-journalist and author
- Joyce Cary - author; two of his novels were made into films: The Horse's Mouth (1958) starring Sir Alec Guinness and Mister Johnson (1990)
- Seamus Deane - writer
- Richard Doherty - Catholic Unionist/Royal Ulster Constabulary reservist, writer, military historian
- Seamus Heaney - poet, writer and lecturer; awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1995
- Nell McCafferty - journalist, playwright, civil rights campaigner and feminist
- Eamonn McCann - journalist, civil rights campaigner and socialist
Military
- John Lawrence, soldier and Viceroy of India
- Edward Leach, recipient of the Victoria Cross
- John Park, recipient of the Victoria Cross
- Miles Ryan, recipient of the Victoria Cross
Musicians
- Máiréad Carlin - member of Celtic Woman
- Phil Coulter - songwriter who wrote The Town I Loved So Well
- Nadine Coyle - singer from Girls Aloud
- Peter Cunnah - lead singer with 1990s pop outfit D Ream
- Dana - winner of the Eurovision Song Contest in 1970
- Cara Dillon - singer
- Neil Hannon - lead singer of The Divine Comedy
- Keith Harkin - singer and songwriter from Celtic Thunder
- Josef Locke - tenor singer, popular in the 1940s and 1950s
- Johnny McCauley - singer/songwriter and founder of the "Country & Irish" sound
- Damian McGinty - singer in Celtic Thunder
- Paul McLoone- Today FM DJ and current frontman of The Undertones
- Cahir O'Doherty - member of Fighting with Wire, Jetplane Landing and Seafood
- Feargal Sharkey - lead singer of The Undertones
- SOAK - singer/songwriter
Politicians
- Gregory Campbell - Democratic Unionist Party Member of Parliament for East Londonderry
- Nigel Dodds - Democratic Unionist Party Member of Parliament for Belfast North
- Mark Durkan - Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) Member of Parliament for Foyle (the Derry area)
- William Hay - Democratic Unionist Party, Speaker of the Northern Assembly & MLA for Foyle
- John Hume - Nobel Peace Prize and Gandhi Peace Prize recipient, former leader of the Social Democratic and Labour Party, and former MP for Foyle 1983-2005
- Martin McGuinness - Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland and Sinn Féin MP for Mid Ulster
- Mitchel McLaughlin - General Secretary of Sinn Féin; MLA for South Antrim
Scientists
- J. A. Scott Kelso - neuroscientist
- William Taylor Whan - botanist
- William C. Campbell - winner of the 2015 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine - biologist and parasitologist[1][2]
Sportspeople
- Liam Ball - Olympic swimmer
- Trevor Britton - cricketer
- John "Jobby" Crossan - footballer, capped 24 times by Northern Ireland, scoring 10 goals
- John Duddy - retired boxer, former holder of the IBA World Middleweight Title and the WBC Continental Americas Middleweight Title
- Darron Gibson - footballer, Republic of Ireland international and Everton F.C. midfielder; first man from Derry to represent the Republic of Ireland national football team
- Ken Goodall - rugby union and league player, capped 19 times by Ireland; was selected as a replacement for the 1968 Lions tour to South Africa; changed codes and joined rugby league side Workington
- Billy "Spider" Kelly - boxer, former Commonwealth (British Empire) featherweight and British featherweight champion.
- James McClean - Wigan Athletic F.C. midfielder
- Paddy McCourt - Barnsley F.C. midfielder
- Dwayne McGerrigle - cricketer
- Charlie Nash - boxer, former European and British lightweight champion
- Martin O'Neill - OBE recipient, former manager of Celtic Football Club, and Aston Villa F.C.
- Daniel Quigley - professional kickboxer, ISKA Professional World Heavyweight Kickboxing Champion.
Other
- Mark McFadden - television journalist
