Michelle O’Neill’s appointment to First Minister marks a new era for a state once defined by anti-Catholicism

By Ruby Hegarty

Michelle O’Neill was recently appointed as First Minister in Northern Ireland- a markedly historic event considering her nationalism. A woman, a catholic and a Sinn Féin leader, O’Neill’s newfound position marks a revolutionary change in the discourse of Northern Irish politics. From the conception of the Northern Irish state in 1921, the slew of anti-Catholic leaders and a long tradition of political exclusion- along with internment, gerrymandering and vicious anti-Irish rhetoric- the stone walls of Unionist democracy have stood tall for the last 103 years. That is, until the 3rd of February 2024. 

Born in Fermoy, co. Cork, in 1977 and raised in Clonoe, co. Tyrone, Michelle O’Neill’s early life in Ulster was overshadowed by the political turmoil of the Troubles. Yet her own troubles began in school, after having her first child at the age of 16. O’Neill told the Irish Examiner in 2021 that she had some “very negative experiences” and school was not “particularly supportive” at this time- but was “determined that I wasn’t going to be written off, that I was going to work hard and make a good life”.

This experience was certainly life-changing, but Michelle O’Neill’s growing passion for all-things-political was only propelled by the signing of the Good Friday Agreement in 1998. 

A new lease of life for Northern Ireland, but a still dangerously-thin line between violence and normality; O’Neill took a determined step towards a future in politics, starting a new job with Sinn Féin as an advisor to Francie Molloy. While perhaps expected, considering her father was an ex-IRA prisoner and Sinn Féin councillor, the job led her to Martin McGuinness, the deputy party leader at the time. 

Under McGuinness’ mentorship, O’Neill additionally trained as a welfare rights advisor. 

By 2005, it was obvious that Michelle O’Neill was destined for a spot on the political stage- having replaced her father, Brendan Doris, when she won a seat on the Dungannon and South Tyrone Borough Council. 

The tumult of O’Neill’s teenage years- as a woman, a mother, and a victim of the incessant pain that arose with the Troubles- was now a story that gave rise to a fondness for Michelle O’Neill among Northern Ireland’s nationalist population: she was one of them. 

This undoubtedly aided her political ascent, and in 2007 O’Neill was elected to Stormont.

Three years later she was named as the first female Mayor of Dungannon and Tyrone. A growing political protegé, O’Neill was appointed as minister for agriculture in 2011- surpassing her well-established, senior colleagues. 2016 saw Michelle O’Neill’s further appointment to health minister, where she notably abolished Northern Ireland’s prohibition on gay men donating blood. 

Martin McGuinness’ resignation in 2017 (following the Cash for Ash scandal- a botched Renewable Heat Incentive Scheme that resulted in partakers being paid an unlimited, over-generous amount for using green heating systems), opened the doors for Michelle O’Neill to take McGuinness’ golden throne as deputy first minister two years later. When McGuinness died, O’Neill was promoted to Sinn Féin’s leadership, ultimately being elected as vice president in February 2018.

However, O’Neill’s seemingly natural ascension in the world of Northern politics was not met with endorsement from everyone. An edition of the Daily Mail from 2017 announced that O’Neill was “The beauty from a family drenched in blood,” and further declared: “Glossy blonde hair. Bright lipstick. Curled eyelashes. Painted nails. Figure-hugging outfits. Michelle O’Neill certainly isn’t what we expected.” 

Yet the ardent sexism is not O’Neill’s only problem: sectarianism and heavy digs about her family’s past are rife among political opposition. During Arlene Foster’s tenure as First Minister, she summed up Michelle O’Neill in one word: “Blonde”.

In conversation with The Guardian, Ulster Unionist councillor Roy Crawford called O’Neill “hypocritical,” citing her lack of condemnation for “the killing of innocent people who were just doing an honest day’s work.” This was in reference to Michelle O’Neill’s apparent support for the IRA’s armed campaign pre-1998. 

Jim Allister, of the Traditional Unionist Voice Party, exudes a similar attitude to Crawford, telling The Post: “Michelle O’Neill is a lady who told the people of Northern Ireland that there was no alternative to the butchery and genocide of the IRA. She justifies those acts,” he explained. “So I think she is wholly unworthy to hold this high office, or any democratic office.”

Meanwhile, in 2020, O’Neill was appointed Stormont’s Deputy First Minister- until the pandemic hit and Stormont collapsed as a result of the Democratic Unionist Party’s refusal to engage, in protest of the NI Protocol. In the May 2022 elections, O’Neill’s Sinn Féin leadership proved successful. In both 2022 and 2023 elections, Sinn Féin made history: the election of 27 MLAs in 2022 designated Sinn Féin as the largest party in the Assembly- the first occasion a nationalist political party had done so in Northern Ireland. 

While this was the necessary prerequisite for Sinn Féin to nominate the First Minister, Stormont’s collapse prevented O’Neill’s appointment to the position prior to 2024. 

On the 3rd February, 2024, O’Neill was appointed First Minister of Northern Ireland as Stormont reconvened under the DUP's decision to return to assembly.

Síobhra Aiken, a Queen’s University lecturer, noted the seismic shift in Northern politics: “the infrastructure of Northern Ireland was specifically designed so that this would not happen,” she said. “Northern Ireland was created to have an Ulster Protestant majority,” she told The Post. “We could soon see Sinn Féin holding power in both jurisdictions on this island.”

For young people, the future of Northern Ireland is unclear. Conversations surrounding a united Ireland are now at the forefront of political discussion. 

National Student Union President Chloe Ferguson told the BBC at Stormont that the foundation of Northern Ireland’s livelihood today is hope- “If we had given up on hope, we wouldn’t be where we are today,” she said. “Young people have not given up on politics, yet. They are going to be turning out in the next election… and they need to see real results delivered, for them.” 

For many, Michelle O’Neill’s appointment signals the fall of the Unionist state. From the vehemently anti-catholic rhetoric of James Craig to Ian Paisley, a nationalist, catholic First Minister changes the political discourse of a historically Unionist state. Ulster Unionism once grew on fertile land, owing to the British conservatism of the 1870s in which planned a take-down of the Home Rule movement. The following century was saturated in an inescapable, paralysing violence for the six northern counties. This defined political and social function- and kept catholics out of housing, of white-collar employment, and of a position that could alter a seemingly hopeless trajectory. Years of a political deadlock in Northern Ireland in the 21st Century resulted in the inability for nationalist leadership, yet here we are: Michelle O’Neill took the stand.

Edited by Cerys Platt