Aisling Reilly (Irish: Aisling Ní Raghallaigh[1]) is an Irish Sinn Féin politician, who has served as a Junior Minister in the Executive of the 7th Northern Ireland Assembly since 2024. She has served as a Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly (MLA) for Belfast West since 2021.

Career

Reilly was educated in Coláiste Feirste and speaks fluent Gaelic.[1]

Reilly was co-opted to the Northern Ireland Assembly in October 2021, replacing veteran MLA Fra McCann, as a Member for Belfast West.[2][3]

She was re-elected to the Assembly at the 2022 election.[4]

On 13 May 2022, Reilly became the first member of the Northern Ireland Assembly to give a full speech in the Irish language.[5]

References

  1. ^ a b "Nuachtlitir Choláiste Feirste" [Coláiste Feirste Newsletter]. Yumpu (in Irish). Coláiste Feirste. December 2012. p. 3.
  2. ^ "Handball champ selected by Sinn Féin to replace west Belfast MLA Fra McCann". The Irish News. 14 October 2021. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
  3. ^ "Sinn Féin nominate Aisling Reilly as new West Belfast MLA". www.sinnfein.ie. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
  4. ^ "Election 2022: More of the same from SF in West Belfast". News Letter. 7 May 2022.
  5. ^ "An chéad óráid go hiomlán i nGaeilge i Stormont". The Irish News. 13 May 2022. Retrieved 13 May 2022.