Notable alumni of Queen's University Belfast

Seamus Heaney

linguist · 1939–2013

Irish poet, playwright, translator, lecturer (1939–2013)

Liam Neeson

film actor · b. 1952

actor from Northern Ireland (born 1952)

Mary McAleese

journalist · b. 1951

8th President of Ireland

David Trimble

university teacher · 1944–2022

First Minister of Northern Ireland from 1998 to 2002

Ciarán Hinds

film actor · b. 1953

Northern Irish actor

John Stewart Bell

translator · 1928–1990

Northern Irish physicist (1928–1990)

Stephen Rea

film actor · b. 1946

Irish actor

Martin O'Neill

Gaelic football player · b. 1952

Northern Irish association football player and manager (born 1952)

Joseph Larmor

university teacher · 1857–1942

Irish physicist and mathematician (1857-1942)

Arlene Foster

politician · b. 1970

British politician (born 1970)

Simon Callow

film actor · b. 1949

British actor

Hulusi Akar

soldier · b. 1952

Turkish military officer and politician (born 1952)

Eoin MacNeill

university teacher · 1867–1945

Irish politician and scholar (1867-1945)

Frederick G. Donnan

university teacher · 1870–1956

Irish scientist (1870-1956)

Bernadette Devlin McAliskey

politician · b. 1947

Irish socialist and republican political activist

Philip Pettit

philosopher · b. 1945

Irish philosopher and political theorist

cardinal (1917–2009)

Naomi Long

civil engineer · b. 1971

Northern Irish politician (born 1971)

Irish engineer (1935–1992)

Paul Muldoon

university teacher · b. 1951

Irish poet (born 1951)

Augustine Henry

scientific collector · 1857–1930

Irish sinologist and botanist (1857-1930)

William George Aston

japanologist · 1841–1911

British diplomat, scholar and author (1841–1911)

Rita Segato

anthropologist · b. 1951

Argentine anthropologist and feminist living in Brazil

Paddy Mayne

boxer · 1915–1955

British Soldier (1915-1955)

Mark Durkan

politician · b. 1960

politician from Northern Ireland (born 1960)

Desmond FitzGerald

diplomat · 1888–1947

Irish revolutionary, poet, publicist and politician (1888-1947)

Seamus Deane

literary scholar · 1940–2021

Irish writer and critic (1940-2021)

Eamon Martin

theologian · b. 1961

Roman Catholic archbishop

Reg Empey

politician · b. 1947

Northern Ireland politician (born 1947)

Northern Irish musician, songwriter and record producer

W. Brian Arthur

university teacher · b. 1946

American economist

Irish actor

Diane Dodds

politician · b. 1958

British politician (born 1958)

Nigel Dodds

barrister · b. 1958

British politician (born 1958)

Northern Irish footballer and priest

Jim Allister

barrister · b. 1953

Northern Irish politician (born 1953)

Donal McKeown

Catholic bishop · b. 1950

Roman Catholic bishop

Lisa McGee

playwright · b. 1950

Northern Irish screenwriter and playwright

Emma Little-Pengelly

barrister · b. 1979

Northern Irish politician

Elizabeth Gould Bell

suffragist · 1862–1934

Irish doctor and feminist

Conor Murphy

politician · b. 1963

Irish republican politician (born 1963)

Patrick Walsh

Catholic bishop · 1931–2023

Irish prelate of the Roman Catholic Church (1931–2023)

Monica McWilliams

politician · b. 1954

British politician and academic (born 1954)

Irish Roman Catholic prelate (born 1953)

Kate Devlin

artificial intelligence researcher · b. 1953

British computer scientist, AI specialist

Robert Lloyd Praeger

scientific collector · 1865–1953

Irish naturalist, writer, librarian, and archaeologist (1865-1953)

Jack Kyle

humanitarian · 1926–2014

Irish rugby union footballer (1926–2014)

Irish poet (1948-2019)

Andrew Trimble

rugby union player · b. 1984

Irish rugby union player

Christine Bleakley

television presenter · b. 1979

NI television presenter

British volcanologist (1926–2005)

Nell McCafferty

women's rights activist · 1944–2024

Irish writer (1944–2024)

Ernest Blythe

politician · 1889–1975

Irish politician (1889-1975)

Gay Mitchell

politician · b. 1951

Irish politician

Eamonn McCann

peace activist · b. 1943

Northern Irish writer and activist (born 1943)

British politician (1921-1977)

John Alderdice

psychiatrist · b. 1955

Northern Ireland politician

David Humphreys

rugby union player · b. 1971

Irish retired rugby union player

Malaysian politician

David N. Livingstone

researcher · b. 1953

British academic

Robert Henry Charles

Bible translator · 1855–1931

British biblical scholar and theologian (1855–1931)

Irish Physicist (1916-1994)

British doctor

Gavin Robinson

barrister · b. 1984

British politician (born 1984)

Ian Paisley Jr

politician · b. 1966

Northern Irish politician (born 1966)

Austin Currie

politician · 1939–2021

former politician in the parliaments of Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland

Irish writer

Irish bishop (1940–2023)

William McFadden Orr

mathematician · 1866–1934

Irish mathematician (1866–1934)

Cornish writer

Chris Henry

rugby union player · b. 1984

Irish rugby union footballer

British botanist (1920-1998)

British statistician and civil servant (1922–2019)

Nigerian academic

Robert Wilson Lynd

journalist · 1879–1949

Irish writer (1879-1949)

Sir William MacCormac, 1st Baronet

surgeon · 1836–1901

British surgeon (1836-1901)

Annie Mac

podcaster · b. 1978

Irish DJ, record producer and radio presenter

Irish actor (1955–2013)

John Edward Campbell

mathematician · 1862–1924

Irish mathematician (1862-1924)

John T. Lewis

mathematician · 1932–2004

Welsh mathematician and academic (1932-2004)

Adegboyega Folaranmi Adedoyin

athletics competitor · 1922–2014

Olympic track and field athlete

Sammy Wilson

politician · b. 1953

Northern Irish politician (born 1952)

mathematician

British actor

British politician (1940-2019)

Robin Eames

Anglican priest · b. 1937

Anglican Primate of All Ireland, 1986 to 2006

James Steele

military personnel · 1894–1975

British Army general (1894-1975)

Sir John Parker

supervisory board · b. 1942

businessman from the United Kingdom, born 1942

Maria Baghramian

philosopher of language · b. 1954

Professor of Philosophy

Maurice Hayes

politician · 1927–2017

Irish politician (1927-2017)

Margaret Ritchie

politician · b. 1958

Irish republican politician (born 1958)

Francis Campbell

diplomat · b. 1970

British diplomat

Irish astronomer (1907–1974)

Edwin Lawrence Godkin

newspaper proprietor · 1831–1902

American journalist (1831–1902)

John Alexander Sinton

army officer · 1884–1956

British medical doctor, malariologist and soldier (1884-1956)

John Newell Jordan

diplomat · 1852–1925

British diplomat (1852-1925)

William Whitla

politician · 1851–1933

British physician and politician

Irish politician

Michelle McIlveen

politician · b. 1971

British politician (born 1971)

Louise Kennedy

chef · b. 1967

Irish writer

Palestinian politician

Irish botanist, geographer and historian of botany (1920-1988)

Louise Allcock

marine biologist

British marine biologist, journal editor

Órfhlaith Begley

politician · b. 1991

Northern Irish politician (born 1991)

Bernadette Collins

race engineer · b. 1985

British strategy engineer from Northern Ireland

Caoilinn Hughes

writer · b. 1985

Irish writer and poet

Ramli Ngah Talib

politician · b. 1941

Malaysian politician

Simon Hamilton

politician · b. 1977

British politician (born 1977)

John Todd

sociologist · 1911–2007

American computer scientist (1911–2007)

Wallace Browne, Baron Browne of Belmont

politician · b. 1947

British politician (born 1947)

John Taylor

politician · b. 1937

British life peer

British physicist (1873–1936)

British politician (1935-2011)

Last Instonian to play for the British and Irish lions

Roy Taylor

physicist · b. 1949

Professor of Ultrafast Physics and Technology at Imperial College London

George Macloskie

botanist · 1834–1920

American botanist and Esperantist (1834–1920)

UK law lord, barrister (1931-2020)

Brian Kerr, Baron Kerr of Tonaghmore

judge · 1948–2020

Northern Irish senior judge (1948–2020)

Eoin Ó Broin

string player · b. 1972

Irish politician

British chemist (1937–2021)

Ugandan politician

Northern Irish judge (1913-1987)

Northern Irish politician and founder of the Unionist Vanguard movement (1924-2011)

William Boyd McCleary

diplomat · b. 1949

British diplomat

Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin

ethnomusicologist · 1950–2018

Irish musician (1950-2018)

Irish linguist (1926–2004)

Afifi al-Akiti

Islamicist · b. 1976

Islamic studies scholar

Ugandan chemist, academician and administrator (* 1947)

Northern Irish snooker player

Kasia Glowicka

university teacher · b. 1977

Polish computer music composer (born 1977)

Martin McAleese

politician · b. 1951

Irish politician

Jan Carson

writer · b. 1980

writer from Northern Ieland

Irish republican, socialist and suffragette

Caoimhe Archibald

pathologist · b. 1981

Irish Sinn Féin politician (born 1981)

Maltese academic (born 1960)

Irish writer (1910–1981)

Gearóid Ó Cuinneagáin

politician · 1910–1991

Northern Irish politician (1910-1991)

Human rights lawyer (1958-1999)

Irish writer

Minister of Energy, Water and Member of ParliamentCommunications (1939-2012)

John McCallum

badminton executive and administrator · 1883–1967

badminton player (1883–1967)

Alistair Cooke, Baron Lexden

historian · b. 1945

Life peer in the House of Lords (born 1945)

Nigerian composer (1946–2005)

Irish missionary in Damascus and the author of The Empire of the Hittites (1884)

David Ford

politician · b. 1951

Northern Irish politician (born 1951)

Dominic Bradley

school teacher · b. 1960

Irish politician (born 1960)

Fionnuala Ní Aoláin

university teacher · b. 1967

Irish legal academic

Singaporean politician and medical doctor

Thomas Henry Flewett

virologist · 1922–2006

virologist (1922–2006)

Irish rugby union and rugby league footballer (1931–2003)

Irish historian (1907–1984)

Jonathan Scott

television presenter · b. 1949

English zoologist, photographer and television presenter

Alex Attwood

politician · b. 1959

Northern Irish politician (born 1959)

Alfred Keogh

military physician · 1857–1936

British doctor

former IRA member, writer and historian

Northern Irish musician and musicologist

Northern Irish poet

Chris Hazzard

politician · b. 1984

Northern Ireland politician

Irish politician (1944-2018)

Rafiah Salim

lawyer · b. 1947

First female Vice-Chancellor in Malaysia, posted to Universiti Malaya

William Porter MacArthur

consultant · 1884–1964

British general, physician, educator, historian, writer, editor and Royal Physician

Máirtín Ó Muilleoir

politician · b. 1959

Irish politician (born 1959)

British barrister and politician

Louise Harra

physicist

British solar physicist

Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham; Archdeacon of London (born 1942)

British consular official (1849-1925)

Northern Irish poet

Irish historian

Medbh McGuckian

poet · b. 1950

British poet (born 1950)

Irish activist

American scientist

Ghanaian academic and physician (1930–1996)

Anglican bishop

cricketer (1908-1998)

Irish politician (1879-1944)

Tim Collins

military personnel · b. 1960

officer in the British Army

Zoe Salmon

beauty pageant contestant · b. 1980

Northern Irish television presenter

Armenian poet (1926-1983)

Cricketer and teacher (1931-1991)

David Malcolm Orr

civil engineer · b. 1953

143rd President of the Institution of Civil Engineers

Declan Morgan

judge · b. 1952

British judge

Dermott Monteith

cricketer · 1943–2009

Irish cricketer (1943-2009)

Ernest MacBride

marine biologist · 1866–1940

marine biologist

British naturalist, entomologist, museum curator and university teacher (1865-1939)

Irish politician (1907-1989)

Hiram Shaw Wilkinson

diplomat · 1840–1926

British judge (1840–1926)

British politician (1944–2019)

British actor (1931-2014)

Jim Wells

politician · b. 1957

Northern Irish politician (born 1957)

Joanne Hogg

musician · b. 1950

Northern Irish musician

Seamus Logan

council member · b. 1958

British politician, from 2024, Member of Parliament for Aberdeenshire North and Moray East

Irish rugby union player

gynaecologist

formula 1 motor racing executive

Irish pro-life campaigner

Northern Irish evangelist and charity executive

Malaysian politician

Isobel Addey Tate

physician · 1875–1917

Irish doctor (1875-1917)

American lawyer and state attorney general

Peter Weir

barrister · b. 1968

Northern Irish politician (born 1968)