Northern Ireland has had many people who have influenced society in many ways. Notable people who were born in, or lived in Northern Ireland include:
- Gerry Adams - born 1948, Belfast - politician
- Willie Anderson - Ireland Rugby Union International.
- Colin Bateman – Actor, director and writer.
- David Bates – Physicist.
- John Stewart Bell – Physicist.
- Jocelyn Bell Burnell – Astrophysicist.
- George Best – Footballer.
- Colin Blakely – Actor.
- Danny Blanchflower – Footballer.
- Christine Bleakley – Television Presenter.
- Kenneth Branagh – Actor and director.
- Jake Burns – Founder of and singer in the punk band Stiff Little Fingers.
- Amanda Burton – Actress.
- Vivian Campbell – Rock guitarist for Def Leppard.
- Peter Canavan - Gaelic Footballer
- Adam Carroll - A1GP Racing Driver
- Ciarán Carson – Poet.
- Darren Clarke – Golfer.
- Tim Collins - soldier
- Phil Coulter – Songwriter, pianist and music producer, arranger and director
- Nadine Coyle – Singer for Girls Aloud.
- Brian Donlevy – Actor.
- Adrian Dunbar – Actor.
- Joey Dunlop – Motorcycle Racer.
- Garth Ennis – Comics writer.
- Dave McElfatrick – Comic and animation entrepreneur.
- St. John Greer Ervine – Author.
- Dave Finlay – professional wrestler, currently in World Wrestling Entertainment.
- Brian Friel – Playwright.
- James Galway – Flautist.
- Mike Gibson - Rugby player.
- David Healy (footballer) – Footballer.
- Seamus Heaney – Poet.
- Paul Henry (painter) – Artist.
- Alex Higgins – Snooker Player.
- Ciarán Hinds – Actor.
- David Holmes (musician) – DJ, musician and composer.
- Eamonn Holmes – Television presenter.
- John Hume - Peace Nobel Prize winner.
- David Humphreys - Rugby player.
- Eddie Irvine – Racing driver.
- Pat Jennings – Footballer.
- Jimeoin – Actor and comedian.
- Brian Kennedy – musician.
- Patrick Kielty – TV Presenter and comedian.
- Kyle Lafferty - Footballer.
- Joseph Larmor – Physicist.
- John Lavery – Painter.
- Neil Lennon – Footballer.
- C. S. Lewis - Writer.
- Helen Lewis - Choreographer and pioneer of modern dance.
- Gary Lightbody – Singer for Snow Patrol.
- Bernard MacLaverty – Writer.
- Derek Mahon – Poet.
- Paula Malcomson – Actress.
- Linda Martin - Singer.
- Brian Mawhinney (PC) - Former British politician and chairman of the Football League in England.
- Paddy Mayne – Soldier and explorer.
- Mary McAleese – President of Ireland.
- Willie John McBride – Rugby player, captained Ireland and British Lions.
- Graeme McDowell - Golfer
- Damian McGinty - Singer and actor
- Alister McGrath - Christian theologian.
- Medbh McGuckian – Poet.
- Rory McIlroy - Golfer
- Peter McParland – Footballer.
- Gerard McSorley – Actor
- Brian Moore – Novelist.
- Gary Moore – Former blues rock guitarist for Thin Lizzy.
- Colin Morgan - Actor.
- Van Morrison – Singer.
- Colin Murray – Radio DJ.
- Liam Neeson – Actor.
- Sam Neill – Jurassic Park actor.
- James Nesbitt – Actor.
- Martin O'Neill – Footballer and football manager.
- Ian Paisley - Politician.
- Glenn Patterson – Novelist.
- Mary Peters – Athlete.
- William Pirrie - co-designed RMS Titanic.
- Ronan Rafferty - Golfer.
- Stephen Rea – Actor.
- Zöe Salmon – Television presenter.
- Dean Shiels – Footballer.
- Victor Sloan – Photographer and artist.
- Dennis Taylor – Snooker player.
- Alex Trimble – Singer and guitarist for Two Door Cinema Club.
- Juliet Turner – Singer and songwriter.
- Norman Whiteside – Footballer.
Famous quotes containing the words northern ireland, list of, list, people, northern and/or ireland:
“... in Northern Ireland, if you don’t have basic Christianity, rather than merely religion, all you get out of the experience of living is bitterness.”
—Bernadette Devlin (b. 1947)
“The advice of their elders to young men is very apt to be as unreal as a list of the hundred best books.”
—Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. (1841–1935)
“A man’s interest in a single bluebird is worth more than a complete but dry list of the fauna and flora of a town.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“We shall never get people whose time is money to take much interest in atoms.”
—Samuel Butler (1835–1902)
“For generations, a wide range of shooting in Northern Ireland has provided all sections of the population with a pastime which ... has occupied a great deal of leisure time. Unlike many other countries, the outstanding characteristic of the sport has been that it was not confined to any one class.”
—Northern Irish Tourist Board. quoted in New Statesman (London, Aug. 29, 1969)
“The tragedy of Northern Ireland is that it is now a society in which the dead console the living.”
—Jack Holland (b. 1947)