Danny O'Connor (born 1965) is a former nationalist politician in Northern Ireland having previously been a member of Larne Borough Council from 1997 to 2011.
Born in Larne, O'Connor served in the Ulster Defence Regiment before being elected to Larne Borough Council, representing the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP), in 1997. The same year, he stood for the party at the 1997 Westminster election in East Antrim, but received only 4.6% of the votes cast.
O'Connor was elected for East Antrim at the 1998 Northern Ireland Assembly election. In 1999, his car was twice petrol-bombed, while his house and his brother's house were also attacked. He described it as part of a systematic loyalist campaign against Catholics in Larne. In 2000, he accused then Democratic Unionist Party councillor Jack McKee of raising tension in the Catholic Seacourt estate in Larne when McKee blamed republicans for targeting the estates Protestant population. His home was attacked again in 2001, and in 2002, when he blamed the paramilitary Ulster Defence Association (UDA).
O'Connor stood again in the 2001 general election, increasing his share of the vote to 7.3%, but lost his Assembly seat at the 2003 election. In 2004, he fired warning shots when confronted by a group of men. While his mother claimed the group were UDA members, the Government concluded that there was "no evidence" of this.
He fell back to 5.3 percent of the vote at the 2005 general election. In 2006, he became the first nationalist Mayor of Larne. In 2007, he stood again for East Antrim, and was again unsuccessful.
In 2007, O'Connor was criticized for referring to a disabled colleague DUP councillor Bobby McKee as "stumpy". O'Connor subsequently apologised.
In the local council elections in 2011 standing in the Coast Road area of Larne Borough Council he lost his seat to Sinn Féin's Oliver McMullan.
During an interview conducted in 2012 O'Connor stated his future intention to vote for the DUP.Despite being at odds with his previous nationalism, O'Connor cites the DUP's policy on issues like abortion and gay rights are closer in line with his traditional Catholic beliefs than the SDLP or Sinn Fein's.