Who is Michelle O’Neill? Sinn Fein leader and former Northern Ireland health minister – all you need to know
MICHELLE O'Neill is Sinn Fein's leader in Northern Ireland, which they dub "the North".
Here's all you need to know about the woman who replaced former IRA member Martin McGuinness as the nationalist party's head at the Stormont Assembly.
Who is Michelle O'Neill? What's her background?
Michelle O'Neill, 40, was born on 10 January 1977 in Clonoe, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland.
She was active in republican politics from a young age, first working for a nationalist MLA in the Assembly in 1998 before running for office herself.
After the death of her former IRA prisoner father, McGuinness described her family as a "well-known and respected republican family [who] have played a significant role in the republican struggle for many years".
What is O'Neill's political experience?
O'Neill was elected to represent the Torrent area on Dungannon and South Tyrone Borough council in 2005.
She would go on to be Mayor of the Borough in 2010 and hold the seat until 2011.
Midway through her tenure in 2007 she was elected as the Sinn Fein MLA for Mid Ulster in the devolved Stormont Assembly.
She became the Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development in 2011 and held the post until 6 May 2016 when she became Minister for Health.
Why did O'Neill take over the Sinn Fein leadership?
On 23 January 2017 she was selected to replace Martin McGuinness as Sinn Fein's leader in the Northern Ireland Assembly.
The Assembly collapsed when McGuinness stood down and Sinn Fein refused to name a replacement amid accusations against rival party the DUP of incompetence over a botched renewable energy scheme.
"If we are to return to this chamber there must be real, meaningful change", O'Neill told the Assembly shortly before it collapsed.
"There must be respect and equality for all sections of society", she said.
She faces a daunting challenge to rebuild political relations at Stormont and piece together the shattered power-sharing coalition.
O'Neill is not Sinn Fein's overall leader. Gerry Adams remains president of the all-Ireland party.
Is Michelle O'Neill married?
O'Neill has a husband named Paddy and two children named Saoirse and Ryan.
They still live in her hometown of Clonoe.
