Ian Paisley, Jr.
Ian Paisley, Jr,
MLA (born
1966 in
Belfast,
Northern Ireland) is a member of the
Northern Ireland Assembly for the
Democratic Unionist Party and an author. He is the son of the party founder and leader, the Rev.
Ian Paisley.
Born in Belfast in 1966, Paisley is the youngest child of
Ian Paisley and his wife
Eileen Paisley. He has three sisters, Sharon, Rhonda and Cherith, and a twin-brother, Kyle. After leaving primary school, he was educated at Shaftesbury House College and
Methodist College Belfast (one of the leading grammar schools in Northern Ireland), before gaining admission to the
Queen's University of Belfast. At university, he read Modern History and Irish Politics, and he was awarded a
B.A. (Hons.) and
MSSc respectively. After finishing his post-graduate studies, he worked for his father as a political researcher and parliamentary aide. In 1990, he married his wife Fiona, and they have three children, Emily, Lucy-Jayne and Thomas. He is a member of the
Free Presbyterian Church of Ulster.
In 1996, Paisley was elected to the
Northern Ireland Forum for
North Antrim. Then, in 1998 he was again returned for the constituency to the
Northern Ireland Assembly. He is one of three DUP members who have taken their seats on the
Northern Ireland Policing Board, and is also the party's justice spokesman and press officer.
He is expected to contest the party leadership when his father retires, as well as his father's
Westminster constituency of North Antrim.
In 2005, Ian Paisley Jr came under criticism for his vocal objections to
same-sex marriages. Upon learning that
David Trimble's aide, Steven King, had married his partner in
Canada, Paisley Jr was quoted as saying, "It is really astounding that David Trimble should have had a man such as this giving him advice - and must surely cast grave doubts on his own political judgment. I think these sorts of relationships are immoral, offensive and obnoxious".
[Belfast Telegraph, 31st January, 2005] Bishop
Pat Buckley described him as the "baby dinosaur of the 21st century", and the Northern Ireland-based gay men's advocacy group, The Rainbow Project, called for his removal from the Policing Board.
*
Reasonable Doubt: the Case for the UDR 4*
Peace Deal? A critique of the Belfast Agreement* He is a member of the British Motorcycle Federation
* He collects 19th century political
cartoons
* He was awarded the
Royal Humane Society award for bravery in 1999, after helping to rescue a drowning child
*
Ian Paisley*
Democratic Unionist Party*
Unionism*
Demographics and politics of Northern Ireland*
Ian Paisley Jr's website*
Democratic Unionist Party
