John Finucane

John Finucane is the son of the human rights lawyer Pat Finucane who was murdered in his home in 1989 – one of the most prominent and controversial killings of the Troubles. He is a former lawyer and footballer. Finucane first stood for elected office in the 2017 snap general election as Sinn Fein’s candidate for North Belfast. He was unsuccessful, despite receiving the party’s highest ever vote share in the constituency. In 2019, Finucane was elected as representative for Castle DEA on Belfast City Council and later as lord mayor of Belfast. Shortly after he assumed office, Finucane faced loyalist threats to attack him in his family home. In response, he stated that he would “not be deterred from” his commitment to “serving and representing all the people of this city”. During his 2019 election campaign, he was forced to apologise after he was caught by police urinating in the street. He defeated Nigel Dodds and became the first Irish nationalist to represent the constituency. Following his election he stood down as lord mayor but has, to some criticism, continued his work as a lawyer.