Michelle O'Neill's Special Advisor Cliódhna Nic Bhranair has quit her role on Belfast City Council after just more than a year to focus on her role at Stormont.
The 30-year-old was elected to Belfast City Council in 2023 taking the seat previously held by SDLP stalwart Brian Heading and had been appointed as Special Advisor to the First Minister in May last year while also working as Business Development Manager at Áras Uí Chonghaile, the James Connolly Visitor Centre on the Falls Road.
Cliódhna Nic Bhranair will be replaced on the council by former teacher and health campaigner Siobhán McCallin who taught in Christ the Redeemer Primary school in Lagmore from 2003 to 2016 when she medically retired due to a life-threatening sepsis ordeal and subsequent diagnosis of ME/CFS, which resulted in long periods in hospital and multiple surgical interventions.
Since her medical retirement, Siobhán has been a local activist campaigning on sepsis, ME/CFS, and mental health.
The mother-of-four is a member of Glór na mona’s “Scríbhneoirí a tSléibhe” writing group, and her debut poetry collection,‘Awakening M.E’, was published during Féile a Phobail in 2023.
Siobhán McCallin said: “It’s a huge honour to be selected to serve as the new Sinn Féin councillor for the Colin area, replacing Clíodhna Nic Bhranair on Belfast City Council.
"Clíodhna has been a fantastic representative for the people of the Colin, working hard to deliver on the issues that matter to them.
“I am excited to begin this new role and look forward to working with councillors from across the city to drive transformative change for workers, families and communities.”
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