1953 in Northern Ireland

Events

*31 January - The car ferry, MV "Princess Victoria" sailing from Stranraer, Scotland to Larne, Northern Ireland, sinks in the Irish Sea killing 133 people onboard. Among the dead included Northern Ireland Finance Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Major Maynard Sinclair, and Sir Walter Smiles, the Ulster Unionist MP for North Down.
*16 March - Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Jr. asks the American Congress to support a United Ireland.
*2 August - Murlough Bay in the Antrim Glens is chosen as the future grave of Roger Casement. An Taoiseach Eamon de Valera calls for the return of his remains.

Arts and literature

port

Football

*Irish League::Winners: Glentoran

*Irish Cup::Winners: Linfield 5 - 0 Coleraine

Gaelic Games

*June - Casement Park in Belfast is opened, home to the Antrim football and hurling teams.

Golf

*Fred Daly plays in the Ryder Cup.

Motorcycling

*Ulster Grand Prix moves to current Dundrod circuit.

Births

January to June

*23 January - Alister McGrath, Christian theologian, currently Professor of Historical Theology at the University of Oxford.
*9 February - Ciarán Hinds, actor.
*9 February - George Ennis, UK Unionist Party MLA.
*15 February - Gregory Campbell, Democratic Unionist Party MP for East Londonderry.
*2 April - Jim Allister, Democratic Unionist Party MEP and a QC.
*4 April - Sammy Wilson, Democratic Unionist Party MP for East Antrim, member of the Northern Ireland Assembly.
*5 April - Gerry Kelly, Sinn Féin MLA for North Belfast.
*6 June - Maggie Shevlin, actress.

July to December

*21 July - David Ervine, leader of the Progressive Unionist Party (d.2007).
*6 August - Jamie Delargy, television journalist.
*21 October - Peter Mandelson, 12th Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and European Commissioner.
*4 December - Paul Clark, television presenter and journalist.

Full date unknown

*Gordy Blair, bass guitarist.
*Danny Morrison, Irish republican and writer.
*Gearóid Ó hEára, Sinn Féin politician and former Mayor of Derry.

Deaths

*12 September - James Hamilton, 3rd Duke of Abercorn, Unionist politician and first Governor of Northern Ireland (b.1869).
*Alice Milligan, nationalist and poet (b.1865).