Rhonda Paisley (born 1960) is a Northern Irish author and former unionist politician. She is the second daughter of the former

Democratic Unionist Party The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) is a Unionism in Ireland, unionist, Ulster loyalism, loyalist, British nationalist and national conservative political party in Northern Ireland. It was founded in 1971 during the Troubles by Ian Paisley, who ...

(DUP) leader and Northern Ireland's former First Minister

Ian Paisley Ian Richard Kyle Paisley, Baron Bannside, (6 April 1926 – 12 September 2014) was a loyalist politician and Protestant religious leader from Northern Ireland who served as leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) from 1971 to 2008 and ...

and lives with her mother in the family home. She attended

Bob Jones University Bob Jones University (BJU) is a private university in Greenville, South Carolina, United States. It is known for its Conservatism in the United States, conservative and Evangelicalism in the United States, evangelical cultural and religious posit ...

in the United States (the same institution from which her father received his

honorary degree An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or '' ad hon ...

), where she was awarded a BA in

Fine Art In European academic traditions, fine art (or, fine arts) is made primarily for aesthetics or creative expression, distinguishing it from popular art, decorative art or applied art, which also either serve some practical function (such as ...

Political career

Paisley served as a Belfast City councillor for the DUP. Sammy Wilson named her as Lady Mayoress during his tenure as first DUP

Lord Mayor of Belfast The Lord Mayor of Belfast is the leader and chairperson of Belfast City Council, elected annually from and by the city's 60 councillors. The Lord Mayor also serves as the representative of the city of Belfast, welcoming guests from across the U ...

in 1986/87. She served eight years as a councillor before leaving politics, later claiming that "the game plan of politics frustrated me".

Media career

Paisley once guest-presented '' Saturday Live'', a TV chat-show on the

Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 Counties of Ireland, counties of the island of Ireland, with a population of about 5.4 million. ...

RTÉ One RTÉ One is an Irish free-to-air flagship television channel owned and operated by RTÉ. It is the most-popular and most-watched television channel in the country and was launched as ''Telefís Éireann'' on 31 December 1961, it was renamed ''R ...

channel. Her father was one of her guests.

Controversy

The day after a series of Ulster Freedom Fighters incendiary bombings on shops in the Republic of Ireland during July 1991, Paisley said the bombings had been "perfectly understandable" given the "betrayal" of Northern Ireland by the British government. A serving DUP councillor at the time, Paisley was widely condemned in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.

Legal action

Paisley took a case to a Fair Employment Tribunal in 1998. The case was against the

Arts Council of Northern Ireland The Arts Council of Northern Ireland (Irish language, Irish: ''Comhairle Ealaíon Thuaisceart Éireann'', Ulster Scots language, Ulster-Scots: ''Airts Cooncil o Norlin Airlan'') is the lead development agency for the arts in Northern Ireland. It ...

, in which she alleged

religious discrimination Religious discrimination is treating a person or group differently because of the particular religion they align with or were born into. This includes instances when adherents of different religions, denominations or non-religions are treate ...

. She was awarded £24,249. It was ruled that she had been discriminated against on account of her religious beliefs and political opinions when applying for the post of an arts co-operation officer in 1995. She is a long-standing member of the

Free Presbyterian Church of Ulster :''Distinct from Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland and Free Church of Scotland (post 1900)'' The Free Presbyterian Church of Ulster is a Calvinist denomination founded by Ian Paisley in 1951. Doctrinally, the church describes itself as Fundam ...

, which her father established. In March 2005 Paisley took a legal action alleging

gender discrimination Sexism is prejudice or discrimination based on one's sex or gender. Sexism can affect anyone, but primarily affects women and girls. It has been linked to gender roles and stereotypes, and may include the belief that one sex or gender is in ...

against the DUP, which named her father, Ian Paisley, after she failed in her application for a post in the policy and communications unit in the DUP. The case was settled out of court, and Paisley received an apology from the party.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Paisley, Rhonda Living people Artists from Belfast Women writers from Northern Ireland Democratic Unionist Party councillors Members of Belfast City Council 1960 births Bob Jones University alumni Daughters of life peers 20th-century politicians from Northern Ireland Women councillors in Northern Ireland