| Kieran McCarthy | |
| Constituency Am: | Strangford |
| Assembly: | Northern Ireland |
| Term Start: | 25 June 1998 |
| Term End: | 30 March 2016 |
| Predecessor: | New Creation |
| Successor: | Kellie Armstrong |
| Office1: | Member of Ards Borough Council |
| Constituency1: | Ards Peninsula |
| Term Start1: | 15 May 1985 |
| Term End1: | 22 May 2014 |
| Predecessor1: | District created |
| Successor1: | Council abolished |
| Office2: | Northern Ireland Forum Member for Strangford |
| Term Start2: | 30 May 1996 |
| Term End2: | 25 April 1998 |
| Predecessor2: | Forum created |
| Successor2: | Forum dissolved |
| Birth Date: | 9 September 1942 |
| Birth Place: | Newtownards, Northern Ireland |
| Party: | Alliance |
| Spouse: | Kathleen McCarthy |
Kieran McCarthy (born 9 September 1942) is a retired Alliance Party of Northern Ireland (APNI) politician. From 1998 to 2016 he was a member of the Northern Ireland Assembly for Strangford. He served as Assembly chief whip for APNI in the Assembly.[1]
McCarthy was born in Newtownards and worked as a draper. In 1985 he was first elected to Ards Borough Council. In 1990 he became a Justice of the Peace. He was then elected to the Northern Ireland Peace Forum in 1996 from Strangford and has subsequently won a Northern Ireland Assembly seat there in all three elections to that body. In the 2007 elections his seat was targeted by the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP),[2] but he won easily with a significantly increased vote.
He has stated his appreciation for the Good Friday Agreement on a number of occasions but believes a more party-aligned/devolved agreement would work more effectively.
McCarthy has stated his strong dislike for Direct Rule, causing a major democratic deficit, and in particular, was against the supposedly aggressive style of governing from the then Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Peter Hain.