And some of our famous sons and daughters are also renowned far beyond the north coast – whether it’s in the world of sport, entertainment or music.
Here’s 25 famous people from the Causeway Coast and Glens area. Who else would you include?
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5. Harry Gregg
Goalkeepers Harry Gregg was hailed for his bravery on and off the football pitch. A survivor of the Munich Air Disaster in February 1958, Manchester United keeper Gregg's actions on that terrible day are testament to the man’s heroic bravery and spirit. Having escaped the crash with just a bloodied nose, he went back into the wreckage to pull out those who were trapped. He rescued a 20-month-old child, a pregnant woman and attempted to revive Matt Busby. After the events of Munich just three months after signing for the club, Gregg was a part of the patchwork team built by Jimmy Murphy who reached the FA Cup final three months later. The Northern Ireland international was voted best goalkeeper at the 1958 World Cup in Sweden. Photo: s
6. Teresa Doherty
Hon Dr Teresa Doherty from Portstewart is the first Northern Irish woman to be appointed a judge. Justice Doherty’s legal career at home and abroad has spanned over thirty years. She is currently the Presiding Judge in Trial Chamber11 of the Special Court for Sierra Leone and is regarded as a leading figure in international human rights law. She began practicing law in Northern Ireland in the early 1970s before pursuing her career in Papua New Guinea. In 1987 she was appointed as a Principal Magistrate there and the following year, as a judge in the Supreme and National Courts - the first woman to hold high judicial office in the South Pacific. Between 1998 and 2003, Justice Doherty worked in private law practice in Northern Ireland and she has served as a Life Sentence Review and Parole Commissioner here since 2002. From 2003 to 2005, Justice Doherty served as a Judge of the High Court and the Court of Appeal of Sierra Leone at the request of the Commonwealth following the civil war there. In 2005, she was appointed by the UN Secretary General to the Special Court for Sierra Leone, the tribunal dealing with crimes against humanity and war crimes. She has worked and lectured on legal issues in many countries in Asia, Africa, N. and S. America, Australasia and Europe. Justice Doherty has received several awards for her work including a CBE in 1997. Photo: s
7. Bronagh Waugh
Coleraine's Bronagh Waugh is an actor and writer, known for The Fall (2013), Unforgotten (2015) and Agatha and the Curse of Ishtar (2019). She also played Kathy Maguire - mum of the Wee English Fella James - in the hit comedy Derry Girls. She recently teamed up with Adrian Dunbar in a crime drama Ridley. Photo: s
8. James Nesbitt
Coleraine actor James Nesbitt got his first break in films in Hear My Song before shooting to fame as Adam in the TV comedy Cold Feet - character he played until 2003 and again from 2016 until 2020. In that time he also appeared in the film Waking Ned, two series of Playing the Field, Touching Evil, his feature film lead debut Lucky Break, and Paul Greengrass's l television film Bloody Sunday, as Ivan Cooper. After Bloody Sunday, Nesbitt started to take on more dramatic roles, appearing in five series of Murphy's Law (2003–2007), the two-part television film Passer By (2004), Steven Moffat's Jekyll (2007), and the Iraq War drama Occupation (2009). He has also furthered his feature film career by taking roles in Woody Allen's Match Point (2005), the Troubles drama Five Minutes of Heaven (2009), the thriller Outcast (2010), Nadia Tass's Matching Jack (2010), and Emilio Estevez's The Way (2010). He starred in the ITV medical drama series Monroe (2011–2012) and has a role as the dwarf Bofur in Peter Jackson's The Hobbit trilogy (2012–2014). Photo: s