Sunday Times Rich List: Green jacket holder Rory McIlroy is the richest young person in Northern Ireland
Golf star Rory McIlroy has been named as Northern Ireland's richest young person under the age of 40, according to the Sunday Times Rich List.
Published today online and in the The Sunday Times Magazine on Sunday, the Holywood native has a wealth of £260 million.
The list is based on identifiable wealth, including land, property, other assets such as art and racehorses, or significant shares in publicly quoted companies. It excludes bank accounts, to which the paper has no access.
McIlroy famously completed the sport's career grand slam last month after a nerve-clinching play-off win at the Masters, meaning he has won all of the game's big prizes.
McIlroy's wealth is up £35 million from this time last year and the new figure means he sits in 19th spot in the UK.
Meanwhile, Lady Ballyedmond and her family are the richest people in Northern Ireland yet again, with figures revealing a wealth of £922 million – an £8 million rise from 12 months ago.
Lord Ballyedmond, Edward Haughey, died in a helicopter crash in Norfolk in 2014. He was the founder of the pharmaceutical firm, Norbrook Laboratories.
Second place is Newry-native Martin Naughton and his family, owners of electrical appliance firm Glen Dimplex, who have a wealth of £825 million. However, this figure is £25 million down from that recorded a year ago.
Food suppliers, Robert and William Barnett earn a top three spot on Northern Ireland’s list at £647 million, whilst Euro Auctions founder Derek Keys debuts with an estimated wealth of £400 million.
Also included in the top six are fuel barons Michael Loughran and family (£530 million) and concrete firm Eoin McCann and family (£462 million).
Overall, the 76-page special edition of The Sunday Times Magazine reveals the largest fall in the billionaire count in the guide’s 37-year history, from a peak of 177 in 2022 to 156 this year. The number of billionaires has dropped for three successive years – this year's decline is the sharpest yet.
Robert Watts, compiler of the Sunday Times Rich List, said: “The Sunday Times Rich List is changing. Our billionaire count is down and the combined wealth of those who feature in our research is falling. We are also finding fewer of the world’s super rich are coming to live in the UK.
“This year we were also struck by the strength of criticism for Rachel Reeves’s Treasury. We expected the abolition of non-dom status would anger affluent people from overseas. But homegrown young tech entrepreneurs and those running centuries-old family firms are also warning of serious consequences to a range of tax changes unveiled in last October’s budget.
“Our research continues to find a wide variety of self-made entrepreneurs building fortunes not just from artificial intelligence, video games and new technologies but also mundane, everyday items such as makeup, radiators and jogging bottoms. We know many of our readers find these people and their stories inspiring — especially the many who had tough starts or setbacks to their lives and careers.”