Widespread birthday congratulations have been shared online after one of Ulster's most famous sons, Liam Neeson turned 70-years-old.

In a Tweet, the Lyric Theatre Belfast said: "Wishing our patron, Ballymena born and honorary Derry Girl, the legendary Liam Neeson a very Happy 70th Birthday Today!"

William John Neeson OBE was born on June 7, 1952 in Ballymena.

He is the son of cook Katherine (Kitty) and primary school caretaker Bernard (Barney.

He studied at St Patrick's College, Ballymena and later recalled that his love of drama began there and he acted in a number of school productions in his teens.

Aged nine, he began boxing lessons at the All Saints Youth Club, and went on to win a number of regional titles before giving up the sport at 17.

Neeson left Queen's University Belfast in the early 1970s without finishing his degree in physics and computer science and instead took a job in his home town as an apprentice forklift driver for Guinness.

Nearly four decades after enrolling at the university, he received a doctorate from Queen's at a ceremony in New York in May 2009.

The actor said at the time that he would "finally" be able to tell his mother he graduated.