Patrick McCarthy MBE is an Irish Social Democratic and Labour Party politician and member of Belfast City Council. Born and raised in the Markets area of Belfast, McCarthy was interned without trial in 1971 on suspicion of being a member of the Official IRA, before being released in 1972. First elected to the council in 2001 for Laganbank he was chosen as Lord Mayor of Belfast in 2006. McCarthy, the city's fourth nationalist mayor, was endorsed by all parties except Sinn Féin. He successfully represented the SDLP on Belfast City council until 2014.