Colm Merrick, originally from Portaferry, was elected to the Scottish Parliament on May 8 as the member for Anniesland in Glasgow.

Merrick moved to Scotland in his mid-20s after working briefly at Shorts in Northern Ireland. He studied maths and computing at Queen's University Belfast before relocating, where he later worked in his field across the UK.

He joined the Scottish National Party after the 2014 independence referendum and served as a councillor in East Renfrewshire from 2017.

Merrick stated that his experience growing up in Northern Ireland shaped his view that political change is possible when people are willing to move forward despite disagreements.

He cited de-industrialisation and resulting unemployment as factors that drew him toward politics focused on addressing child poverty and other social issues.

Merrick is married with three adult children and one grandchild. He returns to the Strangford area periodically to visit relatives.