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Lady Ballyedmond and her family, owners of Newry based Norbrook Laboratories, have topped the Northern Ireland section of this year's Sunday Times Rich List. The list is published today online at www.thetimes.com and will appear in a special 76-page magazine edition with the newspaper on Sunday 17 May 2026.
A trained solicitor and former lecturer, Lady Ballyedmond who has recently moved to Italy has an estimated wealth of £898m, a £24m drop from last years figures.
Second on the Northern Ireland list is Michael Loughran and family, who own a fuel distribution and petrol station group turning over more than £1 billion a year. They have an estimated wealth of £770m. Third placed is Robert and William Barnett and family with an estimated wealth of £715m.
In this year's full list, 350 individuals and families together hold combined wealth of £783.5 billion.
Robert Watts, compiler of the Sunday Times Rich List, said: "This year's Rich List is a tale of two exoduses. One in six of the individuals and families who appeared on the list two years ago don't feature this time.
"Many foreign billionaires who have been living in the UK have also dropped out because they have moved away. We have also seen a sharp rise in the number of British nationals now resident in Dubai, Switzerland and Monaco. As UK nationals these people remain on our Rich List - wherever they now live."
Mr Watts added: "For nearly 40 years the Sunday Times Rich List has analysed the fortunes of Britain's most affluent people. We believe understanding where wealth lies and where it is being accumulated is a vital part of a functioning democracy."
Check out the full Sunday Times Rich List at: www.thetimes.com/sunday-times-rich-list
