In 1993, when Melua was eight, the family moved to Belfast, Northern Ireland, in the aftermath of the Georgian Civil War. Her father, a heart surgeon, took up a position at the Royal Victoria Hospital. The family remained in Belfast, living close to Falls Road, until Melua was 14. During her time in Northern Ireland, Melua attended St Catherine's Primary School on the Falls Road and later moved to Dominican College, Fortwilliam.