Alban Maginness
Alban Maginness | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly for Belfast North | |
| In office 25 June 1998 – 30 March 2016 | |
| Preceded by | New Creation |
| Succeeded by | Nichola Mallon |
| 42nd Lord Mayor of Belfast | |
| In office 1997–1998 | |
| Preceded by | Ian Adamson |
| Succeeded by | David Alderdice |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 9 July 1950 Belfast, Northern Ireland[1] |
| Nationality | Irish |
| Political party | SDLP |
| Spouse | Carmel Maginness |
| Children | 8 |
| Alma mater | Queen's University Belfast University of Ulster |
| Profession | Barrister |
| Website | http://www.albanmaginness.com |
Alban Maginness (born 9 July 1950) is a politician from Holywood, County Down, in Northern Ireland.[1] From 1998 to 2016, he was a Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly for Belfast North.
Early life and education
He completed his grammar education at St. Malachy's College, Belfast. He then attended the University of Ulster and Queen's University of Belfast before being called to the Bar in 1976.
Whilst at university he became involved in the non-violent protests organised by the Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association.[2] Maginness participated in the famous civil rights march in Derry in 1972 at which British troops killed 14 unarmed civilians.[citation needed] This event, now termed Bloody Sunday, has gone down in Northern Ireland politics as one of the turning points in The Troubles that contributed to the development of the Provisional IRA.
Political career
Maginness became increasingly involved in politics and became a member of the Social Democratic and Labour Party.[3] He stood unsuccessfully for the party in East Belfast in the 1975 Constitutional Convention election and North Belfast in the 1982 Assembly election.[4]
He has been an elected member of Belfast City Council since 1985 and in 1997 he became the first Catholic politician to hold the position of Lord Mayor of Belfast. In 1998 he was elected to the Northern Ireland Assembly to represent Belfast North.
He was Chair of the SDLP from 1984 to 1991.
In November 2008 Maginness had his trademark moustache shaved off for the BBC's Children in Need.[5]
Maginness was the SDLP candidate for the 2009 European Election.
Maginness accused the Secretary of State of interning dissident republican Marian Price without trial, saying "We do not support putting people away in prison because of intelligence or because of some political point of view and we are convinced that she has been detained without trial because of that by the secretary of state."[6]
In 2012, 2014 and 2015, Maginness was one of a minority of SDLP MLAs to not vote in favour of same-sex marriage.[7]
References
- ^ a b "Profile: Alban Maginness". BBC News. 12 May 2009. Retrieved 23 April 2010.
- ^ "Personal profile". Retrieved 27 July 2009.
- ^ http://www.ucd.ie/ibis/filestore/newslet1.PDF%7CRedefining Northern Nationalism (Lecture in UCD, 2 October 2000
- ^ Northern Ireland elections
- ^ "Maginness' hairy moment for charity". BBC News. 14 November 2008. Retrieved 23 April 2010.
- ^ "BBC News - Marian Price being interned says SDLP's Alban Maginness". BBC News. BBC News. Retrieved 27 August 2012.
- ^ ."Assembly Proceedings".
External links
- Biography: NI Assembly
- SDLP Councillor Alban Maginness MLA: Official Website
- 2005 SDLP profile at the Wayback Machine (archived January 25, 2005)
- [1]
- 1950 births
- Living people
- Members of Belfast City Council
- Social Democratic and Labour Party MLAs
- Members of the Northern Ireland Forum
- Northern Ireland MLAs 1998–2003
- Northern Ireland MLAs 2003–07
- Northern Ireland MLAs 2007–11
- Northern Ireland MLAs 2011–16
- People educated at St Malachy's College
- Alumni of Queen's University Belfast
- Alumni of Ulster University
- Barristers from Northern Ireland
- Members of the Bar of Northern Ireland
- Lord Mayors of Belfast
- People from Holywood