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Mark Durkan
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Mark Durkan MP MLA | |
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| Succeeded by | Incumbent |
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| Constituency | Foyle (MP & MLA) |
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| Born | June 26, 1960 (age 46) Derry City, Northern Ireland |
| Political party | Social Democratic and Labour Party |
| Website | http://www.sdlp.ie/markdurkan.shtm |
Mark Henry Durkan (born 26 June 1960, Derry, Northern Ireland) is a Roman Catholic nationalist politician in Northern Ireland and the leader of the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP).
Durkan's father was an Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) District Inspector in Armagh who died before his son's first birthday ([1]). He was educated at St. Patrick's Primary School and at St. Columb's College.
He studied politics at the Queen's University of Belfast and later did a part-time Bachelor of Arts course in Public Policy Management with the University of Ulster at Magee ([2]). While at QUB Durkan served as Deputy President of Queen's Students' Union from 1982-1983. He was also elected Deputy President of the Union of Students in Ireland from 1982-1984.
He became involved in politics in 1981 when he became a member of the Social Democratic and Labour Party. In 1984 he went to work for John Hume as his Westminster Assistant. He became a key figure in organising by-election campaigns for the Seamus Mallon and Eddie McGrady in the 1980s.
In 1990 Durkan became chairperson of the SDLP, a position he served in until 1995. He was a key member of the party's negotiating team in the run up to the Good Friday Agreement.
Following the Agreement Durkan was elected to the Northern Ireland Assembly in 1998, and became a member of the Northern Ireland Executive as Minister for Finance and Personnel.
He served in that position until 2001 when he replaced Seamus Mallon as Deputy First Minister. He was also elected Leader of the SDLP in that year. Durkan was reelected to the Assembly in the election of November 2003. However, the Assembly and the Executive remain suspended.
In the 2005 general election he retained the Foyle seat at Westminster for the SDLP with an impressive majority, despite a strong effort by Sinn Féin to take the seat. Durkan won 21,119 votes which was 46.3% of the total.
He is a Fellow of the British-American Project.
- Mark Durkan's site at the official SDLP website
- Guardian Unlimited Politics - Ask Aristotle: Mark Durkan MP
- TheyWorkForYou.com - Mark Durkan MP
- Mark Durkan's Biography at the Northern Ireland Assembly
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by John Hume |
Member of Parliament for Foyle 2005 – present |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by Newly created office |
Minister for Finance & Personnel 1999 – 2001 |
Succeeded by Sean Farren |
| Preceded by John Hume |
Leader of the Social Democratic and Labour Party 2001 – present |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
| Preceded by Seamus Mallon |
Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland 2001 – 2002 |
Succeeded by Office suspended |
| Party leaders in Northern Ireland |
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Rev Ian Paisley, MP, MLA (DUP) | Gerry Adams, MP, MLA (Sinn Féin) | Sir Reg Empey, MLA (UUP) | Mark Durkan, MP, MLA (SDLP) | David Ford, MLA (Alliance) |
Jim Allister • Bairbre de Brún • Jim Nicholson
Westminster
Gerry Adams • Gregory Campbell • Nigel Dodds • Pat Doherty • Jeffrey Donaldson • Mark Durkan • Michelle Gildernew • Sylvia Hermon • Willie McCrea • Alasdair McDonnell • Eddie McGrady • Martin McGuinness • Conor Murphy • Iris Robinson • Peter Robinson • David Simpson • Sammy Wilson
Categories: 1960 births | Living people | Alumni of Queen's University Belfast | Alumni of the University of Ulster | Current British MPs | Current members of the United Kingdom Parliament from Northern Irish constituencies | UK MPs 2005- | Fellows of the British-American Project | Leaders of the Social Democratic and Labour Party | Members of the Northern Ireland Forum | Northern Ireland MLAs 1998-2003 | Northern Ireland MLAs 2003-2007 | Northern Ireland MLAs 2007- | Northern Irish Roman Catholics | People from Derry | Roman Catholic politicians | Social Democratic and Labour Party MPs (UK)