David Allen MBE (24 October 1937 – 13 December 2011) was a teacher, trade unionist and politician from

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

. A member of the

Vanguard Unionist Progressive Party The Vanguard Unionist Progressive Party (VUPP), informally known as Ulster Vanguard, was a unionist political party which existed in Northern Ireland between 1972 and 1978. Led by William Craig, the party emerged from a split in the Ulster Un ...

, he represented the group in the

Northern Ireland Constitutional Convention The Northern Ireland Constitutional Convention (NICC) was an elected body set up in 1975 by the United Kingdom Labour government of Harold Wilson as an attempt to deal with constitutional issues surrounding the status of Northern Ireland. F ...

.W. D. Flackes & Sydney Elliott, ''Northern Ireland A Political Directory 1968-1993'', Blackstaff Press, 1994, p. 147 He was elected to

Ballymena Borough Council Ballymena Borough Council was the local authority of Ballymena in Northern Ireland. It merged with Carrickfergus Borough Council and Larne Borough Council in May 2015 under local government reorganisation in Northern Ireland to become Mid and ...

in 1973, topping the poll in the C District Electoral Area. He retained the seat in 1977, albeit as a "Ratepayers" candidate, having left the Vanguard in the interim. In November 1976 Allen proposed a motion banning Ballymena's local

Gaelic Athletic Association The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA; ga, Cumann Lúthchleas Gael ; CLG) is an Irish international amateur sports, amateur sporting and cultural organisation, focused primarily on promoting indigenous Gaelic games and pastimes, which include t ...

(GAA) from using council facilities; the motion passed unanimously. Allen described the GAA as "bigoted, sectarian" with an "antiquated" ruleset. In a television interview about the motion, Allen suggested he would be justified in calling for the GAA to be outlawed and made illegal in Northern Ireland. Allen was a pupil of

Ballymena Academy Ballymena Academy is a mixed gender grammar school in the market town of Ballymena in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It was founded in 1828 as a small provincial school for children in the town and surrounding agricultural hinterland. Admiss ...

.Mr. David Allen - formerly of Ballykeel Primary
/ref> A teacher by profession, he trained at Queen's University Belfast and Stranmillis College before teaching at primary level in his native Ballymena, initially at Harryville PS before moving to Ballykeel PS.Belfast Telegraph obituary
/ref> Known to his pupils as "Duck", he was deputy headmaster at the latter school. Allen was active in the

Ulster Teachers' Union The Ulster Teachers' Union is a trade union based in Northern Ireland, whose membership comprises nursery, primary, and secondary school teachers and school leaders working in the state sector. It has 6,429 members. The UTU has close links with t ...

and became general secretary of the body in 1978, holding the position for twenty years. A prominent media figure during his time in charge, Allen's work earned him the nickname "children's champion". Allen was married twice and had one daughter. Following his retirement he settled in

Banbridge Banbridge ( , ) is a town in County Down, Northern Ireland. It lies on the River Bann and the A1 road and is named after a bridge built over the River Bann in 1712. It is situated in the civil parish of Seapatrick and the historic barony of Iv ...

, while also keeping a house in

Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...

. He suffered a stroke in 2011 and died soon after, aged 74. He was buried in Banbridge following a service at the town's Bannside Presbyterian Church.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Allen, David 1937 births 2011 deaths Members of the Northern Ireland Constitutional Convention Vanguard Unionist Progressive Party politicians General secretaries of British trade unions Presbyterians from Northern Ireland People from Ballymena Members of the Order of the British Empire Alumni of Queen's University Belfast Alumni of Stranmillis University College People educated at Ballymena Academy Schoolteachers from Northern Ireland