Stephen McGonagle (17 November 1914 – 4 March 2002) was a

Northern Irish Northern Irish people is a demonym for all people born in Northern Ireland or people who are entitled to reside in Northern Ireland without any restriction on their period of residence. Most Northern Irish people either identify as Northern ...

and

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

trade union A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits ( ...

ist. Born in

Derry Derry, officially Londonderry (), is the second-largest city in Northern Ireland and the fifth-largest city on the island of Ireland. The name ''Derry'' is an anglicisation of the Old Irish name (modern Irish: ) meaning 'oak grove'. The ...

, Ireland, McGonagle worked as a plumber.Andrew Finlay, ''Saothar'', Vol. 27, pp.10-12, Irish Labour History Society He joined the Derry Labour Party, a small anti-partitionist grouping, but resigned in 1946 in protest at its alliance with the Nationalist Party, instead joining the

Northern Ireland Labour Party The Northern Ireland Labour Party (NILP) was a political party in Northern Ireland which operated from 1924 until 1987. Origins The roots of the NILP can be traced back to the formation of the Belfast Labour Party in 1892. William Walker stoo ...

. However, this party became increasingly unionist in outlook, so in 1949 he resigned to join the

Irish Labour Party The Labour Party ( ga, Páirtí an Lucht Oibre, literally "Party of the Working People") is a centre-left and social-democratic political party in the Republic of Ireland. Founded on 28 May 1912 in Clonmel, County Tipperary, by James Connolly, ...

. Active in the

National Union of Tailors and Garment Workers National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, c ...

, and became secretary of its Derry branch in 1949. In 1952, he persuaded the majority of its members - around 4,000 mostly female workers - to break away and form the Clothing Workers' Union, which soon merged with the

Irish Transport and General Workers' Union The Irish Transport and General Workers Union (ITGWU), was a trade union representing workers, initially mainly labourers, in Ireland. History The union was founded by James Larkin in January 1909 as a general union. Initially drawing its mem ...

, and in 1954 McGonagle became secretary of its Derry branch. McGonagle stood as an

independent Labour An independent or non-partisan politician is a politician not affiliated with any political party or bureaucratic association. There are numerous reasons why someone may stand for office as an independent. Some politicians have political views th ...

candidate in Foyle at the 1958 and 1962 Northern Ireland general elections. He took approximately 40% of the vote and second place on each occasion, behind

Eddie McAteer Eddie McAteer (25 June 1914 – 25 March 1986) was an Irish nationalist politician in Northern Ireland. Born in Coatbridge, Scotland, McAteer's family moved to Derry in Northern Ireland while he was young. In 1930 he joined the Inland Revenu ...

. He stood on a platform advocating the reunification of Ireland, the ending of religious discrimination, and action on social issues. In 1968, McGonagle was the chairman of the Northern Ireland Committee of the

Irish Congress of Trade Unions The Irish Congress of Trade Unions (often abbreviated to just Congress or ICTU), formed in 1959 by the merger of the Irish Trades Union Congress (founded in 1894) and the Congress of Irish Unions (founded in 1945), is a national trade union centr ...

(ICTU). Later in the year, following civil unrest in Derry, he was appointed vice-chairman of a new Development Commission, which replaced the city's local government. He resigned in 1971, along with the other

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

members of the commission, following the introduction of

internment Internment is the imprisonment of people, commonly in large groups, without charges or intent to file charges. The term is especially used for the confinement "of enemy citizens in wartime or of terrorism suspects". Thus, while it can simpl ...

without trial. Following the 1972 death of Jim Cox, President of the ICTU, McGonagle took up the post, and he was re-elected to serve in 1973.Constitution and Standing Orders
,

, p.36 In 1974, he took up a post as Northern Ireland Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration and Complaints, serving for five years, while in 1977 he became chairman of the Northern Ireland Police Complaints Board. He also chaired the 1982 inquiry into the

Kincora Boys' Home The Kincora Boys' Home was a boys' home in Belfast, Northern Ireland that was the scene of serious organised child sexual abuse, causing a scandal and attempted cover-up in 1980, with allegations of state collusion.Dodd, Vikram; Norton-Taylor, Ric ...

scandal. In 1983, he was appointed to the

Seanad Éireann Seanad Éireann (, ; "Senate of Ireland") is the upper house of the Oireachtas (the Irish legislature), which also comprises the President of Ireland and Dáil Éireann (the lower house). It is commonly called the Seanad or Senate and its memb ...

, and facing opposition from unionists, resigned all his public posts in Northern Ireland. While an

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

member of the Seanad, he participated in the

New Ireland Forum The New Ireland Forum was a forum in 1983–1984 at which Irish nationalist political parties discussed potential political developments that might alleviate the Troubles in Northern Ireland. The Forum was established by Garret FitzGerald, then T ...

as part of the

team. McGonagle's grandson, Owen Reidy, later also became a prominent trade unionist, as general secretary of the ICTU.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mcgonagle, Stephen 1914 births 2002 deaths Independent members of Seanad Éireann Ombudsmen in Northern Ireland Irish trade unionists Members of the 17th Seanad People from Derry (city) Presidents of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions Nominated members of Seanad Éireann