Declan Kearney (born 19 December 1964) is an Irish

Sinn Féin Sinn Féin ( , ; en, " eOurselves") is an Irish republican and democratic socialist political party active throughout both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. The original Sinn Féin organisation was founded in 1905 by Arthur G ...

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking ...

who was elected as a member (MLA) of the Northern Ireland Assembly to represent the South Antrim constituency at the 2016 election. Originally from Antrim, he is the son of Oliver and Brigid (née Totten) Kearney. He lived in Derry at the time of his election. Prior to his election, Kearney served as National Chairman of Sinn Féin, in which capacity he apologised "for all the lives lost during

the Troubles The Troubles ( ga, Na Trioblóidí) were an ethno-nationalist conflict in Northern Ireland that lasted about 30 years from the late 1960s to 1998. Also known internationally as the Northern Ireland conflict, it is sometimes described as an " ...

". His brother, Ciarán Kearney, husband of Jane (née Donaldson), is the son-in-law of the late

Provisional Irish Republican Army The Irish Republican Army (IRA; ), also known as the Provisional Irish Republican Army, and informally as the Provos, was an Irish republican paramilitary organisation that sought to end British rule in Northern Ireland, facilitate Irish reu ...

volunteer Volunteering is a voluntary act of an individual or group freely giving time and labor for community service. Many volunteers are specifically trained in the areas they work, such as medicine, education, or emergency rescue. Others serve ...

and

politician

Denis Donaldson Denis Martin Donaldson (1950 – 4 April 2006) was a volunteer in the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) and a member of Sinn Féin who was killed following his exposure in December 2005 as an informer in the employ of MI5 and the Specia ...

, who was assassinated near

Glenties Glenties () is a town in County Donegal, Ireland. It is situated where two glens meet, north-west of the Bluestack Mountains, near the confluence of two rivers. Glenties is the largest centre of population in the parish of Iniskeel. Glenties has ...

County Donegal County Donegal ( ; ga, Contae Dhún na nGall) is a county of Ireland in the province of Ulster and in the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town of Donegal in the south of the county. It has also been known as County Tyrconn ...

after having been exposed as a British agent.

References

1964 births Irish republicans Living people Northern Ireland MLAs 2016–2017 Northern Ireland MLAs 2017–2022 People from County Antrim Sinn Féin MLAs Sinn Féin parliamentary candidates Northern Ireland MLAs 2022–2027 {{Ireland-politician-stub