Edward Kevin McGrady (3 June 1935 – 11 November 2013) was an

Irish nationalist Irish nationalism is a nationalist political movement which, in its broadest sense, asserts that the people of Ireland should govern Ireland as a sovereign state. Since the mid-19th century, Irish nationalism has largely taken the form of c ...

politician of the

Social Democratic and Labour Party The Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) ( ga, Páirtí Sóisialta Daonlathach an Lucht Oibre) is a social-democratic and Irish nationalist political party in Northern Ireland. The SDLP currently has eight members in the Northern Ireland ...

(SDLP), who was the Member of Parliament (MP) for South Down from 1987 to 2010. McGrady was also a Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly (MLA) for South Down from 1998 to 2003.

Early life

Born in

Downpatrick Downpatrick () is a town in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is on the Lecale peninsula, about south of Belfast. In the Middle Ages, it was the capital of the Dál Fiatach, the main ruling dynasty of Ulaid. Its cathedral is said to be the b ...

, County Down,

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 ...

, one of eleven children, McGrady was educated at

St Patrick's Grammar School, Downpatrick Saint Patrick's Grammar School is a Catholic grammar school located in Downpatrick, County Down, Northern Ireland. It is currently owned by the De La Salle Brothers. It has an enrolment of around 725 students, with girls admitted at 6th form le ...

and at Belfast Technical College, where he trained as a chartered accountant, subsequently entering his family's accountancy firm.

Political career

McGrady entered politics in 1961 as an

Independent Nationalist Independent Nationalist ( ga, Náisiúnach Neamhspleách) is a political title frequently used by Irish nationalists when contesting elections to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom Great Britain and Ireland not as members of the Irish ...

councillor on Downpatrick Urban Council, serving as chairman from 1964 until the council was replaced by

Down District Council Down District Council was a Local Council in County Down in Northern Ireland. It merged with Newry and Mourne District Council in April 2015 under local government reorganisation in Northern Ireland to become Newry, Mourne and Down District C ...

in 1973. In the late 1960s he joined the National Democrats and stood for the party in the 1969 election to the

Parliament of Northern Ireland The Parliament of Northern Ireland was the home rule legislature of Northern Ireland, created under the Government of Ireland Act 1920, which sat from 7 June 1921 to 30 March 1972, when it was suspended because of its inability to restore ord ...

in East Down, losing to the sitting MP and future

Prime Minister of Northern Ireland The prime minister of Northern Ireland was the head of the Government of Northern Ireland between 1921 and 1972. No such office was provided for in the Government of Ireland Act 1920; however, the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, as with governo ...

Brian Faulkner Arthur Brian Deane Faulkner, Baron Faulkner of Downpatrick, (18 February 1921 – 3 March 1977), was the sixth and last Prime Minister of Northern Ireland, from March 1971 until his resignation in March 1972. He was also the chief executive ...

. In 1970 he became a founder member of the

(SDLP), later serving as its first chairman (from 1971–1973). He sat on Down District Council from 1973 to 1989, serving as chairman from 1974–1975 and was also elected to all three regional assemblies in

1973 Events January * January 1 - The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark 1973 enlargement of the European Communities, enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union. * January 15 – Vietnam War: ...

1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 - Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...

and 1982 representing South Down. In the 1973 power-sharing executive he was appointed as Head of the Department of Executive Planning and Co-ordination, serving from January to May 1974. In Westminster elections he contested South Down unsuccessfully in 1979, 1983 and at the by-election of January 1986, losing on each occasion to

Enoch Powell John Enoch Powell, (16 June 1912 – 8 February 1998) was a British politician, classical scholar, author, linguist, soldier, philologist, and poet. He served as a Conservative Member of Parliament (1950–1974) and was Minister of Health (1 ...

, the sitting MP. He succeeded at the fourth attempt in the general election of 1987 and held the seat until retiring in 2010. His tenure was briefly threatened in the mid-1990s when the

Boundary Commission A boundary commission is a legal entity that determines borders of nations, states, constituencies. Notable boundary commissions have included: * Afghan Boundary Commission, an Anglo-Russian Boundary Commission, of 1885 and 1893, delineated the no ...

suggested merging much of his constituency with the neighbouring Newry and Armagh constituency to form a new 'Newry and Mourne' constituency. This was overturned during a local review, which preserved his seat and actually removed more Unionist sections such as Dromore. McGrady's support held solid over the years despite talk of a slippage, and this was reinforced in the 2005 Westminster election with his re-election to the House of Commons. McGrady formerly sat on the

Northern Ireland Policing Board The Northern Ireland Policing Board ( ga, Bord Póilíneachta Thuaisceart Éireann, Ulster-Scots: ''Norlin Airlan Polisin Boord'') is the police authority for Northern Ireland, charged with supervising the activities of the Police Service of Nor ...

and was a member of the Northern Ireland Assembly between 1998 and 2003. On 25 February 2010, McGrady announced that he would stand down at the 2010 General Election. McGrady continued to be chairperson of the

Lecale Lecale (, ) is a peninsula in the east of County Down, Northern Ireland. It lies between Strangford Lough and Dundrum Bay. In the Middle Ages it was a district or ''túath'' in the Gaelic Irish kingdom of Ulaid, then became a county in the Anglo ...

Branch of the SDLP.

References

External links

*
Guardian Politics – Ask Aristotle: Eddie McGrady MPTheyWorkForYou.com – Eddie McGrady MP
{{DEFAULTSORT:McGrady, Eddie 1935 births 2013 deaths Social Democratic and Labour Party MLAs National Democratic Party (Northern Ireland) politicians Members of Down District Council Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for County Down constituencies (since 1922) UK MPs 1987–1992 UK MPs 1992–1997 UK MPs 1997–2001 UK MPs 2001–2005 UK MPs 2005–2010 Social Democratic and Labour Party MPs (UK) Members of the Northern Ireland Assembly 1973–1974 Members of the Northern Ireland Constitutional Convention Northern Ireland MPAs 1982–1986 Members of the Northern Ireland Forum Northern Ireland MLAs 1998–2003 People from Downpatrick People educated at St Patrick's Grammar School, Downpatrick Politicians from County Down Junior ministers of the 1974 Northern Ireland Assembly Social Democratic and Labour Party councillors