Mark Durkan

Mark Durkan
Mark Durkan
MP
Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland
In office
6 November 2001 – 14 October 2002
First Minister David Trimble
Preceded by Seamus Mallon
Succeeded by Martin McGuinness
Leader of SDLP
In office
2001–2010
Preceded by John Hume
Succeeded by Margaret Ritchie[1]
Member of Parliament
for Foyle
Incumbent
Assumed office
5 May 2005
Preceded by John Hume
Majority 4,824 (12.7%)
Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly
for Foyle
In office
25 June 1998 – 9 November 2010
Preceded by new assembly
Succeeded by Pól Callaghan
Personal details
Born 26 June 1960 (1960-06-26) (age 51)
Derry, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland
Nationality Irish
Political party Social Democratic and Labour Party
Spouse(s) Jackie Durkan
Children 1
Alma mater Queen's University Belfast, University of Ulster
Religion Roman Catholic
Website Mark Durkan

(John) Mark Durkan[2][3] (born 26 June 1960) is an Irish nationalist politician in Northern Ireland who was leader of the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) from 2001 to 2010.

Contents

Early life

Durkan was born in Derry; his father, Brendan, was an Royal Ulster Constabulary District Inspector in Armagh.[4] He was raised by his mother, Isobel, after his father was killed in a road accident in 1961. He was educated at St. Patrick's Primary School and at St. Columb's College. During his time at St. Columb's, he was Head Boy.

He studied politics at the Queen's University of Belfast and later did a part-time postgraduate course in Public Policy Management with the University of Ulster at Magee.[5] While at QUB Durkan served as Deputy President of Queen's Students' Union from 1982 to 1983. He was also elected Deputy President of the Union of Students in Ireland from 1982 to 1984.

Political career

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 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. While down on Hume's vote, Durkan won with a comfortable majority, despite a strong effort by Sinn Féin to take the seat. Durkan won 21,119 votes which was 46.3% of the total.

Durkan announced his intention to stand down as leader of the SDLP in September 2009[6] as he did not want to continue to lead the party past his 50th birthday and so he could concentrate on his parliamentary career.[6] He was replaced as leader by Margaret Ritchie in February 2010.[7]

He is a Fellow of the British-American Project.[citation needed]

Family

He and his wife, Jackie, to whom he had been introduced by John Hume, celebrated the birth of a daughter, Dearbhail, who was born in January 2005.

References

External links

Northern Ireland Assembly
Preceded by
New creation
MLA for Foyle
1998 - 2010
Succeeded by
Pol Callaghan
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by
John Hume
Member of Parliament for Foyle
2005 – present
Succeeded by
Incumbent
Political offices
Preceded by
New office
Minister of Finance and Personnel
1999 - 2000
Succeeded by
Office suspended
Preceded by
Office suspended
Minister of Finance and Personnel
2000 - 2001
Succeeded by
Sean Farren
Preceded by
Seamus Mallon
Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland
2001 - 2002
Succeeded by
Office suspended
Party political offices
Preceded by
Alban Maginness
Chairperson of the Social Democratic and Labour Party
1990–1995
Succeeded by
Jonathan Stephenson
Preceded by
John Hume
Leader of the Social Democratic and Labour Party
2001 – 2010
Succeeded by
Margaret Ritchie

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Mark H. Durkan — MLA Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly for Foyle Incumbent Assumed office 2011 Preceded by Mary Bradley …   Wikipedia

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  • Social Democratic and Labour Party — Infobox British Political Party party name = Social Democratic and Labour Party party articletitle = Social Democratic and Labour Party party leader = Mark Durkan MP, MLA chairman = Patricia Lewsley MLA foundation = 1970 ideology = Social… …   Wikipedia

  • Members of the Northern Ireland Assembly elected in 2011 — Northern Ireland This article is part of the series: Politics and government of Northern Ireland …   Wikipedia

  • Margaret Ritchie (politician) — Margaret Ritchie MP MLA Leader of SDLP In office 7 February 2010 – 5 November 2011 …   Wikipedia

  • Foyle (UK Parliament constituency) — For other constituencies of the same name, see Foyle. UK constituency infobox alt Name = Foyle Type = County Entity = Northern Ireland DivisionType = Districts Division = Derry Year = 1983 MP = Mark Durkan Party = Social Democratic and Labour EP …   Wikipedia

  • Foyle (Assembly constituency) — Northern Ireland Assembly constituency infobox Name = Foyle Type = County Year = 1996 AM = Martina Anderson Mary Bradley Mark Durkan William Hay Raymond McCartney Pat Ramsey Districts = DerryFoyle is a constituency in the Northern Ireland… …   Wikipedia

  • First Minister and deputy First Minister — Incumbent Peter Robinson and Martin McGuinness since 5 June 2008 and 8 May 2007 (respectively) Appointer …   Wikipedia

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  • Northern Ireland Assembly election, 2011 — 2007 ← members 5 May 2011 members elected in 2011 → 2015 …   Wikipedia

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