Gerry McHugh

Gerry McHugh
McHugh's constituency office in Enniskillen in 2009
Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly
for Fermanagh & South Tyrone
In office
7 March 2007 – 5 May 2011
Preceded byTom O'Reilly
Succeeded bySean Lynch
In office
25 June 1998 – 26 November 2003
Preceded byNew Creation
Succeeded byTom O'Reilly
Member of
Fermanagh District Council
In office
21 May 1997 – 5 May 2011
Preceded byJohn McManus
Succeeded bySean Lynch
ConstituencyEnniskillen
In office
19 May 1993 – 21 May 1997
Preceded byPlunkett O'Neill
Succeeded byBrian McCaffery
ConstituencyErne East
Northern Ireland Forum member
for Fermanagh and South Tyrone
In office
30 May 1996 – 25 April 1998
Preceded byNew forum
Succeeded byForum dissolved
Personal details
BornCounty Tyrone, Northern Ireland
Political partyAontú (2019-present)
Fianna Fáil (2009-2019)
Independent (2007-2009)
Sinn Féin (1993-2007)

Gerry McHugh (born 9 October 1957) is an Irish Republican politician, active in Northern Ireland, who was a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Fermanagh and South Tyrone from 1998 to 2003, and then again from 2007 to 2011.

Additionally, McHugh was a Fermanagh District Councillor for the Enniskillen DEA from 1997 to 2011, having previously represented the Erne East DEA from 1993 to 1997.

Formerly a member of Sinn Féin, he resigned from the party in 2007, remaining an independent for the remainder of his time as an MLA and councillor.

Background

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McHugh is a past pupil of St Comhghall's Secondary School in Lisnaskea.

He was elected, as a Sinn Féin member, onto Fermanagh District Council at the 1993 local elections, representing the Erne East District.

He was elected to the Enniskillen District at the 1997 local elections.

He was elected to the Northern Ireland Forum in 1996, then to the Northern Ireland Assembly at the 1998 election as a Sinn Féin member for Fermanagh and South Tyrone. He lost his seat in 2003, but regained it in 2007. His fellow Sinn Féin member on both occasions was Michelle Gildernew.

He became an independent on 29 November 2007, citing his perceived problems with lack of democracy in his former party.[1][2]

On 30 November 2009, he announced that he was a member of Fianna Fáil.[3] He did not contest the 2011 Assembly election.

McHugh stood as an independent in Erne East at the 2011 local elections, but was not elected.[4]

On 2 February 2019 The Impartial Reporter reported that McHugh had joined Aontú, a new pro-life nationalist party founded by Peadar Tóibín.[5] In the May 2019 local election, he was the party's candidate stood in the six-seat Erne East District Electoral Area for Fermanagh and Omagh District Council, finishing last of ten candidates.[6]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ 'Disillusioned' SF man resigns, BBC, 3 December 2007
  2. ^ Membership of the NI assembly Archived 17 November 2007 at the Wayback Machine, see note "‡‡"
  3. ^ 'Fianna Fáil establishes third constituency forum in North, Irish Times, 30 November 2009
  4. ^ "Northern Ireland council election: 582 seats declared". BBC News. 11 May 2011.
  5. ^ "More defections expected as McHugh joins new party". Impartial Reporter. 2 February 2019. Retrieved 5 February 2019.
  6. ^ "Fermanagh and Omagh District Council candidates". Election 2019. BBC. 2 May 2019. Retrieved 3 May 2019.
[edit]
Northern Ireland Forum
New forum Member for Fermanagh and South Tyrone
1996–1998
Forum dissolved
Northern Ireland Assembly
New assembly MLA for Fermanagh & South Tyrone
1998–2003
Succeeded by
Preceded by MLA for Fermanagh & South Tyrone
2007–2011
Succeeded by