Donegal Progressive Party

Donegal Progressive Party
Dissolved	November 2009
Ideology	Protestant minority interests
Politics of the Republic of Ireland Political parties Elections

The Donegal Progressive Party was a minor political party in the Republic of Ireland.

The party drew its support mostly from the unionist and Protestant community in eastern County Donegal. ^[1] It was opposed to a united Ireland. At the 1973 general election, the party's leader advised Protestants to vote for Fianna Fáil, as it had "the most stable policy" on the border question. ^[2] Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, the party held a single seat on Donegal County Council, but it lost this at the 1999 local elections. ^{[3] [4]} The party was registered to contest local elections only.

Jim Devenney, a butcher and member of the East Donegal Ulster Scots Association and the former deputy chairman of the Ulster-Scots Agency, ^[5] was the party's final representative. He contested Donegal North-East at the 1992 and 1997 general elections, and stood in Letterkenny again in 2004. ^{[6] [7]} The party was removed from the Register of Political Parties in November 2009. ^[8]

Elections

Dáil Éireann

Year	Candidate	Votes	%	Seats
1992	Jim Devenney (as an Independent)	2,082	6.67%	0 / 166
1997	Jim Devenney (as an Independent)	1,657	4.66%	0 / 166

Local elections (Donegal County Council)

Year	Candidate	Votes	%	Position	Seats
1967	multiple	4,520	3.1%	#3 (Donegal County)	1 / 28
1974	Winston Patterson	1,745	13.1%	#3 (Letterkenny)	1 / 28
1979	William Buchanan	1,728	11.7%	#4 (Letterkenny)	1 / 28
1985	William Buchanan	1,506	10.4%	#1 (Letterkenny)	1 / 29
1991	Jim Devenney	1,775	12.9%	#1 (Letterkenny)	1 / 29
1999	Jim Devenney	1,229	10.86%	#6 (Letterkenny)	0 / 29
2004	Jim Devenney	869	7.06%	#7 (Letterkenny)	0 / 29

References

1. Crotty, William J.; Schmitt, David A. (17 June 2014). Ireland and the Politics of Change. Routledge. ISBN   9781317881186.
2. Knight, James; Baxter-Moore, Nicolas (1973). Republic of Ireland: The General Elections of 1969 and 1973. The Arthur McDougall Fund. ISBN   978-0903278027.
3. "Protestants lose out in the Republic". Grand Orange Order Lodge website. October 1998. Archived from the original on 11 December 2010.
4. Judge, Theresa (4 June 1999). "Independent TD stands, and angers Fianna Fail". The Irish Times . Archived from the original on 28 February 2018. Retrieved 14 October 2024.
5. "About Us - East Donegal Ulster Scots Association". eastdonegalulsterscots.com. Archived from the original on 13 February 2012.
6. "Jim Devenney". ElectionsIreland.org. Archived from the original on 22 October 2007. Retrieved 4 January 2008.
7. "Jim Devenney". Irish Elections. Archived from the original on 2 February 2024. Retrieved 22 April 2024.
8. Coughlan, Kieran (20 November 2009). "Electoral Acts 1992 and 2001: Register of Political Parties" (PDF). Iris Oifigiúil. Dublin: Government Publications Office: 1509. Archived (PDF) from the original on 24 February 2011. Retrieved 5 April 2016.