Seamus Lynch

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Seamus Lynch
Member of Belfast City Council
In office
15 May 1985 –19 May 1993
Other political
affiliations		 Sinn Féin (1968–1970)

Seamus Lynch (born 1945) is a former Irish republican and socialist politician.

Contents

Born in North Belfast, [1] Lynch became a republican activist around the start of The Troubles, and sided with the Official wing of Sinn Féin in the split of 1970. [2] He was interned from October 1971 until the following year. [1] He was a strong supporter of the Official IRA's ceasefire in 1972 and Official Sinn Féin's vocal socialism. [2] As a result, he became active in the Republican Clubs movement, and stood for the organisation in Belfast North at the 1973 Northern Ireland Assembly election. He received only 1.7% of the first preference votes cast and was not elected. He stood again for the Northern Ireland Constitutional Convention, but his vote dropped to just 1.3%. He was elected to Belfast City Council in 1977, representing Area G, but lost his seat in 1981. [3]

Lynch next stood in the Westminster seat of Belfast North at the 1979 general election, increasing his vote to 4.5%, the best result for Republican Clubs in Northern Ireland, and at the 1982 Northern Ireland Assembly election, he increased his share to 7.1%. [4]

Workers' Party

In 1982, Republican Clubs was renamed the Workers' Party and Lynch became its Northern Chairman and national Vice-President [2] He then stood in the 1983 general election, receiving 5.7% of the vote, [5] but did less well in the Northern Ireland-wide European Parliament election in 1984, taking only 1.3% and seventh position of eight candidates. [6] He was re-elected to Belfast City Council in 1985, representing Oldpark, and held his seat in 1989.

Lynch's best result in a Westminster election came when he took 11.8% of the vote in a three-way contest in the 1986 Belfast North by-election. At the following year's general election, he dropped back to 8.3%. [5] He also stood in the 1989 European election, placing eighth out of ten candidates. [7]

Democratic Left

In 1992, Lynch sided with the split from the Workers' Party which produced Democratic Left, and he became the new group's main figure in Northern Ireland. [8] Standing for the new organisation, at the 1992 UK general election his vote fell to 3.7% [5] and he lost his council seat the following year. [9] His last contest for the party was heading its North Belfast list for the Northern Ireland Forum election in 1996, but the list took only 123 votes. [10] Democratic Left dissolved in 1999, its members invited to join the Irish Labour Party but not permitted to organise in Northern Ireland. [11]

In 2003, Lynch was elected Chairman of the North Belfast sub-group of the Belfast District Policing Partnership. [12] He was Public Affairs Officer with Age NI until 2012. He now works as Public Affairs Manager for Age Sector Platform and is the Speaker of the Northern Ireland Pensioners Parliament.

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References

  1. 1 2 "Pain will linger in Ireland Archived 12 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine ", Buffalo News , 21 May 1998
  2. 1 2 3 Ian S. Wood, Crimes of Loyalty
  3. ↑ Local Government Elections 1973-1981: Belfast Archived 1 April 2019 at the Wayback Machine , Northern Ireland Elections]
  4. ↑ North Belfast 1973-82 Archived 23 October 2018 at the Wayback Machine , Northern Ireland Elections
  5. 1 2 3 North Belfast, 1983-1992 Archived 1 April 2019 at the Wayback Machine , Northern Ireland Elections
  6. ↑ The 1984 European election Archived 2 April 2009 at the Wayback Machine , Northern Ireland Elections
  7. ↑ The 1989 European elections Archived 2 April 2009 at the Wayback Machine , Northern Ireland Elections
  8. ↑ Oliver McGuckin, "Paul leads the charm offensive Archived 6 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine ", Belfast Telegraph , 30 May 1996
  9. ↑ Belfast City Council, 1993-2005 Archived 26 July 2018 at the Wayback Machine , Northern Ireland Elections
  10. ↑ 1996 Forum Elections: Candidates in North Belfast Archived 22 August 2009 at the Wayback Machine , Northern Ireland Elections
  11. ↑ Steven King on Thursday Archived 6 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine , Steven King, Belfast Telegraph , 17 December 1998
  12. ↑ Belfast police groups select leaders Archived 6 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine , Jonathan McCambridge, Belfast Telegraph ,17 April 2003
Party political offices
Preceded by Vice President of the Workers' Party
1978–1992		Succeeded by
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