Sheelagh Murnaghan
Encyclopedia
Sheelagh Mary Murnaghan (26 May 1924 — 14 September 1993) was an Ulster Liberal Party
Member of Parliament
(MP) in the House of Commons of Northern Ireland
at Stormont.
Born into a Roman Catholic family in Dublin, the granddaughter of George Murnaghan
, a Nationalist MP, she grew up in Omagh
before studying law at Queen's University, Belfast, graduating in 1947. She qualified as a barrister
and played for the Irish national women's hockey team.
Murnaghan joined the Ulster Liberal Association in 1959, and unsuccessfully contested South Belfast in the British general election that year. In 1961, she won a by-election for Queens University Belfast
and became the only Liberal member ever to sit in the Northern Ireland House of Commons.
While an MP, Murnaghan campaigned to abolish the death penalty and for a bill of human rights
. When her seat was abolished, she failed to win North Down
at the 1969 Northern Ireland general election
, and was also unsuccessful in Belfast South
at the Northern Ireland Assembly election, 1973
. During the 1970s, she sat on various quangos, including the Industrial Relations Tribunal and the Equal Opportunities Commission. She continued to practice at the Bar, specialising in harassment cases.
From 1969 to 1972 she served on the first Northern Ireland Community Relations Commission and when Direct Rule was introduced, on Whitelaw's Advisory Commission. Later she chaired National Insurance and Industrial Relations Tribunals.
She died in 1993, aged 69, from undisclosed causes.
Ulster Liberal Party
The Ulster Liberal Party was a liberal political party in Northern Ireland, supporting a unionist position and linked to the British Liberal Party....
Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP) in the House of Commons of Northern Ireland
House of Commons of Northern Ireland
The House of Commons of Northern Ireland was the lower house of the Parliament of Northern Ireland created under the Government of Ireland Act 1920. The upper house in the bicameral parliament was called the Senate. It was abolished with the passing of the Northern Ireland Constitution Act...
at Stormont.
Born into a Roman Catholic family in Dublin, the granddaughter of George Murnaghan
George Murnaghan
George Murnaghan was an Irish Nationalist Member of Parliament in the Parliament of the United Kingdom. He represented the Mid Tyrone constituency from the United Kingdom general election, 1895, until the United Kingdom general election, January 1910.-References:*...
, a Nationalist MP, she grew up in Omagh
Omagh
Omagh is the county town of County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is situated where the rivers Drumragh and Camowen meet to form the Strule. The town, which is the largest in the county, had a population of 19,910 at the 2001 Census. Omagh also contains the headquarters of Omagh District Council and...
before studying law at Queen's University, Belfast, graduating in 1947. She qualified as a barrister
Barrister
A barrister is a member of one of the two classes of lawyer found in many common law jurisdictions with split legal professions. Barristers specialise in courtroom advocacy, drafting legal pleadings and giving expert legal opinions...
and played for the Irish national women's hockey team.
Murnaghan joined the Ulster Liberal Association in 1959, and unsuccessfully contested South Belfast in the British general election that year. In 1961, she won a by-election for Queens University Belfast
Queen's University of Belfast (Northern Ireland Parliament constituency)
Queen's University of Belfast was a university constituency of the Parliament of Northern Ireland from 1921 until 1969. It returned four MPs, using the single transferable vote method of proportional representation...
and became the only Liberal member ever to sit in the Northern Ireland House of Commons.
While an MP, Murnaghan campaigned to abolish the death penalty and for a bill of human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
. When her seat was abolished, she failed to win North Down
North Down (Northern Ireland Parliament constituency)
North Down was a constituency of the Parliament of Northern Ireland.-Boundaries:North Down was a county constituency comprising part of northern County Down, immediately south east of Belfast. It was created when the House of Commons Act 1929 introduced first-past-the-post elections throughout...
at the 1969 Northern Ireland general election
Northern Ireland general election, 1969
-References:*...
, and was also unsuccessful in Belfast South
Belfast South (Assembly constituency)
Belfast South is a constituency in the Northern Ireland Assembly.The seat was first used for a Northern Ireland-only election for the Northern Ireland Assembly, 1973...
at the Northern Ireland Assembly election, 1973
Northern Ireland Assembly election, 1973
-Seats summary:-Source:* http://www.ark.ac.uk/elections/fa73.htm...
. During the 1970s, she sat on various quangos, including the Industrial Relations Tribunal and the Equal Opportunities Commission. She continued to practice at the Bar, specialising in harassment cases.
From 1969 to 1972 she served on the first Northern Ireland Community Relations Commission and when Direct Rule was introduced, on Whitelaw's Advisory Commission. Later she chaired National Insurance and Industrial Relations Tribunals.
She died in 1993, aged 69, from undisclosed causes.
External links
- Biographies of Members of the Northern Ireland House of Commons
- Ulster Biography profile of Murnaghan
- Biographies of Members of the Northern Ireland House of Commons
- Constance Rynder, Irish Studies Review, Vol. 15, No. 1, 2007
Sources
- Oxford Dictionary of National Biography