Breandán Mac Cionnaith | |
|---|---|
| Member of Craigavon Borough Council | |
| In office 21 May 1997 – 7 June 2001 | |
| Preceded by | William Ramsay |
| Succeeded by | Brian McKeown |
| Constituency | Portadown |
| Personal details | |
| Nationality | Irish |
| Political party | Éirígí (since 2007) Sinn Féin (before 2007) |
| Other political affiliations | Independent Nationalist |
Breandán Mac Cionnaith is an Irish politician and a prominent residents' group leader. He is a member ofÉirígí, asocialistrepublican party. He used to be an adviser toSinn Féin members of theNorthern Ireland Assembly. He came to prominence in the 1990s as the spokesman for theGarvaghy Road Residents' Coalition (also known as the Garvaghy Road Residents' Association). In the early 1980s, Mac Cionnaith was jailed for six years for his involvement in the IRA bombing of Portadown's town centre.[1]
From 1997, Mac Cionnaith was the spokesman for the Garvaghy Road residents in theDrumcree conflict, which centres on the desire of theOrange Order towalk a traditional route through an area that had become predominantlyRoman Catholic. In 1997 he was elected toCraigavon Borough Council for the Portadown area and sat on the council until 2001[2]
Prior to 2002, Mac Cionnaith had received death threats and a live bullet had been sent to him.[3]
On 10 April 2007, Mac Cionnaith resigned fromSinn Féin, soon after the party decided to support thePolice Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI)[4][5] and after an unsuccessful attempt to secure the party's nomination for theNorthern Ireland Assembly elections.[citation needed] Mac Cionnaith continues to serve as spokesman for the Garvaghy Road Residents Coalition and, in February 2010, he helped formulate a joint submission to the Northern Ireland Assembly's Working Party on Parading Issues.
Mac Cionnaith has been critical of theOrange Institution and of theRoyal Ulster Constabulary (since replaced by the PSNI).[6] Mac Cionnaith is also a prominent campaigner for an inquiry into the murder of solicitorRosemary Nelson.[6]
Mac Cionnaith joined the socialist republican political partyÉirígí, and was elected General Secretary of the organisation in May 2009.