Raymond McCartney | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of theNorthern Ireland Assembly forFoyle | |
| In office 15 July 2004 – 3 February 2020[1] | |
| Preceded by | Mary Nelis |
| Succeeded by | Martina Anderson |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1954-11-29)29 November 1954 (age 71)[1] |
| Nationality | Irish |
| Party | Sinn Féin |
| Children | 1 |
| Website | Sinn Féin profile |
Raymond McCartney (born 29 November 1954) is an Irish formerSinn Féin politician,[2] and a formerhunger striker andvolunteer of theProvisional Irish Republican Army (IRA).
McCartney took part in the civil rights march in Derry on 30 January 1972, an event widely known asBloody Sunday.[3] One of his cousins, James Wray, was one of 14 men shot and killed by the1st Battalion, Parachute Regiment on that march. As a result of this incident McCartney joined theProvisional IRA several months later.[3] In 1974Martin McGuinness, who commanded the IRA inDerry, instructed McCartney to beat up anINLA man,Patsy O'Hara, who McGuinness called a "scumbag" and a "hood".[4] On 12 January 1979 atBelfastCrown Court McCartney and another man, Eamonn MacDermott, were convicted of the murder of Detective Constable Patrick McNulty of theRoyal Ulster Constabulary, who was shot several times outside a garage in Derry on 27 January 1977. McCartney was also convicted of IRA membership and the murder of businessmanJeffery Agate in February 1977, and was sentenced to life imprisonment.[5] The murder convictions were overturned in 2007.[6]
McCartney was involved in theblanket anddirty protests, then took part in the1980 hunger strike, along with fellow IRA membersBrendan Hughes,Tommy McKearney,Tom McFeely, Sean McKenna, Leo Green, andIrish National Liberation Army member John Nixon.
McCartney spent 53 days on hunger strike, from 27 October to 18 December.[3] From 1989–91 he wasOfficer Commanding of the IRA prisoners in theH Blocks, and was released in 1994.[7]
Since his release he has been active with ex-prisoners' groupsTar Abhaile andCoiste na n-Íarchimí, and was the first member ofSinn Féin to have their own voice heard on television after the lifting of theBritish broadcasting ban in 1994.[8] McCartney was arrested on 4 April 2002 following a breach of security at Belfast's police headquarters, but released without charge the next day.[9] Later that year, on 5 September, McCartney was the first former IRA member to appear before theBloody Sunday Inquiry, and encouraged anyone with information, including paramilitaries, to come forward.[10] He was anMLA forFoyle from 15 July 2004 until 3 February 2020.[1][11]
On 15 February 2007 McCartney and MacDermott had their murder convictions quashed by theCourt of Appeal, following an investigation by theCriminal Cases Review Commission in 2002.[6] TheSecretary of State for Northern Ireland declined to compensate McCartney and MacDermott on the grounds that they had not proven themselves innocent. The decision was appealed to theSupreme Court of the United Kingdom which, in May 2011, found in favour of the applicants, opening the way for a substantial compensation claim from both for their prison terms of 15 and 17 years.[12]
| Northern Ireland Assembly | ||
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| Preceded by | MLA forFoyle 2004–2020 | Succeeded by |
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| Participants who survived |
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| Political and religious figures | ||
| Key events | ||
