Fra McCann

Fra McCann
Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly
for West Belfast
In office
26 November 2003 – November 2021
Preceded byAlex Maskey
Succeeded byAisling Reilly
Member of
Belfast City Council
In office
1987 – 5 May 2011
Preceded byWill Glendinning
Succeeded byColin Keenan
ConstituencyLower Falls
Personal details
Born (1953-06-19) 19 June 1953 (age 71) [1]
Belfast, Northern Ireland
Political partySinn Féin
WebsiteFra McCann MLA

Fra McCann (born 19 June 1953) is a retired Irish Sinn Féin politician and former Republican prisoner.

McCann became active in the Irish republican movement and was imprisoned in the 1970s for membership of the Provisional Irish Republican Army, and took part in the blanket protest while in prison.[2]

As a politician, he was a Belfast City Councillor for the Lower Falls DEA from 1987 to 2011.

He latterly served as a Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly (MLA) for Belfast West from 2003 to 2021.

Biography

McCann was imprisoned during the 1970s for firearms offences. While being held in H-Block 3 of the Maze, McCann befriended Kieran Nugent and participated in the blanket protest.[3]

In 1987, he was elected to Belfast City Council, having won a by-election, representing the Lower Falls District.[4]

He was re-elected to the council in 1989, 1993, 1997 and 2001.

McCann was later elected to the Northern Ireland Assembly, representing West Belfast, at the 2003 election.

In June 2006, McCann was charged with assault and disorderly behaviour following an incident in west Belfast. The incident occurred as the PSNI attempted to arrest a teenager for attempted robbery. However, McCann claimed heavy-handedness by the police and stated "I tried to put myself between one of the officers and the girl when the police officer radioed for assistance." McCann was released on bail.[5][6]

He retained his Assembly seat in 2007, 2011 and 2017.[7]

In October 2021, Fra McCann announced that he would be stepping down as MLA for West Belfast and would not be contesting the next election.[8]

References

  1. ^ Profile, niassembly.gov.uk; accessed 5 March 2017.
  2. ^ Eimear McGovern (10 December 2019). "Sinn Féin MLA Fra McCann reveals prostate cancer diagnosis". Belfasttelegraph. Retrieved 12 February 2020.
  3. ^ Sinn Féin politicians, village.ie; accessed 5 March 2017.
  4. ^ 1987 by-election Archived 21 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ Report of McCann's arrest in June 2006, bbc.co.uk; accessed 5 March 2017.
  6. ^ The wrong sort of involvement in policing, sluggerotoole.com; accessed 5 March 2017.
  7. ^ Fra McCann MLA West Belfast Archived 30 June 2007 at the Wayback Machine, sinnfeinonline.com; accessed 5 March 2017.
  8. ^ Hughes, Brendan (11 October 2021). "Sinn Féin MLA to step down from NI Assembly due to ill health". BelfastLive. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
Northern Ireland Assembly
Preceded by MLA for Belfast West
2004–2021 		Incumbent