David McClarty

{{Infobox officeholder

|honorific-prefix =

|name = David McClarty

|honorific-suffix =

|image = David McClarty.png

|alt =

|caption =

| office = Deputy Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly

| term_start = 8 May 2007

| term_end = 11 May 2011

| predecessor = Jim Wilson (2003)

| successor = Roy Beggs Jr

|constituency_AM1 = East Londonderry

|assembly1 = Northern Ireland

|majority1 =

|term_start1 = 25 June 1998

|term_end1 = 18 April 2014

|predecessor1 = New Creation

|successor1 = Claire Sugden

| office2 = Mayor of Coleraine

| term_start2 = 1993

| term_end2 = 1995

| predecessor2 = William King

| successor2 = Pauline Armitage

| office3 = Member of Coleraine Borough Council

| constituency3 = Coleraine Central

| term_start3 = 19 May 1993

| term_end3 = 2013

| predecessor3 = District created

| successor3 = Clare Sugden

| constituency4 = Coleraine Town

| term_start4 = 17 May 1989

| term_end4 = 19 May 1993

| predecessor4 = Robert Bolton

| successor4 = District abolished

|birth_date = {{birth date|1951|2|23|df=yes}}

|birth_place = Coleraine, Northern Ireland

|death_date = {{Death date and age|2014|04|18|1951|02|23|df=yes}}

|death_place = Coleraine, Northern Ireland

|restingplace =

|birthname =

|nationality = British

|party = Independent Unionist (2011 - 2014)

|otherparty = UUP (until 2011)

|spouse = Norma

|relations =

|children = 2

|residence =

|alma_mater = University of Ulster

|occupation =

|profession =

|cabinet =

|committees =

|portfolio =

|signature =

|signature_alt=

|website =

|footnotes =

}}

David McClarty (23 February 1951 – 18 April 2014) was a Northern Irish unionist politician who served as an Ulster Unionist Party (UUP), later an Independent Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for East Londonderry from 1998, until his death in 2014.

Background

McClarty was from Coleraine and was educated at Coleraine Academical Institution and Magee College. McClarty was first elected to Coleraine Borough Council in 1989, and held the post of Mayor from 1993 to 1995.

Assembly career

Until 1 January 2011 he was an Ulster Unionist Party member of the Northern Ireland Assembly (1998–present) for East Londonderry and was the Ulster Unionist Party’s chief whip at the Assembly but since then, vowed to fight future elections as an independent. On 8 May 2007, he was elected as one of the three Deputy Speakers of the Assembly.

McClarty served on the Enterprise, Trade and Investment Committee and the Environment Committee in the Assembly from 1998 to 2002.

=Party allegiance=

He was one of a number of high-profile Ulster Unionist moderates who left the party along with Harry Hamilton and Paula Bradshaw, both of whom joined the Alliance Party of Northern Ireland, and Trevor Ringland, who joined the NI Conservatives.{{cite web |url=http://www.niconservatives.com/person/trevor-ringland |title=NI Conservatives – Membership |publisher=NI Conservatives |accessdate=10 February 2013 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140418220449/http://www.niconservatives.com/person/trevor-ringland |archivedate=18 April 2014 |df=dmy-all }}

McClarty appeared to dismiss speculation about switching to the Alliance by saying, "It has been suggested that, with my moderate views, I should go Alliance like Harry Hamilton in Upper Bann. But Alliance are lukewarm on the union, and I will be fighting as an Independent Unionist."{{cite web|url=http://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/local/mcclarty-to-run-for-stormont-as-independent-1-2315090 |title=McClarty to run for Stormont as Independent |work=Newsletter.co.uk |publisher=Johnston Publishing |date=18 January 2011 |accessdate=7 October 2012}} He retained his seat in the Assembly in the 2011 election.{{cite news |title=NI election: Robinson dedicates DUP win to Ronan Kerr |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-13320482 |publisher=BBC News |date=8 May 2011 |access-date=7 October 2012 |archive-date=13 May 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110513084722/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-13320482 |url-status=live }}

There was speculation that McClarty would rejoin the UUP after Mike Nesbitt was elected leader in March 2012. Following Tom Elliott's departure and Nesbitt's subsequent election, McClarty said "I still have an interest in the wellbeing of the party."{{cite news|last=Clarke|first=Liam|title=David McClarty may return to UUP if Mike Nesbitt elected leader|url=http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/politics/david-mcclarty-may-return-to-uup-if-mike-nesbitt-elected-leader-16134568.html|accessdate=12 June 2012|newspaper=Belfast Telegraph|date=23 March 2012}} He went on to indicate that, as a sign of respect for those who voted for him as an independent candidate, he would not rejoin the UUP before the next election.

In early 2013, McClarty was in talks with John McCallister and Basil McCrea, who were both elected as MLAs for the UUP but left the party in February 2013. The three were considering registering as an informal grouping within the Assembly.[http://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/headlines/mccallister-and-mccrea-to-sit-in-the-naughty-seats-1-4799688 McCallister and McCrea to sit in the ‘naughty seats’] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130221023155/http://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/headlines/mccallister-and-mccrea-to-sit-in-the-naughty-seats-1-4799688 |date=21 February 2013 }}, News Letter, Rebecca Black, 18 February 2013. (McCallister and McCrea went on to form NI21 later in the year.)

Personal life

He was made a Freeman of the City of London in 1994. He was married to Norma.

He was a well known fixture for local theatre lovers with a long history of performing in various musicals for [https://www.ballywillan.com/ Ballywillan Drama Group].{{Cite web|url=https://www.colerainetimes.co.uk/arts-and-culture/oklahoma-ok-ballywillan-drama-group-2839411|title=Oklahoma! is OK for Ballywillan Drama group|website=www.colerainetimes.co.uk|date=18 January 2010 }}

Death

McClarty died on 18 April 2014 following an illness. He had been suffering from cancer for some time beforehand.{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-27076640 |title=Independent MLA David McClarty dies after illness |date=18 April 2014 |publisher=BBC News |access-date=18 April 2014 |archive-date=30 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180630115452/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-27076640 |url-status=live }}

References

External links

[https://web.archive.org/web/20070309232911/http://www.niassembly.gov.uk/members/biogs_03/mcclarty_d.htm NI Assembly profile]
[https://web.archive.org/web/20070928094506/http://www.stratagem-ni.com/londonderryeastmlas.php Stratagem profile]

{{succession box

| title=Mayor of Coleraine

| before=William King

| after=Pauline Armitage

| years= 1993–1995

}}

{{s-ttl

| title = MLA for East Londonderry

| years = 1998–2014

}}

{{s-bef

| before = Donovan McClelland