Fra McCann (born 19 June 1953) is a retired Irish

Sinn Féin Sinn Féin ( ; ; ) is an Irish republican and democratic socialist political party active in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. The History of Sinn Féin, original Sinn Féin organisation was founded in 1905 by Arthur Griffit ...

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 The Provisional Irish Republican Army (Provisional IRA), officially known as the Irish Republican Army (IRA; ) and informally known as the Provos, was an Irish republican paramilitary force that sought to end British rule in Northern Ireland ...

, and took part in the blanket protest while in prison. 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 A maze is a path or collection of paths, typically from an entrance to a goal. The word is used to refer both to branching tour puzzles through which the solver must find a route, and to simpler non-branching ("unicursal") patterns that lead ...

, McCann befriended Kieran Nugent and participated in the blanket protest. In 1987, he was elected to Belfast City Council, having won a by-election, representing the Lower Falls District. He was re-elected to the council in 1989, 1993, 1997 and

2001 The year's most prominent event was the September 11 attacks against the United States by al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror. The United States led a Participan ...

. 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. He retained his Assembly seat in 2007,

2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

and 2017. 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.

References

External links

NIA profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:McCann, Fra 1953 births Living people Members of Belfast City Council Northern Ireland MLAs 2003–2007 Northern Ireland MLAs 2007–2011 Northern Ireland MLAs 2011–2016 Northern Ireland MLAs 2016–2017 Northern Ireland MLAs 2017–2022 Politicians from Belfast Provisional Irish Republican Army members Republicans imprisoned during the Northern Ireland conflict Sinn Féin MLAs Sinn Féin councillors in Northern Ireland