Robert Martin McBirney QC (1922–16 September 1974), known as Martin McBirney, was a

magistrate The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a '' magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and possessed both judi ...

and

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

from

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...

who was assassinated.

Biography

McBirney studied law at

Trinity College Dublin Trinity College Dublin (), officially titled The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, and legally incorporated as Trinity College, the University of Dublin (TCD), is the sole constituent college of the Unive ...

and became a

barrister A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdiction (area), jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include arguing cases in courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, jurisprud ...

Belfast Belfast (, , , ; from ) is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel ...

, before being called to the bar at

Gray's Inn The Honourable Society of Gray's Inn, commonly known as Gray's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court (professional associations for barristers and judges) in London. To be called to the bar in order to practise as a barrister in England and Wale ...

. In his spare time, he became active in the

Northern Ireland Labour Party The Northern Ireland Labour Party (NILP) was a political party in Northern Ireland which operated from 1924 until 1987. Origins The roots of the NILP can be traced back to the formation of the Belfast Labour Party in 1892. Previously, in 1885 ...

(NILP), and served on its executive from 1964-67. In 1966-67, he was also party Chairman. He combined these roles as the first Chairman of the Northern Ireland

Society of Labour Lawyers A society () is a group of individuals involved in persistent social interaction or a large social group sharing the same spatial or social territory, typically subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations. Soc ...

.Aaron Edwards, ''A history of the Northern Ireland Labour Party'', p.157David McKittrick, ''Lost Lives'', pp.474-475 McBirney stood for the NILP in Belfast Willowfield at the 1965 Northern Ireland general election, taking 35.1% of the vote.Northern Ireland Parliamentary Election Results: Boroughs - Belfast
", United Kingdom Election Results He was next a candidate in East Belfast at the 1966 general election, and took 45.3% of the vote in one of the party's best ever results, although he was not elected. His final contest was Belfast Pottinger at the 1969 Northern Ireland general election, where he took 48.6% of the vote and was fewer than two hundred votes short of being elected. In the 1970s, McBirney focused on his legal career. He was made a

Queen's Counsel A King's Counsel (Post-nominal letters, post-nominal initials KC) is a senior lawyer appointed by the monarch (or their Viceroy, viceregal representative) of some Commonwealth realms as a "Counsel learned in the law". When the reigning monarc ...

, was appointed a

resident magistrate A resident magistrate is a title for magistrates used in certain parts of the world, that were, or are, governed by the British. Sometimes abbreviated as RM, it refers to suitably qualified personnel—notably well versed in the law—brought int ...

, and served as Senior Crown Prosecutor for

. He worked as a lawyer for the defence on

civil rights Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' political freedom, freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and ...

cases, including one involving the Derry Citizens' Action Committee, in which he defended, among others, Eamonn McCann.

Death

At approximately 8.20 am on 16 September 1974, McBirney was shot in his home at 172 Belmont Road, Belfast. A man was seen to get out of a car and walk to the rear of the McBirney home. The man was then observed leaving and getting back into the car which had two other occupants. The car was located some from the scene of the murder. Its occupants were seen to drive off in another vehicle. The car used to convey the gunmen to and from the scene had been hijacked on the morning of the murder. It was attributed to the Irish Republican Army. Police investigations linked one person to the murder who was also identified as being the gunman. He was subsequently charged and convicted of murder and received a life sentence. On the same day another judge, Rory Conaghan, was shot dead by the IRA outside his home at Beechlands off the Malone Road,

. Both murders have been attributed to the

Irish Republican Army The Irish Republican Army (IRA) is a name used by various Resistance movement, resistance organisations in Ireland throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. Organisations by this name have been dominantly Catholic and dedicated to anti-imperiali ...

. On hearing of McBirney's death, his sister-in-law, Frances Cooke, suffered a fatal

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...

. McBirney was a

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

who had married a

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

. The couple had one child. He was friendly with politician Paddy Devlin, with playwright Sam Thompson and poet Louis MacNeice. He personally wrote documentaries and plays for the ''

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

'', including one on

Daniel O'Connell Daniel(I) O’Connell (; 6 August 1775 – 15 May 1847), hailed in his time as The Liberator, was the acknowledged political leader of Ireland's Roman Catholic majority in the first half of the 19th century. His mobilisation of Catholic Irelan ...

. McBirney appeared as a contestant on the '' Round Britain Quiz''. Poet

Michael Longley Michael George Longley (27 July 1939 – 22 January 2025) was a Northern Irish poet. In his later years Longley observed: "It's a mystery where poems come from. If I knew where poems came from I would go there ... When I write a poem I am movi ...

later revealed that he had written the poem ''A Civil Servant'' in McBirney's honour.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McBirney, Martin 1922 births 1974 deaths European politicians assassinated in the 1970s Alumni of Trinity College Dublin Assassinated judges Assassinated politicians from Northern Ireland Deaths by firearm in Northern Ireland Members of Gray's Inn Northern Ireland justices of the peace Northern Ireland King's Counsel Northern Ireland Labour Party politicians People killed by the Provisional Irish Republican Army 20th-century King's Counsel Place of birth missing Politicians assassinated in 1974