May Beattie (born c. 1950) is a former Northern Irish unionist politician who was a Mid and East Antrim Councillor for the Knockagh DEA from

2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...

2019 This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year. Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...

. A former member of the

Democratic Unionist Party The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) is a Unionism in Ireland, unionist, Ulster loyalism, loyalist, British nationalist and national conservative political party in Northern Ireland. It was founded in 1971 during the Troubles by Ian Paisley, who ...

(DUP), Beattie previously represented Knockagh on the former

Carrickfergus Borough Council Carrickfergus Borough Council was a district council in County Antrim in Northern Ireland. It merged with Ballymena Borough Council and Larne Borough Council in May 2015 under local government reorganisation in Northern Ireland to become Mid a ...

from

1997 Events January * January 1 – The Emergency Alert System is introduced in the United States. * January 11 – Turkey threatens Cyprus on account of a deal to buy Russian S-300 missiles, prompting the Cypriot Missile Crisis. * January 1 ...

to 2014.

Background

Born in

Carrickfergus Carrickfergus ( , meaning " Fergus' rock") is a large town in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It sits on the north shore of Belfast Lough, from Belfast. The town had a population of 28,141 at the 2021 census. It is County Antrim's oldest t ...

, Beattie became involved in politics by assisting the

(DUP) during elections. She became a party member in the early 1990s,Rachel Ward, ''Women, unionism and loyalism in Northern Ireland'', p.170 and first stood for election to

at the

1993 Northern Ireland local elections Elections for Local government in Northern Ireland, local government were held in Northern Ireland on 19 May 1993. Results Overall By council Antrim Ards Armagh Ballymena Ballymoney Banbridge ...

."Carrickfergus Borough Council Elections 1993-2011"
''Northern Ireland Elections'' Although unsuccessful, she was elected for the DUP in East Antrim at the

Northern Ireland Forum The Northern Ireland Forum for Political Dialogue was a body set up in 1996 as part of a process of negotiations that eventually led to the Good Friday Agreement in 1998. The forum was elected, with five members being elected for each List o ...

election in 1996, and sat on the forum's health committee. She gained a seat on Carrickfergus council in

, and held this in

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 ...

2005 2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...

and

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 ...

. She was Mayor of Carrickfergus in 2003–4 and sits on a large number of committees. She is currently an

alderman An alderman is a member of a Municipal government, municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law with similar officials existing in the Netherlands (wethouder) and Belgium (schepen). The term may be titular, denotin ...

. Beattie has also been secretary for the DUP's East Antrim branch and for the East Antrim Imperial Association, and was previously a member of the Association of Loyal Orangewomen of Ireland. In the

2019 Northern Ireland local elections Local elections were held in Northern Ireland on Thursday 2 May 2019. The last elections were held in 2014. 819 candidates contested 462 seats across Northern Ireland's 11 local government districts. 1,305,384 people aged 18 and over were eligib ...

, she unsuccessfully ran as a

Traditional Unionist Voice The Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV) is a unionist political party in Northern Ireland. In common with all other Northern Irish unionist parties, the TUV's political programme has as its '' sine qua non'' the preservation of Northern Ireland's pl ...

candidate in the Knockagh ward for

Mid and East Antrim Borough Council Mid and East Antrim Borough Council is a local authority that was established on 1 April 2015. It replaced Ballymena Borough Council, Carrickfergus Borough Council and Larne Borough Council. History On 2 December 2021, the councils chief exec ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Beattie, May Living people Democratic Unionist Party councillors Members of Carrickfergus Borough Council Mayors of places in Northern Ireland Members of the Northern Ireland Forum People from Carrickfergus Women mayors of places in Northern Ireland Women councillors in Northern Ireland 1950 births