Raymond McCartney (born 29 November 1954) is an Irish former

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

politician, and a former

hunger strike A hunger strike is a method of non-violent resistance in which participants fast as an act of political protest, or to provoke a feeling of guilt in others, usually with the objective to achieve a specific goal, such as a policy change. Most ...

r and

volunteer Volunteering is a voluntary act of an individual or group freely giving time and labor for community service. Many volunteers are specifically trained in the areas they work, such as medicine, education, or emergency rescue. Others serve ...

of the

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

(IRA).

IRA membership

McCartney took part in the civil rights march in Derry on 30 January 1972, an event widely known as Bloody Sunday. One of his cousins, James Wray, was one of 14 men shot and killed by the

1st Battalion, Parachute Regiment The 1st Battalion, Parachute Regiment (1 PARA), is a battalion of the British Army's Parachute Regiment (United Kingdom), Parachute Regiment. Along with various other regiments and corps from across the British Armed Forces, it is part of Spec ...

on that march. As a result of this incident McCartney joined the

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

several months later. In 1974

Martin McGuinness James Martin Pacelli McGuinness ( ga, Séamus Máirtín Pacelli Mag Aonghusa; 23 May 1950 – 21 March 2017) was an Irish republican politician and statesman from Sinn Féin and a leader within the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) during ...

, who commanded the IRA in

Derry Derry, officially Londonderry (), is the second-largest city in Northern Ireland and the fifth-largest city on the island of Ireland. The name ''Derry'' is an anglicisation of the Old Irish name (modern Irish: ) meaning 'oak grove'. Th ...

, instructed McCartney to beat up an INLA man,

Patsy O'Hara Patsy O'Hara ( Irish: Peatsaí Ó hEadhra; 11 July 1957 – 21 May 1981) was an Irish republican hunger striker and member of the Irish National Liberation Army (INLA). Biography O'Hara was born in Bishop Street, Derry, Northern Ireland. He j ...

, who McGuinness called a "scumbag" and a "hood". On 12 January 1979 at

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingd ...

Crown Court The Crown Court is the court of first instance of England and Wales responsible for hearing all indictable offences, some either way offences and appeals lied to it by the magistrates' courts. It is one of three Senior Courts of England and Wale ...

McCartney and another man, Eamonn MacDermott, were convicted of the murder of Detective Constable Patrick McNulty of the

Royal Ulster Constabulary The Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) was the police force in Northern Ireland from 1922 to 2001. It was founded on 1 June 1922 as a successor to the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) Richard Doherty, ''The Thin Green Line – The History of the Roy ...

, who was shot several times outside a garage in Derry on 27 January 1977. McCartney was also convicted of IRA membership and the murder of businessman Jeffery Agate in February 1977, and was sentenced to life imprisonment. The murder convictions were overturned in 2007.

Imprisonment

McCartney was involved in the

blanket A blanket is a swath of soft cloth large enough either to cover or to enfold most of the user's body and thick enough to keep the body warm by trapping radiant body heat that otherwise would be lost through convection. Etymology The ter ...

and

dirty protest The dirty protest (also called the no wash protest) was part of a five-year protest during the Troubles by Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) and Irish National Liberation Army (INLA) prisoners held in the Maze Prison (also known as "Lon ...

s, then took part in the 1980 hunger strike, along with fellow IRA members

Brendan Hughes Brendan Hughes (June 1948 – 16 February 2008), also known as "The Dark", and "Darkie" was a leading Irish republican and former Officer Commanding (OC) of the Belfast Brigade of the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA). He was the leader o ...

Tommy McKearney Tommy McKearney (born 1952) is a former Irish Volunteer (Irish republican), volunteer in the Provisional Irish Republican Army who took part in the 1981 Irish hunger strike#1980 hunger strike, 1980 hunger strike. Background McKearney was born i ...

, Tom McFeely, Sean McKenna, Leo Green, and

Irish National Liberation Army The Irish National Liberation Army (INLA, ga, Arm Saoirse Náisiúnta na hÉireann) is an Irish republican socialist paramilitary group formed on 10 December 1974, during the 30-year period of conflict known as " the Troubles". The group seek ...

member John Nixon. McCartney spent 53 days on hunger strike, from 27 October to 18 December. From 1989–91 he was

Officer Commanding The officer commanding (OC), also known as the officer in command or officer in charge (OiC), is the commander of a sub-unit or minor unit (smaller than battalion size), principally used in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth. In other countries, t ...

of the IRA prisoners in the H Blocks, and was released in 1994.

Freedom and reversal of convictions

Since his release he has been active with ex-prisoners' groups '' Tar Abhaile'' and '' Coiste na n-Íarchimí'', and was the first member of

to have their own voice heard on television after the lifting of the British broadcasting ban in 1994. McCartney was arrested on 4 April 2002 following a breach of security at Belfast's police headquarters, but released without charge the next day. Later that year, on 5 September, McCartney was the first former IRA member to appear before the

Bloody Sunday Inquiry The Bloody Sunday Inquiry, also known as the Saville Inquiry or the Saville Report after its chairman, Lord Saville of Newdigate, was established in 1998 by British Prime Minister Tony Blair after campaigns for a second inquiry by families of t ...

, and encouraged anyone with information, including paramilitaries, to come forward. He was an MLA for Foyle from 15 July 2004 until 3 February 2020. On 15 February 2007 McCartney and MacDermott had their murder convictions quashed by the Court of Appeal, following an investigation by the

Criminal Cases Review Commission The Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) is the statutory body responsible for investigating alleged miscarriages of justice in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. It was established by Section 8 of the Criminal Appeal Act 1995 and bega ...

in 2002. The

Secretary of State for Northern Ireland A secretary, administrative professional, administrative assistant, executive assistant, administrative officer, administrative support specialist, clerk, military assistant, management assistant, office secretary, or personal assistant is a w ...

declined to compensate McCartney and MacDermott on the grounds that they had not proven themselves innocent. The decision was appealed to the

Supreme Court of the United Kingdom The Supreme Court of the United Kingdom (initialism: UKSC or the acronym: SCOTUK) is the final court of appeal in the United Kingdom for all civil cases, and for criminal cases originating in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. As the United ...

which, in May 2011, found in favour of the applicants, opening the way for a substantial compensation claim from both for their prison terms of 15 and 17 years.''Irish Times'' report of Supreme Court case
irishtimes.com; retrieved 13 May 2011.

References

External links

Profile: Raymond McCartney
, sinnfein.ie; accessed 14 May 2016. {{DEFAULTSORT:McCartney, Raymond 1954 births Irish hunger strikers Irish republicans Living people 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 Overturned convictions in the United Kingdom People wrongfully convicted of murder Politicians from Derry (city) Prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment by Northern Ireland Provisional Irish Republican Army members Sinn Féin MLAs