Mark Durkan

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Mark Henry Durkan (born in 1960) is a Roman Catholic nationalist politician in Northern Ireland and the leader of the Social Democratic and Labour Party.

Mark Durkan was born in Derry in 1960. His father was an RUC District Inspector in Armagh who died before his son's first birthday [1]. He was educated at St. Patrick's Primary School, and at St. Columb's College.

He studied politics at the Queen's University of Belfast and later did a part-time Bachelor of Arts course in Public Policy Management with the University of Ulster at Magee. ^[1] While at college Durkan served as Deputy President of Queen's Students' Union from 1982-1983. He was then elected Deputy President of the Union of Students in Ireland [USI].

He became involved in politics in 1981 when he became a member of the Social Democratic and Labour Party. In 1984 he went to work for John Hume as his Westminster Assistant. He became a key figure in organising by-election campaigns for the Seamus Mallon and Eddie McGrady in the 1980s.

In 1990 Durkan became chairperson of the SDLP, a position he served in until 1995. He was a key member of the party's negotiating team in the run up to the Good Friday Agreement.

Following the Agreement Durkan was elected to the Northern Ireland Assembly in 1998, and became a member of the Northern Ireland Executive as Minister for Finance and Personnel.

He served in that position until 2001 when he replaced Seamus Mallon as Deputy First Minister. He was also elected Leader of the SDLP in that year. Durkan was reelected to the Assembly in the election of November 2003. However, the Assembly and the Executive remain suspended.

In the 2005 general election he retained the Foyle seat at Westminster for the SDLP with an impressive majority, despite a desperate effort by Sinn Féin to take the seat and a belief amongst the media and Sinn Féin themselves that they would be victorious. He won 21 119 votes which was 46.3% of the total.

He is a Fellow of the British-American Project.

[edit] References

1. ^ Mark Durkan's Biography at the Northern Ireland Assembly. Retrieved on August 31, 2006.

[edit] External links

• SDLP - Mark Durkan official site
• Guardian Unlimited Politics - Ask Aristotle: Mark Durkan MP
• TheyWorkForYou.com - Mark Durkan MP
• Mark Durkan's Biography at the Northern Ireland Assembly

Preceded by Newly created office	Minister for Finance & Personnel 1999 – 2001	Succeeded by Sean Farren
Preceded by Seamus Mallon	Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland 2001 – 2002	Succeeded by Office suspended
Preceded by John Hume	Leader of the Social Democratic and Labour Party 2001 –	Succeeded by Current Incumbent
	Member of Parliament for Foyle 2005 –

Party leaders in Northern Ireland
Rev Dr IAN PAISLEY, MP, MLA (Democratic Unionist Party) | GERRY ADAMS, MP, MLA (Sinn Féin) | Sir REG EMPEY, MLA (Ulster Unionist Party) | MARK DURKAN, MP, MLA (SDLP) | DAVID FORD, MLA (Alliance Party of Northern Ireland)