Davy Hyland

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Davy Hyland

MLA
In office 2003 – 2007
Constituency	Newry and Armagh

Born	1955
Political party	Independent
Website	North Antrim Sinn Féin

Davy Hyland (b. 25 February 1955, Belfast) is a Republican politician in Northern Ireland.

He was born in Belfast and was educated at University of Wales, Aberystwyth and Manchester University. He is a schoolteacher.

He now lives in Newry where he is an independent Councillor, having left Sinn Féin . He is a former chair of Newry and Mourne District Council and a former Assembly member for Newry and Armagh.

In the mid-1980s Hyland appeared in court accused of murdering former Royal Ulster Constabulary Inspector Albert White but the case collapsed after IRA man Eamon Collins withdrew statements made to police [1].

He was "deselected" by Sinn Féin before running for the 2007 Assembly election, having received only three votes out of 63 cast by the party membership present at the selection convention. His deselection comes amid internal disquiet about moves to discuss the acceptance of the new policing arrangements in Northern Ireland following the establishment of the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) as a result of the Patten Commission which was established as part of the on-going peace process. Hyland stated that: "There are people out there who see this all being choreographed by the Sinn Féin leadership and that it is only a matter of time before the Sinn Féin ard fheis is called and a decision made to back policing arrangements" [2].

On 2 February 2007, he announced formally through the Irish News newspaper that he would be run in the 2007 Assembly election in Newry and Armagh as an independent republican opposed to Sinn Féin's acceptance of the Police Service of Northern Ireland. He was backed by other prominent former Sinn Féin figures such as former Assembly members Pat MacNamee and Jim McAllister. [3] Hyland failed to be elected, gaining 2,188 votes (4.4%).