Danny O'Connor (politician)

Danny O'Connor (born 1965) is a former nationalist politician in Northern Ireland having previously been a member of Larne Borough Council from 1997 to 2011.

Born in Larne,^[1] O'Connor served in the Ulster Defence Regiment^[2] before being elected to Larne Borough Council, representing the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP), in 1997.^[1] The same year, he stood for the party at the 1997 Westminster election in East Antrim, but received only 4.6% of the votes cast.^[3]

O'Connor was elected for East Antrim at the 1998 Northern Ireland Assembly election.^[3] In 1999, his car was twice petrol-bombed, while his house and his brother's house were also attacked. He described it as part of a systematic loyalist campaign against Catholics in Larne.^[4]In 2000, he accused then Democratic Unionist Party councillor Jack McKee of raising tension in the Catholic Seacourt estate in Larne when McKee blamed republicans for targeting the estates Protestant population.^[5] His home was attacked again in 2001,^[6] and in 2002, when he blamed the paramilitary Ulster Defence Association (UDA).^[7]

O'Connor stood again in the 2001 general election, increasing his share of the vote to 7.3%, but lost his Assembly seat at the 2003 election.^[3] In 2004, he fired warning shots when confronted by a group of men.^[8] While his mother claimed the group were UDA members, the Government concluded that there was "no evidence" of this.^[9]

He fell back to 5.3 percent of the vote at the 2005 general election.^[3] In 2006, he became the first nationalist Mayor of Larne.^[10] In 2007, he stood again for East Antrim, and was again unsuccessful.^[3]

In 2007, O'Connor was criticized for referring to a disabled colleague DUP councillor Bobby McKee as "stumpy" ^[11]. O'Connor subsequently apologised.

In the local council elections in 2011 standing in the Coast Road area of Larne Borough Council he lost his seat to Sinn Féin's Oliver McMullan.^[12]

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