| William McCrea MP | |
|---|---|
| Member of Parliament for South Antrim |
|
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 5 May 2005 |
|
| Preceded by | David Burnside |
| Majority | 1,183 (3.5%) |
| In office 21 September 2000 – 7 June 2001 |
|
| Preceded by | Clifford Forsythe |
| Succeeded by | David Burnside |
| Member of Parliament for Mid Ulster |
|
| In office 9 June 1983 – 1 May 1997 |
|
| Preceded by | John Dunlop |
| Succeeded by | Martin McGuinness |
| Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly for South Antrim |
|
| In office 7 March 2007 – 1 July 2010 |
|
| Preceded by | Wilson Clyde |
| Succeeded by | Paul Girvan |
| Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly for Mid-Ulster |
|
| In office 25 June 1998 – 7 March 2007 |
|
| Preceded by | Office Created |
| Succeeded by | Ian McCrea |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 6 August 1948 Stewartstown, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland |
| Nationality | British |
| Political party | Democratic Unionist Party |
| Children | 5 |
| Profession | Minister, Politician |
| Religion | Free Presbyterian Church of Ulster |
| Website | William McCrea |
Robert Thomas William McCrea (born 6 August 1948) is a politician from Northern Ireland, and a member of the Democratic Unionist Party.
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He has been a member of Magherafelt District Council since its creation in 1973 and ran unsuccessfully for the 1982 Belfast South by-election. He was member of Parliament for Mid Ulster from 1983 but lost this seat to Sinn Féin chief negotiator and current Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness at the 1997 election. He took South Antrim at a by-election in 2000 caused by the death of Ulster Unionist Party MP, Clifford Forsythe, but failed to retain this seat at the 2001 election. In the 2005 election he regained the seat.
From 1998 to 2007 he was a member of the Northern Ireland Assembly for Mid Ulster. At the 2007 election, he was elected as Assembly Member for South Antrim. He resigned from the Assembly in 2010, following his return to Westminster at the general election of that year.[1]
He is also the minister of Magherafelt Free Presbyterian Church and has made numerous gospel albums. As a result of his musical endeavours, he has been nicknamed "The Singing Nun."[2]
He was a member of the Shankill Defence Association and in 1971 he was convicted of riotous behaviour in Dungiven.[3][4] In 1975 he led a prayer service at the paramilitary funerals of Wesley Somerville and Harris Boyle. The two men were part of the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) gang that had carried out the Miami Showband killings and were accidentally blown up when the bomb they had planted in the band's minibus went off prematurely, killing them instantly.[4]
McCrea was criticised when he shared a platform at a Portadown rally with the senior loyalist paramilitary Billy Wright in September 1996.[5]
He is a supporter of homeopathy, having signed several early day motion in support of its continued funding on the National Health Service sponsored by Conservative MP David Tredinnick.[6]
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by John Dunlop |
Member of Parliament for Mid Ulster 1983–1997 |
Succeeded by Martin McGuinness |
| Preceded by Clifford Forsythe |
Member of Parliament for South Antrim 2000–2001 |
Succeeded by David Burnside |
| Preceded by David Burnside |
Member of Parliament for South Antrim 2005–present |
Incumbent |
| Northern Ireland Assembly | ||
| Preceded by New creation |
MLA for Mid-Ulster 1998 - 2007 |
Succeeded by Ian McCrea |
| Preceded by Wilson Clyde |
MLA for Antrim South 2007 - 2010 |
Succeeded by Paul Girvan |
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