Donovan McClelland

Donovan McClelland
Member of Antrim Borough Council
In office 17 May 1989 – 5 May 2005
Preceded by	Henry Cushinan
Succeeded by	Anthony Brady
Constituency	Antrim North West
Deputy speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly
In office 31 January 2000 – 28 April 2003
Preceded by	Office created
Succeeded by	John Dallat (2007)
Member of the Legislative Assembly for South Antrim
In office 25 June 1998 – 26 November 2003
Preceded by	New Creation
Succeeded by	Thomas Burns
Member of the Northern Ireland Forum for South Antrim
In office 30 May 1996 – 25 April 1998
Personal details
Born	Seamus Donovan McClelland (1949-01-14)14 January 1949 Toome, Northern Ireland
Died	23 February 2018(2018-02-23) (aged 69)
Political party	SDLP
Spouse	Noreen McClelland
Children	3

Seamus Donovan McClelland (14 January 1949 – 23 February 2018) was an Irish Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) politician who was a member of the Northern Ireland Assembly (MLA) for South Antrim from 1998 to 2003.

Background

McClelland was appointed deputy speaker in February 2000. He was chairman of the Standards and Privileges Committee and a member of the Public Accounts Committee.

Educated at Ballymena Academy, he went on to Trinity College, Dublin and Queen's University Belfast, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in economics. In 1973, McClelland joined the staff of Queen's University Belfast and began his career as a researcher/lecturer. He joined the Department of Agriculture in 1975 and, in 1978, took up a post as lecturer in economics at the University of Ulster.

McClelland entered politics in 1989 when he was elected to Antrim Borough Council. He was elected as deputy mayor of the borough in 1999. He was an SDLP delegate to the Brooke/Mayhew talks in 1992 and a delegate to the Forum for Peace and Reconciliation, established by the Irish Government at Dublin Castle in 1994.

McClelland was elected to the new Northern Ireland Forum in 1996 and was a member of the SDLP delegation to the Multi-party Talks chaired by Senator George Mitchell. He stood as a parliamentary candidate for the South Antrim constituency in the Westminster elections on three occasions.

Personal life and death

McClelland was married to Noreen, a local councillor and 2005 UK General Election candidate for the SDLP. The couple raised three children. He died on 23 February 2018, at the age of 69.