Ulster Liberal Party

The Ulster Liberal Party was a liberal and non-sectarian political party in Northern Ireland linked to the British Liberal Party. The party was officially neutral on the constitutional position of Northern Ireland. Members expressed different views on the issue but agreed that Northern Ireland could only join the Republic of Ireland if that was the wish of the majority of the people of Northern Ireland.[1]

Ulster Liberal Party
Founded1956
Dissolved1987
IdeologyLiberalism
Political positionCentre
National affiliationLiberal Party
ColoursYellow

History

The party succeeded the Northern Ireland Liberal Association, which was active before the First World War and was relaunched in May 1928.[2] It nominated candidates in the 1929 UK general election,[3] including future Seanad Éireann member Denis Ireland and Unbought Tenants' Association MP George Henderson, before the party became inactive.

The party was re-founded by Albert McElroy in 1956, as the Ulster Liberal Association.[4] From 1961 to 1969, the party had one seat in the House of Commons of Northern Ireland, when Sheelagh Murnaghan held one of the four seats allocated to Queen's University, Belfast.[4] It was represented on the committee of the Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association in 1967. As a party it sought to end sectarian divisions in Northern Ireland and Murnaghan tried on four occasions to pass a Bill of Rights in the Northern Ireland Parliament to address discrimination.[5]

In 1969 Claude Wilton became a senator for the party in the Senate of Northern Ireland.[6]

After 1970, it suffered the loss of many of its members to the Alliance Party of Northern Ireland.[4] Its last political contest was the 1985 local government election,[7] after which its last remnants joined the Labour '87 group. The Liberal Democrats, successor to the British Liberal Party, later formed links with the Alliance Party. There is also a small local party of the Liberal Democrats in Northern Ireland.

Leadership

As of 1971, the party's president was McElroy, while John Quinn was the chair, and Berkley Farr was the secretary.[8] Cecil Bell replaced Farr as secretary, and James Murray took over in 1979. From 1978 until 1982, the chair was Mervyn Cowan, the secretary was James Murray, and the position of president had been abolished. Patricia Cowan was the treasurer throughout.[9]

Electoral performance

Northern Ireland Parliament & Assembly elections
Year No. of votes Share of votes Seats
1958 759 0.3%
0 / 52
1962 11,005 3.6%
1 / 52
1965 12,618 3.9%
1 / 52
1969 7,337 1.3%
0 / 52
1973 811 0.1%
0 / 78
1982 65 0.0%
0 / 78

United Kingdom House of Commons elections
Year No. of votes Share of votes Seats
1959 3,253 0.6%
0 / 12
1964 17,354 2.7%
0 / 12
1966 29,109 4.9%
0 / 12
1970 10,929 1.4%
0 / 12

References
  1. Illingworth, Ruth (2019). Sheelagh Murnaghan: Stormont's only Liberal MP. Ulster Historical Foundation. pp. 13, 24.
  2. "Ulster Liberals", Manchester Guardian, 1 March 1928, p.8
  3. "Ulster's General Election", Manchester Guardian, 15 April 1929, p.14
  4. Fionnuala O'Connor, "Pride of the Ulster Liberals", The Guardian, 16 September 1993
  5. Illingworth, Ruth (2019). Sheelagh Murnaghan: Stormont's only Liberal MP. Ulster Historical Foundation. p. 26, 66.
  6. Illingworth, Ruth (2019). Sheelagh Murnaghan: Stormont's only Liberal MP. Ulster Historical Foundation. p. 63.
  7. Abstracts on Organisations – 'U', CAIN Web Service
  8. "Ulster Liberal Party". The Political Companion (8): 53. July–September 1971.
  9. "Ulster Liberal Party". The Political Companion (32): 64. Spring 1982.


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