Desmond Boal
| Desmond Boal QC | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Chairman of the Democratic Unionist Party | |
|
In office 1971–1973 | |
| Leader | Ian Paisley |
| Preceded by | Office Created |
| Succeeded by | William Beattie |
| Member of Parliament for Belfast Shankill | |
|
In office 1960–1972 | |
| Preceded by | Henry Holmes |
| Succeeded by | Office abolished |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
1929 Derry, Northern Ireland |
| Died |
22 April 2015 (aged 86) Holywood, Northern Ireland |
| Nationality | British |
| Political party | Independent Unionist |
| Other political affiliations |
DUP Ulster Unionist Party |
| Spouse(s) | Annette Boal |
| Children | 3 |
| Alma mater | Trinity College, Dublin |
| Occupation | Politician |
| Profession | Barrister |
| Religion | Anglican |
Desmond Norman Orr Boal (1929 – 23 April 2015) was a unionist politician and barrister from Northern Ireland.[1]
Boal had a legal career before he entered politics in 1960. He was the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) member of the Parliament of Northern Ireland for the Shankill constituency between 1960 and 1972. He was very critical of the leadership under Captain Terence O'Neill, then Prime Minister of Northern Ireland. Boal opposed the manner, if not the substance, of O'Neill's attempts at improving relations with both the Irish government and the Roman Catholic/Irish nationalist minority in Northern Ireland, along with many backbenchers.[2]
Discontented with James Chichester-Clark and Brian Faulkner who came to government after O'Neill's 1969 fall from power, Boal resigned from the UUP in 1971 and joined Ian Paisley in establishing the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) in order to provide dissident unionist opinion with a viable political alternative. He worked as the first Chairman and one of the first public representatives of the DUP and continued to sit in Stormont during the years of 1971-1972. He later resumed his practice as a barrister.
References
- ↑ "New alliance starts in Ulster". Leader-Post. AP. 18 August 1971. Retrieved 19 December 2010.
- ↑ Northern Ireland - A Political Directory, 1968-1999, Sydney Elliott and W.D. Flackes (eds); Belfast: The Blackstaff Press; ISBN 0-85640-628-7
| Parliament of Northern Ireland | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Henry Holmes |
Member of Parliament for Belfast Shankill 1960 - 1972 |
Succeeded by Position prorogued 1972 Parliament abolished 1973 |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by New position |
Chairman of the Democratic Unionist Party 1971–1973 |
Succeeded by William Beattie |