Alasdair McDonnell

Alasdair McDonnell MP


Leader of the Social Democratic and Labour Party
In office 5 November 2011 – 14 November 2015
Preceded by	Margaret Ritchie
Succeeded by	Colum Eastwood
Member of Parliament for Belfast South
Incumbent
Assumed office 5 May 2005
Preceded by	Martin Smyth
Majority	906 (2.3%)
Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly for Belfast South
In office 25 June 1998 – 21 June 2015
Preceded by	Constituency established
Succeeded by	Claire Hanna
Personal details
Born	(1949-09-01) 1 September 1949 (age 67) Cushendall, Northern Ireland
Political party	SDLP
Spouse(s)	Olivia Nugent
Children	Dearbhla Ruairi Oisin Aileen
Alma mater	University College Dublin
Profession	General practitioner
Website	alasdairmcdonnell.com

Alasdair McDonnell (born 1 September 1949) is an Irish politician who is a member of the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP), and the Member of Parliament for Belfast South since 2005. He was also a Member of the Legislative Assembly of Northern Ireland for Belfast South from 1998 until 2015. He was Leader of the SDLP from 2011–15.

McDonnell's first involvement with politics came when he joined the National Democrats and stood as the party candidate in the 1970 election in North Antrim and lost to Ian Paisley.

McDonnell first won election to Belfast City Council in 1977, representing Belfast 'Area A' which included the Short Strand and Upper Ormeau areas. He lost his council seat in a surprise result in 1981 but returned in 1985 and served as the first Catholic Deputy Mayor of Belfast in 1995–96.

He first stood for the Westminster constituency of South Belfast in the 1979 general election and subsequently contested the constituency at each subsequent general election, though not in the 1986 by-election (caused by the resignation of Unionist MPs in protest at the Anglo Irish Agreement). He was also elected from the constituency to the Northern Ireland Peace Forum in 1996 and the Northern Ireland Assembly in 1998 and 2003.