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Bernadette Devlin McAliskey

Bernadette Devlin McAliskey
Bernadette Devlin (1986).jpg
Devlin in Amsterdam, September 1986
Member of Parliament
for Mid Ulster
In office
1969–1974
Preceded by George Forrest
Succeeded by John Dunlop
Majority 18,213
Personal details
Born Josephine Bernadette Devlin
(1947-04-23) 23 April 1947 (age 69)
Cookstown, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland
Nationality Irish
Political party Independent (1970–1974),
(1976–1977),
(1978–present)
Other political
affiliations
Unity (1969–1970),
Irish Republican Socialist Party (1974–1976),
Independent Socialist Party (1977–1978)
Spouse(s) Michael McAliskey
Children Róisín McAliskey
Deirdre McAliskey
Alma mater Queens University of Belfast
Religion Atheist

Josephine Bernadette McAliskey (née Devlin; born 23 April 1947), usually known as Bernadette Devlin or Bernadette McAliskey, is an Irish socialist and republican political activist. She served as a Member of the UK Parliament from 1969 to 1974 for the Mid Ulster constituency. She lost her seat to John Dunlop of the Vanguard Progressive Unionist Party, after coming third in a four-sided contest in the general election of February 1974.

Devlin was born in Cookstown, County Tyrone to a Roman Catholic family. She attended St Patrick's Girls Academy in Dungannon. She was studying Psychology at Queen's University Belfast in 1968 when she took a prominent role in a student-led civil rights organisation, People's Democracy. Devlin was subsequently excluded from the university.

She stood unsuccessfully against James Chichester-Clark in the 1969 Northern Ireland general election. When George Forrest, the MP for Mid Ulster, died, she fought the subsequent by-election on the "Unity" ticket, defeating the Ulster Unionist Party candidate, Forrest's widow Anna, and was elected to the Westminster Parliament. Aged 21, she was the youngest MP at the time, and remained the youngest woman ever elected to Westminster until the May 2015 general election when 20-year-old Mhairi Black broke Devlin's record.


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