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17/11/2010
Sheehan To Take Adam's Assembly Seat
The Sinn Fein selection convention to replace the party President, Gerry Adams in the Assembly and pick the other party candidates in West Belfast was held last night in the Irish Republican Felons clubrooms.
Mr Adams announced on Sunday he would be stepping down as both an MP and MLA to stand for the Dáil in their next general election.
It was agreed that his successor will be former IRA hunger striker Pat Sheehan.
Mr Adams will remain as West Belfast MP until the Irish election when he will stand in the Louth constituency.
Mr Sheehan will be sworn in at the Stormont Assembly within days and for the Assembly elections in 2011, Mr Sheehan will be joined by sitting MLAs Jennifer McCann, Paul Maskey, Sue Ramsey and Fra McCann on the Sinn Fein ticket in West Belfast.
Pat Sheehan was 19 when he was sentenced to 15 years in jail for IRA activity and entered the H-Blocks in Long Kesh.
He participated in the 1980 hunger strike for political status by republican prisoners in the H-Blocks and Armagh women's jail and was on hunger strike for five days before the protest ended.
Pat was 23 years old when he became the 17th H-Block prisoner to join the second Hunger Strike on August 10 1981. When the fast ended in October that year, Pat had gone 55 days without food.
In 1987 he was released but was again imprisoned for IRA activity in 1989, this time being sentenced to 24 years in jail. Pat was released from prison in 1998 under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement.
During his second period in jail Pat received a degree in Philosophy and Politics with First Class Honours. He became active in Sinn Fein in west Belfast and has worked on a variety of projects. He worked for the Belfast Sinn Fein Recruitment Department from 2006 to 2008.
He was married to the late republican Siobhan O'Hanlon and has one son and is currently in charge of Sinn Fein's Middle East Desk in the party’s International Affairs Committee. He has travelled to the Middle East on a number of occasions to outline the lessons of the Irish peace process and engage in discussions on the Israeli/Palestinian conflict.
Pat now works for the republican ex-prisoners organisation, Coiste na n-Iarchími as Legacy Coordinator. His work involves dealing with legacy issues such as campaigning for justice for victims of torture in jail. He is also involved in projects providing support for ex-prisoners who are suffering from emotional and/or health problems as a result of their imprisonment.
He sits on the Board of Healing Through Remembrance, a forum for exploring truth recovery processes.
Pat is a Sinn Fein coordinator of the 1980/81 Commemoration Committee which is organising commemorations around the country this year and next to mark the 30th anniversary of the 1980 and 1981 Hunger Strikes
(BMcC/GK)
Mr Adams announced on Sunday he would be stepping down as both an MP and MLA to stand for the Dáil in their next general election.
It was agreed that his successor will be former IRA hunger striker Pat Sheehan.
Mr Adams will remain as West Belfast MP until the Irish election when he will stand in the Louth constituency.
Mr Sheehan will be sworn in at the Stormont Assembly within days and for the Assembly elections in 2011, Mr Sheehan will be joined by sitting MLAs Jennifer McCann, Paul Maskey, Sue Ramsey and Fra McCann on the Sinn Fein ticket in West Belfast.
Pat Sheehan was 19 when he was sentenced to 15 years in jail for IRA activity and entered the H-Blocks in Long Kesh.
He participated in the 1980 hunger strike for political status by republican prisoners in the H-Blocks and Armagh women's jail and was on hunger strike for five days before the protest ended.
Pat was 23 years old when he became the 17th H-Block prisoner to join the second Hunger Strike on August 10 1981. When the fast ended in October that year, Pat had gone 55 days without food.
In 1987 he was released but was again imprisoned for IRA activity in 1989, this time being sentenced to 24 years in jail. Pat was released from prison in 1998 under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement.
During his second period in jail Pat received a degree in Philosophy and Politics with First Class Honours. He became active in Sinn Fein in west Belfast and has worked on a variety of projects. He worked for the Belfast Sinn Fein Recruitment Department from 2006 to 2008.
He was married to the late republican Siobhan O'Hanlon and has one son and is currently in charge of Sinn Fein's Middle East Desk in the party’s International Affairs Committee. He has travelled to the Middle East on a number of occasions to outline the lessons of the Irish peace process and engage in discussions on the Israeli/Palestinian conflict.
Pat now works for the republican ex-prisoners organisation, Coiste na n-Iarchími as Legacy Coordinator. His work involves dealing with legacy issues such as campaigning for justice for victims of torture in jail. He is also involved in projects providing support for ex-prisoners who are suffering from emotional and/or health problems as a result of their imprisonment.
He sits on the Board of Healing Through Remembrance, a forum for exploring truth recovery processes.
Pat is a Sinn Fein coordinator of the 1980/81 Commemoration Committee which is organising commemorations around the country this year and next to mark the 30th anniversary of the 1980 and 1981 Hunger Strikes
(BMcC/GK)
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