Fergus McAteer

Fergus McAteer is an accountant and former politician in Northern Ireland.

The son of Nationalist Party leader Eddie McAteer, Fergus was active in the civil rights movement of the late 1960s. He was arrested during the events of Bloody Sunday and charged with throwing stones, but the charges were later dropped. McAteer always strongly denied these claims. [ [http://www.bloody-sunday-inquiry.org/transcripts/Archive/Ts168.htm Bloody Sunday Enquiry Transcript - Day 168] ]

McAteer himself became prominent in the Nationalist Party. In 1973, he was elected to Londonderry City Council, and he was re-elected in 1977, [http://www.ark.ac.uk/elections/73-81lgderry.htm The Local Government Elections 1973-1981: Londonderry] ] when he instead founded the Irish Independence Party (IIP), becoming joint chair with Frank McManus. [ [http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/othelem/organ/iorgan.htm Abstracts on Organisations - 'I'] ] He stood for the party in Londonderry at the 1979 UK general election, but could take only fourth place in the poll. [ [http://www.ark.ac.uk/elections/cldy.htm Londonderry 1973-1982] ] He held his seat on the City Council in 1981, with an increased vote, and again held the seat in 1985, but the IIP dissolved before the next local election, and McAteer did not restand in 1989. [ [http://www.ark.ac.uk/elections/85-89lgderry.htm Local Government Elections 1985 -1989: Derry] ]

McAteer started an accountancy firm in 1973, and continues to run the firm. [ [http://fergusmcateer.com/ Fergus McAteer & Co] ]

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