Tom French
President of the Workers' Party
In office
1994–1998
Preceded byMarian Donnelly
Succeeded bySeán Garland
Member of Craigavon Borough Council
In office
17 May 1989 – 19 May 1993
Preceded byDistrict created
Succeeded byPeter Smyth
ConstituencyLoughside
In office
15 May 1985 – 17 May 1989
Preceded byDistrict created
Succeeded bySean Hagan
ConstituencyCraigavon Central
In office
1978 – 15 May 1985
Preceded byMalachy McGurran
Succeeded byDistrict abolished
ConstituencyCraigavon Area C
Personal details
BornBelfast, Northern Ireland
Political partyWorkers' Party (from 1970)
Other political
affiliations		Sinn Fein (until 1970)

Tom French (1934 – 12 March 2023) was a Northern Irish politician who served as president of the Workers' Party from 1994 to 1998, as well as a Craigavon Borough Councillor from 1978 to 1993

Born in Belfast in 1934, French joined Sinn Féin as a youth and remained with the party as it evolved into the Workers' Party.[1]

Early life

After attending teacher training college, he became a schoolteacher in Lurgan, County Armagh. He was an early recruit to the Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association and participated in many of its civil rights marches throughout Northern Ireland in the late 1960s. When Sinn Féin split in 1970, French supported the Official wing and was a member of its first Publicity Committee.[2] Much later, he became a founding member of the Peace Train Organisation, which was formed to oppose the Provisional IRA's bombing of the Dublin to Belfast railway line.

Political career

French worked closely beside Malachy McGurran who was a major figure in the northern republican movement from the late 1950s and a Vice-President of Official Sinn Féin. French was heavily involved in McGurran's various election campaigns and when McGurran died in 1978, French won the local by-election to fill his seat on Craigavon Borough Council. He remained a councillor, alternating between representing the Loughside and Craigavon Central areas, until 1993 when he lost his seat.[3] He also unsuccessfully contested Armagh in the 1982 Assembly election and subsequent 1983 by-election[4] and contested one of its successor constituencies, Upper Bann at every election from its creation in 1983 until 2005. His best result was the 19% which he polled in the 1986 by-election where he was the only candidate opposing the sitting MP.[5] In 1996 he was an unsuccessful candidate in the Northern Ireland Forum election in Upper Bann.[6]

He was a member of the Ard Comhairle / Central Executive Committee of the Workers' Party for many years. In 1992, he was elected Chairman of the Workers' Party in the North[7] and in 1996 was elected to the position of Party President, replacing Marian Donnelly. He retired from that position in 2000 and was replaced by Seán Garland.[8] He stepped down from the Ard Comhairle some years later.

Personal life

An avid opera lover and considered to have a fine singing voice, Tom French participated in the Wexford Opera Festival on several occasions.

He died after a long battle with Parkinson's disease on 12 March 2023.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 Breslin, John (13 March 2023). "One time Workers' Party leader Tom French dies aged 88". Irish News. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
  2. ↑ Roy HW Johnston, Century of Endeavour (p.294)
  3. ↑ "Northern Ireland local government election results 1973-2001". Electoral Office for Northern Ireland. Archived from the original on 2 May 2020. Retrieved 9 August 2008.
  4. ↑ Nicholas Whyte. "Armagh 1973-1983". ARK. Ulster University and Queen's University Belfast. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  5. ↑ Nicholas Whyte. "Upper Bann - Election results, 1983-1992". ARK. Ulster University and Queen's University Belfast. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  6. ↑ Nicholas Whyte. "1996 Forum Elections: Candidates in Upper Bann". ARK. Ulster University and Queen's University Belfast. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  7. ↑ "THE IRISH EMIGRANT Issue No.265". 2 March 1992. Archived from the original on 24 November 2007. Retrieved 18 August 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  8. ↑ "Local Policing: We need to know what you think". Craigavon District Policing Partnership. 30 May 2006. Archived from the original on 10 July 2011.
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