Sean Farren

Sean Farren

Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly for Antrim North
In office 25 June 1998 – 7 March 2007
Preceded by	New Creation
Succeeded by	Declan O'Loan
Personal details
Born	(1939-09-06) 6 September 1939 Dublin, Republic of Ireland
Nationality	Irish
Political party	SDLP
Alma mater	University College Dublin University of Essex University of Ulster
Religion	Roman Catholicism

Sean Nial Farren (born 6 September 1939) is an Irish politician and academic in Northern Ireland.

Farren studied at the National University of Ireland, University College Dublin (BA), University of Essex (MA) and the University of Ulster (PhD). He worked as a teacher in Dublin, Switzerland and Sierra Leone before becoming a lecturer at the University of Ulster.

Farren contested the Westminster seat of North Antrim as a member of the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) at the 1979 general election, and stood at each subsequent general election until 2004.

In 1982, Farren was elected to the Northern Ireland Assembly in North Antrim. In line with SDLP policy, he instead sat on the New Ireland Forum (1993–4).

Farren was elected to the Northern Ireland Forum in 1996, again for North Antrim, and held this seat in the Northern Ireland Assembly in 1998 and 2003, before standing down at the 2007 election.

Since 2008 he has been a Visiting Professor in the School of Education at the Ulster University. He has also been involved in a number of projects aimed at strengthening democratic institutions in the Middle East, North Africa, West and East Africa.

He is currently a member of the Governing Authority of Dublin City University, a Trustee of Concern Worldwide (UK), a member of the Standing Committee of the Development Studies Association of Ireland (DSAI) and a committee member of the Sierra Leone Ireland Partnership (SLIP).

He is married to Patricia Clarke. They have four children. He and Patricia live in Portstewart, County Londonderry.

He has authored, co-authored or edited four books: The Politics of Irish Education (1995), SDLP – the Struggle for Agreement in Northern Ireland (2010), with Robert Mulvihill, Paths to a Settlement in Northern Ireland (2000), and with Denis Haughey, John Hume: Irish Peacemaker (2015). He has also written many book chapters, peer reviewed and other articles. He also wrote the paper Sunningdale: An Agreement Too Soon?^[1], in which the circumstances behind the agreement and the elements that caused it's collapse are examined.

Party political offices
Preceded by Bríd Rodgers	Chairperson of the Social Democratic and Labour Party 1980–1984	Succeeded by Alban Maginness
Northern Ireland Assembly
Preceded by New creation	MLA for Antrim North 1998–2007	Succeeded by Declan O'Loan
Political offices
Preceded by Newly created office	Minister of Higher and Further Education, Training and Employment 1999–2000	Succeeded by Office suspended
Preceded by Office suspended	Minister of Higher and Further Education, Training and Employment^[2] 2000–2001	Succeeded by Carmel Hanna
Preceded by Mark Durkan	Minister of Finance and Personnel 2001–2002	Succeeded by Office suspended

Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP)

Leadership

Leaders	Gerry Fitt (1970–1979) John Hume (1979–2001) Mark Durkan (2001–2010) Margaret Ritchie (2010–2011) Alasdair McDonnell (2011–2015) Colum Eastwood (2015–present)

Deputy Leaders	John Hume (1970–1979) Seamus Mallon (1979–2001) Bríd Rodgers (2001–2004) Alasdair McDonnell (2004–2010) Patsy McGlone (2010–2011) Dolores Kelly (2011–2015) Fearghal McKinney (2015–2016)

Chair	Eddie McGrady (1971–1973) Denis Haughey (1973–1978) Bríd Rodgers (1978–1980) Sean Farren (1980–1984) Alban Maginness (1984–1990) Mark Durkan (1990–1995) Jonathan Stephenson (1995–1998) Jim Lennon (1998–2000) Alex Attwood (2000–2004) Patricia Lewsley (2004–2007) Eddie McGrady (2007–2009) Joe Byrne (2009–2012) John Dallat (2012–2013) John Clayton (2013–2015) Rosemary Flanagan (acting, 2015) Roisin Lynch (acting, 2015) Ronan McCay (2015–present)

General Secretary	Paddy Wilson (1970–1972) John Duffy (1972–1975) Dan McAreavey (1975–1980) Don Canning (1980–1981) Bríd Rodgers (1981–1983) Eamon Hanna (1983–1986) Patsy McGlone (1986–1992) Gerry Cosgrove (1992–2016)

Elected representatives

Members of the Northern Ireland Assembly	Alex Attwood Sinead Bradley Mark H. Durkan Colum Eastwood Claire Hanna Nichola Mallon Daniel McCrossan Patsy McGlone Colin McGrath Justin McNulty Richie McPhillips Gerry Mullan

Members of the UK Parliament	Mark Durkan (Foyle) Alasdair McDonnell (Belfast South) Margaret Ritchie (South Down)

Related organisations

References

↑ Farren, Sean. "Sunningdale : an agreement too soon?". Institute for British-Irish Studies.
↑ Title changed to Minister for Employment and Learning during tenure.

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