Bernadette Devlin McAliskey (b.1947,) née Devlin, is an Irish civil rights leader and former politician known for her activism during the Troubles in Northern Ireland. At 21, she became the youngest woman elected to the British Parliament.
Born in Cookstown, County Tyrone, McAliskey was raised in a Catholic family influenced by Irish Republican ideals. Her father’s death at age nine left her family reliant on welfare, shaping her political consciousness. While studying psychology at Queen’s University Belfast, she joined the civil rights movement, becoming active in People’s Democracy in 1968.
Elected as the Member of Parliament for Mid Ulster in 1969, she defied Irish Republican abstentionism by taking her seat at Westminster, advocating socialist policies and Irish unity. In 1972, after Bloody Sunday, she physically confronted British Home Secretary Reginald Maudling in Parliament.
She co-founded the Irish Republican Socialist Party in 1974 but left due to disputes over its paramilitary wing. In 1981, Ulster loyalists attempted to assassinate her and her husband. Since 1997, she has led the South Tyrone Empowerment Programme, focusing on community development. Her autobiography, The Price of My Soul (1969,) details her activism and political beliefs.
More: Wikipedia • READ: Works by Bernadette Devlin McAliskey
To gain that which is worth having, it may be necessary to lose everything else.
—Bernadette Devlin McAliskey
Topics: Sacrifice, Realism
Yesterday I dared to struggle. Today I dare to win.
—Bernadette Devlin McAliskey
Topics: One Step at a Time
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