Philip McGuigan

Philip McGuigan (born 1973) is an Irish Sinn Féin politician who has been a Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly (MLA) for North Antrim since 2016, having served from 2003 to 2007. He was a Ballymoney Borough Councillor for the Bann Valley DEA from 2001 to 2014.

Career

McGuigan was first elected to Ballymoney Borough Council in the 2001 local elections, representing the Bann Valley District.

He was elected to the Northern Ireland Assembly at the 2003 election, becoming Sinn Féin's first MLA in North Antrim.

He was an unsuccessful candidate in North Antrim at the 2005 general election, though was re-elected as a councillor in the local elections that same year.

McGuigan stood down as an MLA at the 2007 Assembly election, succeeded by fellow Ballymoney Councillor, Daithí McKay.

He was re-elected at the 2011 local elections, and was later elected to the newly-formed Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council, representing the Ballymoney DEA, in 2014.

He was co-opted to the Assembly in 2016, replacing McKay following the latter's resignation. In the 2017 Assembly election, McGuigan became the first Sinn Féin candidate to top the poll in the North Antrim constituency.

Personal life

McGuigan was raised in Swatragh, County Londonderry. He and his wife Paula have four children, Rachael, Stephen, Cathair and Daithi. They live in Dunloy.

References