Mark Durkan

Mark Durkan (born 26 June 1960, Derry, Northern Ireland Northern Ireland Assemby 2007 Mark Durkan) is a nationalist politician in Northern Ireland and the leader of the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP).
In the 2015 general election, Durkan retained his seat with a majority of 6,046 and 48 per cent of the vote. Foyle Parliamentary constituency BBC News, accessed 21 May 2015 
==Background==
Durkan's father was an Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) District Inspector in Armagh who died before his son's first birthday. BBC News, 1 February 2007, Northern Ireland Mark Durkan Martina Purdy He was educated at St. Patrick's Primary School and at St. Columb's College in Derry.Northern Ireland Assemby Mark Durkan
He studied politics at the Queen's University of Belfast (QUB) and later did a part-time Bachelor of Arts course in Public Policy Management with the University of Ulster at Magee. While at QUB Durkan served as Deputy President of Queen's Students' Union from 1982-1983. He was also elected Deputy President of the Union of Students in Ireland from 1982-1984. SDLP 2007 Mark Durkan MP .
==Politics==
He became involved in politics in 1981 when he became a member of the Social Democratic and Labour Party. In 1984 he went to work for John Hume as his Westminster Assistant. He became a key figure in organising by-election campaigns for the Seamus Mallon and Eddie McGrady in the 1980s Northern Ireland Assemby 2003 Mark Durkan.
::Durkan's considerable strategic skills were honed by the American-based National Endowment for Democracy, a group which assisted the SDLP in professional electioneering from 1986.Hume leaves it too late, Maol Muire Tynan, Sunday Business Post, 23 September 2001. 
In 1990 Durkan became chairperson of the SDLP, a position he served in until 1995Northern Ireland Assemby 2003 Mark Durkan. He was a key member of the party's negotiating team in the run up to the Good Friday Agreement BBC News, 1 February 2007, Northern Ireland Mark Durkan Martina Purdy.
Following the Agreement Durkan was elected to the Northern Ireland Assembly in 1998, and became a member of the Northern Ireland Executive as Minister for Finance and PersonnelNorthern Ireland Assemby 2003 Mark Durkan.
He served in that position until 2001 when he replaced Seamus Mallon as Deputy First MinisterBBC News, 1 February 2007, Northern Ireland Mark Durkan Martina Purdy. He was also elected Leader of the SDLP in that year. Durkan was re-elected to the Assembly in the election of November 2003. However, the Assembly and the Executive remained suspended until 8 May 2007Northern Irish Assemby 2007Homepage.
In the 2005 general election he retained the Foyle seat at Westminster for the SDLP with a sizeable majority, despite a strong effort by Sinn Féin to take the seat. Durkan won 21,119 votes BBC News; Election 2005; 6 May, 2005 SDLP's Durkan wins seat in Foyle
==Staff==
*Conor Boyle 
*Martin Reilly - Councillor, Derry City and Strabane District Council Register of interests of members' secretaries and research assistants, 23 March 2016, parliament.uk, accessed 20 April 2016
==Affiliations==
* He is a Fellow of the British American ProjectBBC News; Programmes This Weeks Panel
* Patron of the Westminster Foundation for Democracy Westminster Foundation for Democracy 2007 Governors and Patrons
*All-Party Parliamentary Group for Sudan and South Sudan - Chair Sudan APPG, www.parliament.uk, accessed 18 November 2015
== Contacts ==
23 Bishop Street, 
Derry City, 
Co Derry, 
BT48 6PR
Tel:028 7136 0700 Fax:028 7136 0808
m.durkan@sdlp.ie
== References ==
Durkan, MarkDurkan, MarkDurkan, MarkDurkan, MarkDurkan, Mark Durkan, Mark