Conall Mc Devitt

Conall Mc Devitt

Conall McDevitt (born in 1972 in Dublin) is an Irish nationalist politician and current MLA for South Belfast. He also serves as the SDLP spokesman on Health, Social Services and Public safety and Policing, and was appointed to the Policing Board in May 2011.

McDevitt became the National Secretary of Labour Youth (Ireland) in 1993 and Vice President of ECOSY (European Community Organisation of Socialist Youth) in 1994. He became the SDLP Director of Communications in November 1996 until December 1999, a time that included the negotiations leading to the Good Friday Agreement and assembly elections. He left the SDLP to work as customer relations manager of Viridian Group PLC, then owners of Northern Ireland Electricity (N.I.E.).

Following the establishment of the power sharing Executive, McDevitt served as Special Adviser to the Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development, Bríd Rodgers. He was involved in the attempts to resolve the standoff at Drumcree and advised Rodgers during the 2002 Foot and Mouth crisis in Northern Ireland when she received acclaim for her efforts.

Managing Director of Weber Shandwick in Northern Ireland since 2007 and Chairperson of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations, he has won several PRCA, CIPR Pride CIPR Excellence Awards for his consultancy work. He was selected as the new SDLP MLA for South Belfast on 9 December 2009 and succeeded Carmel Hanna in the Northern Ireland Assembly in early 2010.

On Thursday, 17 May 2012, Conall launched a consultation seeking views on a reduction in speed limits from 30mph to 20mph on designated unclassified roads.

McDevitt spoke for his party, saying it was “100%” behind moves to permit gay marriage, but caused some controversy by saying two veteran councillors would be disciplined over their opposition to it.