Anne Brolly Explained

Anne Brolly
Office:Mayor of Limavady
Term Start:2003
Term End:14 June 2004
Predecessor:George Robinson
Successor:John Rankin
Office1:Member of Limavady Borough Council
Constituency1:Limavady Town
Term Start1:5 May 2005
Term End1:22 May 2014
Predecessor1:Brian Brown
Successor1:Council abolished
Constituency2:Benbradagh
Term Start2:7 June 2001
Term End2:5 May 2005
Predecessor2:Max Gault
Successor2:Brenda Chivers
Birth Place:County Londonderry, Northern Ireland
Spouse:Francie (? - 2020; his death)
Children:Joe,
Proinnsias,
Conal,
Áine,
Nodlaig
Party:Aontú (since 2019)
Sinn Féin (before 2016)

Anne Brolly is a former Irish republican politician, musician and singer who was Mayor of Limavady from 2003 to 2004, and a Limavady Borough Councillor for the Benbradagh DEA from 2001 to 2005. She then represented Limavady Town on the council until 2014.Initially a member of Sinn Fein, Brolly resigned from the party in 2016, over its abortion stance. She later joined Aontú in 2019.

Background

In 2001, Brolly was elected as a councillor to Limavady Borough Council for the electoral area of Benbradagh. She topped the first preference votes with 1056, and her husband came in second with 917. He was also elected to the council. The quota was 840.[1]

In 2003, Brolly took over from George Robinson of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) as the Mayor of Limavady.[2] At Christmas 2003 she was asked to switch on the Christmas tree lights for Burnfoot. There was a small Loyalist protest during the switching-on of the lights because of the election of a Sinn Féin mayor. Afterwards, the tree was cut down by vandals and the lights smashed.[2] On 14 June 2004 Councillor Brolly stood down as Mayor.[3]

In October 2004, the High Court of Northern Ireland ordered the government to provide the Brolly couple with protection, following reports of threats from the Red Hand Defenders, a Loyalist paramilitary group.[4]

In 2005, she was re-elected to the council, but this time for the Limavady Town electoral area. She garnered 657 first preference votes, a total of 17.6% of the vote. She was the only Sinn Féin councillor elected in that area, coming third behind George Robinson and Alan Robinson both of the DUP.

In January 2008, Brolly and another councillor were confronted by a crowd in an "extremely nasty mood" outside the council's offices. Police were called.[5]

In 2016, Brolly revealed that she left Sinn Féin over its support for abortion.[6] In March 2019, she and her husband joined Aontú, a new anti-abortion republican party founded by former Sinn Féin TD Peadar Tóibín.[7]

Personal life

She was the wife of MLA Francie Brolly, till he died in 2020, and together they formed a singing duo and write songs.[8] Their son Joe is a former footballer (now a TV sports pundit) who played for the Derry county team.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Dr Nicholas Whyte . Limavady Council Elections 1993–2005 . ARK Northern Ireland (Access Research Knowledge . 2010-01-20. https://web.archive.org/web/20100212031843/http://www.ark.ac.uk/elections/lglimavady.htm. 12 February 2010 . live.
  2. Web site: Dr Martin Melaugh . CAIN: Peter Heathwood Collection of Television Programmes – Yearly Listing . Cain.ulst.ac.uk . 2010-08-10.
  3. Web site: Annual Meeting . 14 June 2004 . Limavady Borough Council . 2010-01-20 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090105235122/http://www.limavady.gov.uk/filestore/documents/minutes/1406041.pdf . 5 January 2009 . dead .
  4. News: Protection move after court plea. 27 October 2004 . BBC News. 21 January 2010.
  5. News: Police intervene in council row. 23 January 2008 . BBC News. 21 January 2010.
  6. Web site: Anne Brolly says she left Sinn Fein over party's stance on abortion. The Irish News. 27 October 2016. en. 2018-03-21.
  7. News: Young . Connla . Anne and Francie Brolly to stand for Aontú in local elections . 30 April 2019 . The Irish News . 18 March 2019.
  8. Web site: Artist: Various Title: Irish Pub Songs Label: Metro Cat No: METRCD180. Discovery Records. 21 January 2010.