Basil Kelly
 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification.(December 2008) |
Basil Kelly | |
|---|---|
| Member of ParliamentforMid Down | |
| In office 1964–1973 | |
| Attorney General for Northern Ireland | |
| In office 1968–1972 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | John William Basil Kelly 10 May 1920 Clones,Ireland |
| Died | 5 December 2008(aged 88) Berkshire,England |
| Political party | Ulster Unionist |
| Education | Trinity College, Dublin |
Sir John William Basil Kelly,PC,PC (NI),QC(10 May 1920 – 5 December 2008), usually known asSir Basil Kelly,was aNorthern Irishbarrister,judgeand politician.
Life[edit]
Kelly was born into anUlster Protestantfamily inClones,County Monaghan,on 10 May 1920 as one of the two children, and the only son, of Thomas William Kelly and Emily Frances Kelly (néeDonaldson).[1][2][3]His parents were small farmers in West Monaghan, who had their house 'burnt out' during the revolutionary period inIrelandin the early 1920s.[1]Shortly after this, the family moved, around 1925, north-east toBelfast,settling in a working-class area of East Belfast, where Basil and his sister were raised.[3]Here he attended Mersey Street Primary School, where he later won a scholarship to the prestigiousMethodist College, Belfast,later receiving his university education atTrinity College, Dublin(TCD).[1][4]He was called to theNorthern Irish Barin 1944 andtook silkin 1958. He served as senior Crown Counsel inTyrone,FermanaghandArmaghfrom 1958 to 1968.[citation needed]
Later career[edit]
In 1964, he was elected to theHouse of Commons of Northern IrelandasUlster Unionistmember forMid Down.He was appointed asAttorney General for Northern Irelandin 1968. He was appointed to thePrivy Council of Northern Irelandin 1969, entitling him to the styleThe Right Honourable.[citation needed]
In March 1972, the entireGovernment of Northern Irelandresigned, and theParliament of Northern Irelandwas prorogued. As a result, Kelly ceased to be Attorney General. The office of Attorney General for Northern Ireland was transferred to theAttorney General for England and Wales,and Kelly was the last person to serve as Stormont's Attorney General until the re-establishment of the position in its own right in April 2010. In 1973, he was appointed as a judge of theHigh Court of Northern Ireland,and then as aLord Justice of Appealof Northern Ireland in 1984, when he was also knighted and appointed to thePrivy Council of the United Kingdom.[citation needed]
Death[edit]
Lord Justice Sir Basil Kelly died at his home inBerkshireon 5 December 2008 after a short illness. He was 88 years old.[5]
References[edit]
- ^abc"Kelly, (John William) Basil | Dictionary of Irish Biography".www.dib.ie.Retrieved28 August2023.
- ^"Judge in some of North's most high-profile trials".The Irish Times.Retrieved28 August2023.
- ^abDoyle, Jim (10 May 2021)."Birth of Basil Kelly, Northern Irish Barrister, Judge & Politician".seamus dubhghaill.Retrieved28 August2023.
- ^"Members of the Northern Ireland House of Commons".United Kingdom Election Results.Archived fromthe originalon 26 February 2019.Retrieved29 July2016.
- ^"Judge in 'supergrass' trial dies".BBC News.British Broadcasting Corporation.5 December 2008.Retrieved5 December2008.
Sources[edit]
- Flackes, W.D. and Elliott, S. (1989),Northern Ireland: A Political Directory(3rd ed.). Belfast: Blackstaff Press Ltd
External links[edit]
- election.demon.co.uk BiographyArchived26 February 2019 at theWayback Machine
- 1920 births
- 2008 deaths
- Alumni of Trinity College Dublin
- Irish barristers
- Ulster Unionist Party members of the House of Commons of Northern Ireland
- Members of the House of Commons of Northern Ireland 1962–1965
- Members of the House of Commons of Northern Ireland 1965–1969
- Members of the House of Commons of Northern Ireland 1969–1973
- Members of the Privy Council of Northern Ireland
- Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom
- Knights Bachelor
- Attorneys General for Northern Ireland
- Northern Ireland junior government ministers (Parliament of Northern Ireland)
- Lords Justice of Appeal of Northern Ireland
- High Court judges of Northern Ireland
- People educated at Methodist College Belfast
- Members of the House of Commons of Northern Ireland for County Down constituencies
- Lawyers from County Monaghan
- People from Clones, County Monaghan