Hugh News (June 1931 – April 2012) was an Irish nationalist politician from Northern Ireland.
Background News grew up in Silverwood, Lurgan, and studied at St Colman's College, Newry, before working as a pharmacist and publican in Lurgan. In 1964, he was elected to Lurgan Borough Council, serving for three years as a member of the Independent Citizens' Association.Ted Nealon, Ireland: a parliamentary directory, 1973–1974, p.188 News joined the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) in the early 1970s and was elected for the party to Craigavon Borough Council in 1973, holding his seat at each election until he stood down in 1989.The Local Government Elections 1973–1981: Craigavon, Northern Ireland ElectionsLocal Government Elections 1985 – 1989: Craigavon, Northern Ireland Elections
News was elected in Armagh at the 1973 Northern Ireland Assembly election and held his seat on the Northern Ireland Constitutional Convention in 1975 and at the 1982 Assembly election. In the last two elections, he narrowly beat fellow SDLP member and friend Paddy O'Hanlon for the final seat.Armagh 1973–1983, Northern Ireland Elections
In October 1973, armed men, believed to be loyalist paramilitaries, threw a grenade at News' public house, the Criterion Bar in Francis Street, Lurgan, injuring a customer and a barman.Richard Deutsch, Northern Ireland 1969–73 a chronology of events, p.351 News continued to run the pub until his retirement in 1998.
In his spare time, News also served as national vice-president of the Ancient Order of Hibernians in the 1970s.Sydney Elliott and William D. Flackes, Conflict in Northern Ireland: an Encyclopedia, p.161
News died in late April 2012.
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