Republican Martin Meehan dies at 62

One of the North’s best known republicans, Martin Meehan, died today.

Mr Meehan, who at one stage was a major figure in the IRA in the republican Ardoyne area of north Belfast, died suddenly aged 62.

In recent years he had been a Sinn Féin candidate in elections in South Antrim and was a strong supporter of the Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness leadership.

Mr Meehan had a history of family involvement in Irish republicanism, although his grandfather Cornelius Clarke was killed as a member of the Enniskillen Fusiliers in the Battle of the Somme.

He joined the IRA in 1966 and sided with the Provisional IRA faction when it split four years later.

In the weeks that followed the introduction of internment without trial in the North, Mr Meehan was reputed to be the most wanted IRA man in Belfast.

He was eventually detained in Crumlin Road Jail in 1971.

He escaped with two IRA colleagues in 1971 by hiding in a manhole for six and a half hours. As they waited to scale a prison wall, the escapees covered themselves in butter to keep themselves warm.

Mr Meehan fled to Dundalk and was arrested south of the border in 1972 with seven colleagues after a major four-hour gun battle over the border with a British army platoon.

He returned to the North and spent three years in prison.

The veteran republican had other jail terms before he was eventually released in January 1994.

He played an active role in Sinn Féin and was a councillor in Antrim.

Mr Meehan famously declared victory on television in the 2003 Assembly Election count in South Antrim at the expense of the Alliance Party’s David Ford – only to lose out on a seat to Mr Ford by 181 votes in the final count.

In recent years, he also staged political street protests.

In 2002 he paid an emotional visit to the Somme to pay tribute to his grandfather.