Martin O'Neill, Baron O'Neill of Clackmannan


Martin John O'Neill, Baron O'Neill of Clackmannan is a Scottish politician.

Early life and career

He was educated at Trinity Academy, Edinburgh, at the time a selective state school, and then Heriot Watt University, where he attained a BA in economics. After leaving university, he worked as an insurance clerk and then became active in the Scottish Union of Students, including serving as its president from 1970 until 1971.
He married his wife Elaine Marjorie Samuel on 21 July 1973, with them going on to raise two sons together.

Parliamentary career

After unsuccessfully contesting Edinburgh North in October 1974, he was a Labour Member of Parliament between 1979 and 2005, representing the Clackmannan and Eastern Stirlingshire, Clackmannan and Ochil seats successively. He was a shadow defence secretary and later was Chairman of the Trade and Industry select committee.

House of Lords

On 13 May 2005 it was announced that he would be created a life peer, and on 14 June 2005 was created Baron O'Neill of Clackmannan, of Clackmannan in Clackmannanshire.

Outside politics

He is a former Chairman of the Strategic Forum for Construction and the Nuclear Industry Association.
He is a lifelong supporter of Hibernian F.C. and was a director of the club for a few years.
He is a patron of Humanists UK. He was one of the fifty signatories to a letter published in The Guardian in 2010, which called for Pope Benedict XVI not to be given a state visit to the UK, and accused the Catholic Church of increasing the spread of AIDS and promoting segregated education.
He received an Honorary Doctorate from Heriot-Watt University in 2011.
He is an honorary associate of the National Secular Society.