Frank McManus (Irish politician)

Born in Kinawley, County Fermanagh, he is a brother of Father Seán McManus, the Irish-American lobbyist and Catholic priest, and Pat McManus, a member of the IRA killed in an explosion in 1958.^[2]

He received his secondary education at St. Michael's College, Enniskillen; he later attended Queen's University, Belfast before becoming a solicitor. In the late 1960s, he became the chair of the Fermanagh Civil Rights Association.^[3]

McManus was elected at the 1970 general election, as the Unity candidate for Fermanagh and South Tyrone. On 3 July 1970 he swore the Oath of Allegiance to Queen Elizabeth II.^[4] Following the introduction of internment, he chaired the meeting on 17 October 1971 where the Northern Resistance Movement was founded.^[5] He lost the seat at the February 1974 general election to Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) candidate Harry West, when the Social Democratic and Labour Party also stood a candidate, which resulted in a split nationalist vote. In 1977, he was a founder member of the short-lived Irish Independence Party.^[3]

He is a solicitor in Lisnaskea, and a trustee of the Fermanagh Trust.^[6]