Bríd Rodgers

Bríd Rodgers (née Stratford; born 20 February 1935) is an Irish nationalist former politician. She was born and raised in Gweedore in the west of County Donegal, Ireland.

Bríd Rodgers
Rodgers in 2007
Deputy leader of the Social Democratic and Labour Party
In office 2001–2004
Leader	Mark Durkan
Preceded by	Seamus Mallon
Succeeded by	Alasdair McDonnell
Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development
In office 2 December 1999 – 14 October 2002[1]
First Minister	David Trimble
Preceded by	New Creation
Succeeded by	Michelle Gildernew
Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly for Upper Bann
In office 25 June 1998 – 26 November 2003
Preceded by	New Creation
Succeeded by	Dolores Kelly
Northern Ireland Forum Member for Upper Bann
In office 30 May 1996 – 25 April 1998
Preceded by	New forum
Succeeded by	Forum dissolved
Senator
In office 23 February 1983 – 25 April 1987
Constituency	Nominated by the Taoiseach
Personal details
Born	Bríd Stratford (1935-02-20) 20 February 1935 (age 90) Gweedore, County Donegal, Ireland
Political party	Social Democratic and Labour Party
Spouse	Antoin Rodgers (d. 2021)
Children	6
Residence(s)	Lurgan, County Armagh, Northern Ireland
Alma mater	University College Dublin

Although born and brought up in a Gaeltacht area within the Republic of Ireland, she was politically active in Northern Ireland, where she was Deputy-Leader of the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) from 2001 to 2004, and a Member of the Legislative Assembly for Upper Bann from 1998 until 2003.

Political career

Rodgers was educated in Monaghan and University College Dublin (UCD), and has lived in Northern Ireland since 1960. She was involved in the Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association (NICRA) from 1965. She was a founder member of the SDLP, becoming Chairman in 1978 and General Secretary in 1981. In 1983, she was nominated to Seanad Éireann by Taoiseach Garret FitzGerald, and served until 1987.^[2][3]

Rodgers was the leader of the SDLP team in the talks that led to the Good Friday Agreement. She was elected to the Northern Ireland Assembly for the constituency of Upper Bann in June 1998. She was appointed to the first Northern Ireland Executive in November 1999 as Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development, the first woman ever appointed as a full-ranking Agriculture Minister anywhere in Ireland; she remained in that position until the suspension of the Executive in October 2002. She became deputy leader of the SDLP in November 2001. She stood down as MLA at the Assembly elections of November 2003, and as deputy leader in February 2004, when she was replaced by Alasdair McDonnell.

Personal life

Rodgers was married to Antoin Rodgers until his death in 2021. They had six children. She is a distant relative of Irish American mobster Vincent Coll. She is a native Irish-language speaker and also speaks French and Italian.