James McKinley

Provost of Dumbarton, engineer, novice friar and railway finance executive Born: January 21, 1926; Died: February 3, 2016. JAMES McKINLEY, who has died aged 90, was the son of a lowly Irish immigrant lamplighter who embraced a career in shipbuilding, the railways, the Catholic Church and politics and became Provost of Dumbarton.

Mr McKinley resigned from the provostship of Dumbarton District Council in 1984 during a turbulent time for the Labour group when he handed in his gold chain of office.

The Labour Party, who formed the administration, had split over a bitter dispute involving breaches of the site licence for the Peace Camp outside the Clyde Naval Base at Faslane on the Gareloch.

Provost McKinley said the peace activists should be pursued through the courts, but others disagreed at a special meeting of the council and he quit to stand as an Independent.

He had been involved in an earlier dispute with left-wing members of the party over an increase in council house rents that he supported and on which he stood his ground.

He was de-selected from the candidacy for the safe Labour Dumbarton West seat and shifted to Dumbarton Central, which was held by the SDP, who went on to retain it in the election of May 1984.

Mr McKinley was a dour and determined old school Labour politician with a strong Catholic faith, both of which he wore on his sleeve.

He was born overlooking the River Leven in Dumbarton to John and Grace McKinley (nee Callaghan). One of six surviving children, two sisters and three brothers, he also had a one step-brother as his mother remarried James Friel in 1941 after John’s death. He was proud that his birth certificate gave his father’s occupation as “corporation lamplighter”. He was also proud his parents, John McKinley and Grace Callaghan, had married 100 years ago on November 1916, in Kindrum, County Donegal, Ireland.

Mr McKinley was a pupil at St Patrick’s High in Dumbarton, where he was amongst the school’s brightest pupils. His first job, while still at school, was on a milk round and then, on leaving school, he went to work at the famous Denny’s Leven shipyard in Dumbarton, where he was an apprentice engineer.

Mr McKinley explored a life in the priesthood, firstly with the Cistercian monks, also known as Trappists, at the abbey of Mount Melleray in County Waterford, Ireland. He transferred from there to the Servite Order of friars in Oxford, where he was known as Brother Gabriel.

Although he discerned that the priesthood was not his vocation, his connection to both these institutions remained important throughout his life, as did his service and contribution to the Catholic Church.

After his return from Oxford, Mr McKinley spent the rest of his working life employed by British Rail, working in many capacities from station master to finance executive, and retaining a lifelong interest in rail travel.

During his working life, he also took many correspondence courses, including a three-year sabbatical to become a mature student at Strathclyde University, achieving an Economics degree in 1972.

Education remained important to him throughout life, and in his retirement he took German classes – in recognition of the fact some of his grandchildren were growing up in Germany – and in Catholic theology and catechesis through the Maryvale Institute in Birmingham.

During his time at British Rail he became involved in trades union affairs and with the Labour Party. He was first elected to Dumbarton Town Council in 1960. He was a Bailie, treasurer and twice Provost (1975-77 and 1980-84).

Dumbarton had one of the largest Irish immigrant populations in the middle of last century and a long history of division. Mr McKinley was proud of the fact he was the first Catholic Provost of the town since the Reformation.

He was on the education committee and did a great deal to support Catholic schools, but also saw improving relationships between the different religious communities as a core issue.

He encouraged closer co-operation between the Church of Scotland and the Catholic Church and was on good terms with Sir John Cairns, minister of Dumbarton Riverside Church of Scotland, and Monsignor Hugh McEwan, Vicar Episcopal for Ecumenism in the Archdiocese of Glasgow.

It was during Mr McKinley’s time the traditional Kirkin’ of the Council was changed to involve other churches of different denominations instead of just the Church of Scotland, and his connections to other faith communities remained beyond his time as a councillor.

Mr McKinley was a director of the Dumbarton Equitable Co-operative Society, which was a power in the land at that time, with almost every family possessing a “store number”.

He worked his way up through the committees to become president of the DECS and was actively involved with the Dumbarton Old Folks’ Committee until his late seventies.

Dumbarton remained central to his life even when he latterly moved to Glasgow, and his service as a councillor was an inspiration to his family and those who knew him.

That family was always at the centre of his life. On August 4, 1953, Mr McKinley married Dumbarton woman Bridget Glover at St Patrick’s, Dumbarton. The service was celebrated by Father Richard O’Callaghan, with whom he and Babs were lifetime friends.

His marriage to Bridget was the bedrock to his life and they had seven children – Ian, Marie, Kenneth (who died at birth), Jim, Eileen, Pauline and Tony. Their five grandchildren – Jamie, Brian, Rebecca, Myriam, Judith – and two great-grandchildren – Ben and Alyssa – were Mr McKinley’s pride and joy

Although Bridget died in 2002, they were able to enjoy many happy years of retirement together, travelling the world to visit their children in the various countries to which some of them had gone to live.

Five years ago, due to failing health, Mr McKinley moved to Glasgow, living first with his daughter Marie in Dennistoun, then moving into St Joseph’s Care Home in Robroyston, where he enjoyed the company of a number of priests who were also residents. He died there on February 3, two weeks after his 90th birthday celebrations.

Mr McKinley leaves a legacy of public service, rooted in a belief community service is something everyone is called to.