1981 Fermanagh District Council election

Local government election in Northern Ireland

Main article: Northern Ireland local elections, 1981

1981 Fermanagh District Council election | <- 1977 | 20 May 1981 (1981-05-20) | 1985 ->

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All 20 seats to Fermanagh District Council
11 seats needed for a majority
|  | First party  | Second party  | Third party

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|  |  |
Party  | UUP | Irish Independence | SDLP
Seats won  | 8  | 4  | 4
Seat change  |  2  |  4  |  3

* * *

| Fourth party  | Fifth party  | Sixth party
|  |  |
Party  | DUP | Ind. Nationalist | Ind. Republican
Seats won  | 2  | 1  | 1
Seat change  |  2  |  0  |  1

* * *

| Seventh party  | Eighth party  | Ninth party
|  |  |
Party  | UUUP | Unity | Independent
Seats won  | 0  | 0  | 0
Seat change  |  3  |  2  |  1

Elections to Fermanagh District Council, in Northern Ireland, were held on 20 May 1981, the same day as the other Northern Irish local government elections. The election used five district electoral areas to elect a total of 20 councillors.

## Election results

[edit]

Fermanagh District Council Election Result 1981[1] Party  | Seats  | Gains  | Losses  | Net gain/loss  | Seats %  | Votes %  | Votes  | +/−

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| UUP | 8  | 2  | 0  | 2 | 40.0  | 34.0 | 10,395 | 4.0
| Irish Independence | 4  | 4  | 0  | 4  | 20.0  | 22.3  | 6,867  | New
| SDLP | 4  | 0  | 3  | 3 | 20.0  | 17.8  | 5,436  | 7.3
| DUP | 2  | 2  | 0  | 2 | 10.0  | 12.3  | 3,750  | 12.3
| Alliance | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0.0  | 1.6  | 477  | 0.3
| Ind. Nationalist | 1  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 5.0  | 5.5  | 1,697  | 2.9
| Ind. Republican | 1  | 1  | 0  | 1 | 5.0  | 3.5  | 1,069  | 3.5
| Independent Labour | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0.0  | 1.2  | 362  | 1.2
| Independent | 0  | 0  | 1  | 1 | 0.0  | 1.7  | 528  | 4.5

Note: "Votes" are the first preference votes.

## Districts summary

[edit]

Results of the Fermanagh District Council election, 1981
by district[1] Ward  | %
| Cllrs
| %
| Cllrs
| %
| Cllrs
| %
| Cllrs
| %
| Cllrs
| Total
Cllrs

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UUP | IIP | SDLP | DUP | Others
Area A  | 21.3  | 2  | 19.6  | 1  | 13.8  | 0  | 8.3  | 0  | 37.0  | 1  | 4
Area B  | 52.0  | 2  | 21.5  | 1  | 12.4  | 0  | 14.1  | 1  | 0.0  | 0  | 4
Area C  | 27.6  | 1  | 33.7  | 1  | 16.5  | 1  | 7.9  | 0  | 14.3  | 1  | 4
Area D  | 36.8  | 2  | 15.8  | 0  | 25.9  | 1  | 18.6  | 1  | 2.9  | 0  | 4
Area E  | 34.3  | 2  | 22.5  | 1  | 19.9  | 1  | 12.6  | 0  | 10.7  | 0  | 5
Total | 34.0  | 8  | 22.3  | 4  | 17.8  | 4  | 12.3  | 2  | 13.6  | 2  | 20

## Districts results

[edit]

### Area A

[edit]

1977: 1 x UUP, 1 x SDLP, 1 x Unity, 1 x Independent
1981: 1 x UUP, 1 x SDLP, 1 x IIP, 1 x Independent Republican
1977-1981 Change: IIP gain from Independent, Independent Republican leaves Unity

Fermanagh Area A \- 4 seats[2] Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count

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1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6
| UUP | Jack Leahy*  | 16.29%  | 1,075  | 1,076  | 1,363 |  |  |
| Irish Independence | John McMahon | 19.58%  | 1,292  | 1,309  | 1,312  | 1,312  | 1,455 |
| Ind. Republican | John McCusker*  | 16.20%  | 1,069  | 1,085  | 1,086  | 1,086.36  | 1,239.44  | 1,243.44
| SDLP | Fergus McQuillan | 9.52%  | 628  | 834  | 838  | 838.72  | 1,005.08  | 1,025.42
| Ind. Nationalist | Thomas Murray*  | 12.87%  | 849  | 859  | 860  | 860  | 887  | 889
| DUP | Caroline Madill  | 8.31%  | 548  | 549  | 576  | 612.9  | 616.8  |
| Independent | Michael McBarron  | 8.00%  | 528  | 544  | 546  | 550.32  |  |
| UUP | Thomas Johnston  | 4.99%  | 329  | 331  |  |  |  |
Electorate: 7,737  Valid: 6,598 (85.28%)  Spoilt: 136  Quota: 1,320  Turnout: 6,734 (87.04%)

### Area B

[edit]

1977: 2 x UUP, 1 x UUUP, 1 x SDLP
1981: 2 x UUP, 1 x IIP, 1 x DUP
1977-1981 Change: IIP and DUP gain from UUUP and SDLP

Fermanagh Area B \- 4 seats[2] Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count

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1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6
| UUP | Cecil Noble*  | 29.30%  | 1,660 |  |  |  |  |
| Irish Independence | Anthony Cox | 21.47%  | 1,216 |  |  |  |  |
| UUP | Norman Brown*  | 15.75%  | 892  | 1,181.85 |  |  |  |
| DUP | Roy Coulter | 9.44%  | 535  | 583.05  | 583.14  | 826.68  | 828.3  | 1,136.3
| SDLP | Thomas Doherty  | 6.97%  | 395  | 395.93  | 437.06  | 437.06  | 746.36  | 749.36
| UUP | Cyril Crozier  | 6.99%  | 396  | 551  | 551.99  | 575.71  | 580.8  |
| SDLP | Seamus Carson  | 5.47%  | 310  | 310.93  | 348.01  | 350.01  |  |
| DUP | Margaret Veitch  | 4.61%  | 261  | 276.5  | 276.5  |  |  |
Electorate: 6,582  Valid: 5,665 (86.07%)  Spoilt: 109  Quota: 1,134  Turnout: 5,774 (87.72%)

### Area C

[edit]

1977: 1 x UUP, 1 x SDLP, 1 x Unity, 1 x Independent Nationalist
1981: 1 x UUP, 1 x SDLP, 1 x IIP, 1 x Independent Nationalist
1977-1981 Change: Unity joins IIP

Fermanagh Area C \- 4 seats[2] Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count

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1 | 2 | 3
| Irish Independence | Patrick McCaffrey*  | 19.90%  | 1,178  | 1,196 |
| UUP | Wilson Elliott*  | 15.90%  | 941  | 1,215 |
| Ind. Nationalist | Patrick Flanagan*  | 14.32%  | 848  | 901  | 1,252
| SDLP | Gerry Gallagher*  | 13.11%  | 776  | 907  | 1,150
| UUP | Herbert Corrigan  | 11.71%  | 693  | 861  | 890
| Irish Independence | Annie Cavanagh  | 13.78%  | 816  | 818  |
| DUP | George Gott  | 7.91%  | 468  |  |
| SDLP | Patrick McGovern  | 3.38%  | 200  |  |
Electorate: 6,653  Valid: 5,920 (88.98%)  Spoilt: 174  Quota: 1,185  Turnout: 6,094 (91.60%)

### Area D

[edit]

1977: 2 x SDLP, 1 x UUP, 1 x UUUP
1981: 2 x UUP, 1 x SDLP, 1 x DUP
1977-1981 Change: UUP gain from SDLP, UUUP joins DUP

Fermanagh Area D \- 5 seats[2] Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count

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1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8
| UUP | Herbert Kerr | 19.31%  | 1,214  | 1,290 |  |  |  |  |  |
| SDLP | John O'Kane | 13.41%  | 843  | 868  | 868  | 869.98  | 990.98  | 1,003.98  | 1,505.98 |
| DUP | Bert Johnston*  | 14.39%  | 905  | 921  | 1,180  | 1,181.98  | 1,183.98  | 1,187.98  | 1,194.98  | 1,197.98
| UUP | Caldwell McClaughry | 17.08%  | 1,074  | 1,117  | 1,124  | 1,149.74  | 1,153.74  | 1,156.74  | 1,167.4  | 1,191.4
| Irish Independence | Gerry O'Donnell  | 8.65%  | 544  | 547  | 548  | 548  | 576  | 876  | 992  | 1,170
| SDLP | John Cunningham  | 6.30%  | 396  | 414  | 415  | 416.98  | 647.98  | 752.98  |  |
| Irish Independence | Patrick Keown  | 7.13%  | 448  | 450  | 451  | 451  | 460  |  |  |
| SDLP | Patrick McGrath  | 6.22%  | 391  | 403  | 403  | 403  |  |  |  |
| DUP | Mariam Cuthbertson  | 4.23%  | 266  | 270  |  |  |  |  |  |
| Alliance | John Haslett  | 2.85%  | 179  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Electorate: 7,320  Valid: 6,287 (85.89%)  Spoilt: 84  Quota: 1,258  Turnout: 6,371 (87.04%)

### Area E

[edit]

1977: 2 x SDLP, 1 x UUP, 1 x UUUP
1981: 2 x UUP, 1 x SDLP, 1 x IIP
1977-1981 Change: UUP and IIP gain from SDLP and UUUP

Fermanagh Area E \- 4 seats[2] Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count

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1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8
| UUP | Raymond Ferguson*  | 18.26%  | 1,116  | 1,124  | 1,225 |  |  |  |  |
| SDLP | James Lunny*  | 8.49%  | 519  | 629  | 694  | 790  | 795  | 1,294 |  |
| Irish Independence | Patrick O'Reilly | 13.50%  | 825  | 836  | 844  | 931  | 931  | 984  | 1,558 |
| UUP | Samuel Foster | 9.21%  | 563  | 570  | 596  | 603  | 996  | 1,001  | 1,006  | 1,041
| DUP | Nigel Dodds | 12.55%  | 767  | 768  | 772  | 781  | 813  | 815  | 823  | 837
| Irish Independence | Edward Bermingham  | 8.97%  | 548  | 552  | 553  | 623  | 624  | 639  |  |
| SDLP | James Donnelly*  | 7.46%  | 456  | 512  | 532  | 608  | 609  |  |  |
| UUP | Alwin Loane  | 6.79%  | 415  | 421  | 436  | 440  |  |  |  |
| Independent Labour | Thomas Campbell  | 5.92%  | 362  | 384  | 425  |  |  |  |  |
| Alliance | Marjorie Moore  | 4.88%  | 298  | 313  |  |  |  |  |  |
| SDLP | Roy Tarbotton  | 3.96%  | 242  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Electorate: 7,934  Valid: 6,111 (77.02%)  Spoilt: 142  Quota: 1,223  Turnout: 6,253 (78.81%)

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b "Local Government Elections 1973-1981: Fermanagh". www.ark.ac.uk.
2. ^ a b c d e "Local Government Results 1981". EONI. Retrieved 17 August 2021.

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