12 May 2005 Edition
Significant gains in local elections

Sinn Féin's Belfast team in jovial mood at the count centre
The results from last week's local government elections in the Six Counties, which saw Sinn Féin increase it's share of the first preference votes cast and win an extra 18 seats, confirmed the growth of the party and consolidated its position as the largest nationalist party in the Six Counties.
The increase in Sinn Féin's vote sees it holding 126 seats in councils throughout the Six Counties and with candidates winning seats on Ballymena and Coleraine, the party now has a presence on unionist dominated councils where it had none before.
These gains were the highwater mark of an election that also saw Sinn Féin win extra seats in Limavady, Omagh and Strabane. In Belfast, Alex Maskey topped the poll in Laganbank in South Belfast, a ward where the party had never won a seat before.
In a spectacular showing in the five-seater Lower Falls ward in Belfast,
Sinn Féin took all five seats, unseating the encumbent SDLP representative
Margaret Walsh.
Monica Digney's presence on Ballymena council, the heart of DUP leader Ian Paisley's bible belt constituency and the fact that Sinn Féin topped two out of three wards in nearby Ballymoney, will give cause for concern to unionists, who regard North Antrim as their promised land, where the 'Big Man's' writ has run unchallenged for many years.
Billy Leonard also became the first Sinn Féin councillor to be elected to Coleraine council, having been elected in the Bann Ward, while his wife Valerie had a good showing in the Skerries Ward, where Leonard previously was elected on an SDLP ticket.
Banbridge, another unionist-controlled council, will begin it's new term with a Sinn Féin member after Dessie Ward won a seat in the Knockivagh District.
This increase in seats and percentage will also send out shock waves to those anti-republican elements in the media, as well as Sinn Féin's political opponents, especially those in the British and Dublin Governments whose campaign of vilification and of criminalising the party failed to deliver the anti-Sinn Féin vote they hoped for.
The council election results follows the trend set in the Westminster polls when Sinn Féin voters increased their representation by returning five Sinn Féin MPs, an increase of one after Conor Murphy took the Newry and South Armagh with a massive swing to Sinn Féin.
In all, Sinn Féin made considerable gains mainly at the expense of the SDLP in the local government elections.
Monica Digney created history when Sinn Féin voters elected her in the Bannside area of Ballymena, where she will take her seat in a council on which the DUP displaced the Ulster Unionists.
In Ballymoney, Sinn Féin trebled its representation with Anita Cavlin and Daithí McKay joining sitting councillor and North Antrim Assembly member Philip McGuigan. This was at the expense of the Ulster Unionist Party, which now has no councillors in either the Bushvale or Bann Valley Wards.
In Banbridge, Dessie Ward took a first ever seat for Sinn Féin when he was elected to represent the Knockivagh area.
In Moyle, Sinn Féin made huge gains and increased its share of seats from one to four, up 20.9%. In Limavady, the party now has six seats, an increase of two (up 6.5% on the 2001 vote) while in Strabane Sinn Féin took its total number of seats to eight, an increase of one.
In Mid-Ulster, Sinn Féin became the largest party in Magherafelt when it gained a seat to take its total to eight councillors, while in Dungannon it gained a seat and now sits on nine. Former POWs Ian Milne and Peter Bateson both polled well for the party and will no doubt have many an intense debate in the chamber with the DUP's Reverend William McCrea.
Omagh showed an increase of two seats for Sinn Féin, giving it ten in all, with an increase of 4.2%.
A feature of the election, although still to be fully explored and analysed, is the extent to which the unionists, Alliance and SDLP voted tactically to keep Sinn Féin out.
A clear example of this was in Dunmarry Cross in the election to Lisburn City Council, where Sinn Féin was looking to increase its tally of seats from four to five.
However, the surplus of the last unionist to be elected transferred en masse to the SDLP, which took that party's candidate past Sinn Féin's Mairéad Ní Adhmaill. Deborah Devenny just missed out in the Pottinger Ward in the East of the city due to similar tactical voting.
In Belfast, the party's number of councillors remains 14, despite the clean sweep in the Lower Falls and winning four out of five in Upper Falls.
Former mayor Alex Maskey topped the poll in the Laganbank Ward in South Belfast, while Stiofán Long just failed to get elected in the Balmoral Ward, also in South Belfast.
Despite increasing its share and percentage of votes in Derry, Sinn Féin
Mayor Gerry Ó hEára became one of the high-profile candidates to lose his
seat.
Although Ó hEára recorded a substantial number of first preference votes, he fell victim to vote management, when party strategists thought his high profile as mayor would be enough to carry him to victory.
A city councillor for 16 years, he will now be replaced by new Sinn Féin councillor Elisha McLaughlin.
Altogether, the Sinn Féin vote held solid in Cookstown, Newry and South Down.
Calling all Six-County PROs and councillors
An Phoblacht does not have photographs of many of our newly-elected councillors across the Six Counties. We would appreciate it if successful candidates or their PROs could forward photographs to our Dublin office ASAP, either by mail to 58 Parnell Square, Dublin 1, or preferably, in jpeg format by email to :
Sinn Féin elected Councillors
• Antrim Borough Council
Henry Cushinan North West
Anthony Brady North West
Gerard Magee Antrim Town
• Armagh District Council
Catherine Rafferty Armagh City
Noel Sheridan Armagh City
Cathal Boylan Crossmore
Paul Corrigan The Orchard
Pat O'Rawe Crossmore
• Ballymena Council
Monica Digney Bannside
• Banbridge Council
Dessie Ward Knockiveigh
• Belfast City Council
Michael Browne Upper Falls
Paul Maskey Upper Falls
Gerard O'Neill Upper Falls
Chrissie MacGiolla Mhín Upper Falls
Janice Austin Lower Falls
Tom Hartley Lower Falls
Fra McCann Lower Falls
Marie Cush Lower Falls
Marie Moore Lower Falls
Danny Lavery Oldpark
Margaret McClenaghan Oldpark
Caral Ní Chuilín Oldpark
Alex Maskey Lagan Bank
Tierna Cunningham Castle
• Ballymoney Council
Philip McGuigan Bann Valley
Daithí McKay Bann Valley
Anita Cavlan Bushvale
• Cookstown District Council
John McNamee Cookstown Central
Pearse McAleer Ballinderry
Michael McIvor Ballinderry
Oliver Molloy Drum Manor
Sean Clarke Drum Manor
• Coleraine Borough Council
Billy Leonard Bann
• Craigavon Council
John O'Dowd Craigavon Central
Maurice Magill Lurgan
Michael Tallon Loughside
Mairead O'Dowd Loughside
Lea Small Loughside
Brian McKeown Portadown
• Derry City Council
Lynn Fleming Waterside
Gerry MacLochlainn Northlands
Billy Page Northlands
Maeve McLaughlin Northlands
Peter Anderson Cityside
Kevin Campbell Cityside
Patricia Logue Cityside
Paul Fleming Rural
Elisha McLaughlin Shantallow
Tony Hassan Shantallow
• Down District Council
Willie Clarke Newcastle
Frank (Hugh) McDowell Newcastle
Eamon McConvey Downpatrick
Liam Johnston Downpatrick
Michael Coogan Ballynahinch
• Dungannon District Council
Francie Molloy Torrent
Michael Gillespie Torrent
Michelle O'Neill Torrent
Dessie Donnelly Torrent
Sean McGuigan Clogher Valley
Colla McMahon Clogher Valley
Phelim Gildernew Blackwater
Michael McLarnon Dungannon Town
Barry Monteith Dungannon Town
• Fermanagh District Council
Thomas O'Reilly Erne East
Ruth Lynch Erne East
Brian McCaffery Erne East
Gerry McHugh Enniskillen
Pat Cox Enniskillen
Stephen Huggett Erne West
Bernice Swift Erne West
Poilin Ui Cathain Erne West
Breege McSorley Erne North
• Limavady Borough Council
Anne Brolly Limavady Town
John McElhiney Bellarena
Gerard Butcher Bellarena
Cathal Hasson Benbradagh
Brenda Chivers Benbradagh
Marion Donaghy Benbradagh
• Lisburn Council
Paul Butler Dunmurray Cross
Michael Ferguson Dunmurray Cross
Veronicia Willis Dunmurray Cross
Angela Nelson Dunmurray Cross
• Magherafelt District Council
Peter Bateson Magherafelt Town
James O'Neil Magherafelt Town
Patsy Groogan Sperrin
Kathleen McEldowney Sperrin
Sean Kerr Sperrin
Hugh Mullan Sperrin
Oliver Hughes Moyola
Ian Milne Moyola
• Moyle District Council
Cara McShane Ballycastle Town
Cathal Newcombe Ballycastle
Oliver McMullan Glens
Marie McKeegan Glens
• Newry and Mourne District Council
Charlie Casey Newry Town
Colman Burns Slieve Gullion
Terry Hearty Slieve Gullion
Packy McDonald Slieve Gullion
Anthony Flynn Slieve Gullion
Brendan Curran Newry Town
Marian Matters Newry Town
Mick Murphy Crotlieve
Michael Ruane Crotlieve
Martin Connolly The Mournes
Brendan Lewis The Fews
Jimmy Mc Creesh The Fews
Pat McGinn The Fews
• Newtownabbey Council
Briege Meehan Antrim Line
• Omagh District Council
Seán Begley Omagh Town
Martin McColgan Omagh Town
Ann Quinn West Tyrone
Frankie Donnelly West Tyrone
Peter Kelly West Tyrone
Barry McElduff West Tyrone
Sean Clarke Mid-Tyrone
Michael McAnespie Mid-Tyrone
Declan McAleer Mid-Tyrone
Sharon O'Brien Mid-Tyrone
• Strabane District Council
Charlie McHugh Derg
Claire McGill Glenelly
Gerard Foley Derg
Kieran McGuire Derg
Jarlath McNulty Mourne
Brian McMahon Mourne
Ivan Barr Mourne
Danny Breslin Mourne
Overall figures
DUP 182 Seats 29.6% Up 52
SF 126 Seats 23.2% Up 18
UUP 115 Seats 18.0% Down 40
SDLP 101 Seats 17.4% Down 16
Alliance 30 Seats 5.0% Up 2
Greens 3 Seats 0.8% Up 3
PUP 2 Seats 0.7% Down 2
UUC 2 Seats 0.3% Up 2
Turnout 63.52% Down 5.0%
• 2001 comparison, Sinn Féin, 21%, 108 Seats
By Constituency
Council seats Up/Down % share +/-%
Antrim 3 +1 14.8 +2.0
Ards 0 0 1.1 0
Armagh 5 0 23.1 +2.5
Ballymena 1 +1 7.6 +6.3
Ballymoney 3 +2 20.0 +8.5
Banbridge 1 +1 6.3 +2.6
Belfast 14 0 30.6 +2.2
Carrickfergus 0 0 0 0
Council seats Up/Down % share +/-%
Castlereagh 0 0 1.5 -0.3
Coleraine 1 +1 7.9 0
Cookstown 5 -1 33.5 -1.9
Craigavon 6 +2 22.4 +1.1
Derry 10 0 32.8 +2.5
Down 5 +1 23.1 +5.9
Dungannon 9 +1 39.6 +3.6
Fermanagh 9 0 37.4 +4.0
Larne 0 0 3.8 +0.2
Council seats Up/Down % share +/-%
Limavady 6 +2 31.3 +6.5
Lisburn 4 0 16.7 +0.7
Magherafelt 8 +1 46.7 +2.5
Moyle 4 +3 30.4 +20.9
Newry & Mourne 13 0 42.1 +2.9
Newtownabbey 1 0 5.9 +0.9
North Down 0 0 0 0
Omagh 10 +2 44.6 +4.2
Strabane 8 +1 41.8 +1.6