Map and diagram by Conal Kelly

This constituency includes most of Derry District Council. In 2005 Mark Durkan (SDLP) took over from his predecessor as party leader, John Hume, who had represented the constituency since it was created in 1983. The SDLP hold three of the six Assembly seats here, with Sinn Fein holding two and the DUP one (this has been the result of all three Assembly elections since 1998). It originally included parts of Strabane District Council but lost them to the new West Tyrone constituency in the 1995 revision. See the 1983-92 Foyle results. 

See also the detailed guide from 2007 by "Sammy Morse".

The New Boundaries: Foyle lost two Derry wards, Banagher and Claudy, to East Londonderry (basically the rural hinterland of Derry City Council) as a result of Derry's population growth. This made the new constituency 0.3% more Catholic, and also 0.3% less Protestant, than the old.

Foyle's population in the 2001 census was 105,066 (highest of the 18 constituencies).

• The average age was 32.76 (lowest in Northern Ireland).
• 70.89% described themselves as Catholic (2nd of 18 constituencies); 10.26% as Presbyterian (16th highest), 7.88% as Church of Ireland (16th highest), 0.85% as Methodist (also 16th highest) and 1.77% as members of other Christian denominations (2nd lowest). 8.07% were "no religion or religion not stated" (16th highest).
• The translation into "Community background" was 75.37% Catholic (2nd out of 18), 23.20% Protestants and other Christians (2nd lowest), 0.35% other religions and philosophies (10th highest) and 1.09% none (14th).

2010 Westminster election (one seat)

*@Mark Durkan (SDLP) 16,922 (44.7%, -1.7%)
@Martina Anderson (Sinn Féin) 12,098 (31.9% -1.4%)
Maurice Devenney (DUP) 4,489 (11.9%, -2.2%)
Eamonn McCann (People Before Profit) 2,936 (7.8%)
David Harding (UCUNF) 1,221 (3.2%, +0.9%)
Keith McGrellis (Alliance) 223 (0.6%)
Electorate: 65,843; Total Poll: 38,190 (58.0%); Invalid Votes: 301 (0.8%); Valid Votes: 37,889

* incumbent
@ elected to the Northern Ireland Assembly from this constituency

A decent result for Durkan, with both SDLP and SF slipping a few votes to Eamonn McCann. An Assembly election on these figures would see no change in seat distribution.

2007 Assembly election (7 March, six seats)

2005 Westminster election (5 May, 1 seat)

@Mark Durkan (SDLP) 21,119 (46.3% -3.9%)
@Mitchel McLaughlin (Sinn Fein) 15,162 (33.2% +6.6%)
@William Hay (DUP) 6,557 (14.4% -0.8%)
Eamonn McCann (Socialist Environmental Alliance) 1,649 (3.6%)
Earl Storey (UUP) 1,091 (2.4% -4.5%)
Ben Reel (Vote for Yourself Rainbow Dream Ticket) 31 (0.1%)

@ Member of the Assembly

Optimists in SF had been talking up their chances (including citing supposedly accurate canvass returns), but the SDLP held on to John Hume's old seat comfortably; SF grumbled that this was due to Unionist tactical voting, though if one compares with the local government elections it's clear that Durkan would have won anyway (and it's rather odd for any self-described democrat to suggest that some people's votes should count for less than others). If cast in a six-seat STV election, these votes would have elected three from the SDLP, two from SF and one from the DUP.

2005 Local Government Election (5 May)

First preference votes cast in the whole of the Derry council area were as follows:

SDLP 18467 (41.0%) Best equivalent result for the SDLP in Northern Ireland
Sinn Fein 14744 (32.7%)
DUP 7265 (16.1%)
UUP 2000 (4.4%)
SEA 1321 (2.9%)
Independents 1202 (2.7%)

If cast in a six-seat STV election, these votes would have given the SDLP three seats, SF two and the DUP one.

2003 Assembly election (26 November; six seats)

2001 Westminster Election (7 June; 1 seat)

Electorate: 70,943; votes cast: 49,374 (69.6%); spoilt votes: 495 (1.0%)
Valid votes: 48,879; SDLP majority 11,550

* outgoing MP
@ Member of the Assembly

A solid result for Hume in his party's best constituency. A six-seat Assembly election on these figures would give the SDLP three seats, SF two and the DUP one.

2001 Local Government Election (7 June)

SDLP 20872 (43%) Best equivalent result in Northern Ireland
SF 14547 (30%)
DUP 6874 (14%)
UUP 3069 (6%)
Alliance 436 (1%)
PUP 153 (0.3%)
Independents 2094 (4%)
Total valid votes 48045

It is easy enough to extrapolate from the local council elections because the Derry City Council district and the Foyle constituency cover identical areas. Based on these votes, the SDLP would have won three seats, Sinn Fein two and the DUP one.

1998 Assembly Election (25 June; six seats)

* elected in 1996 Forum/talks election from Foyle

One of the least surprising in Northern Ireland, as the SDLP consolidated in one of their best constituencies. Jack Allen of the UUP had the fourth highest number of first preferences here, but was overtaken by the second and third SDLP runners, and by Sinn Féin's Mary Nelis, and finished on 5,698 votes to William Hay's 6,322. 461 undistributed surplus votes, mainly from Sinn Féin, would not have made much difference.

1997 Local Government Election

Social Democratic and Labour Party 18,012 votes (44%) Best equivalent result for SDLP in Northern Ireland
Sinn Féin 11,394 votes (28%)
Democratic Unionist Party 5,186 votes (12%)
Ulster Unionist Party 3,595 votes (9%)
Women's Coalition 1,036 votes (3%)
Labour 348 votes (1%)
UDP 276 votes (1%)
Others 1,359 votes (3%)
Total valid votes 41,206 (60.62% of electorate)

1997 Westminster Election (one seat)

1996 Forum Election (five seats)

Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) 19,997 (44%); John Hume, Mark Durkan, John Tierney elected Best result for SDLP in Northern Ireland
Sinn Féin (SF) 11,618 (26%); Martin McGuinness, Mitchel McLaughlin elected
Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) 5,054 (11%)
Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) 4,553 (10%)
Alliance Party of Northern Ireland (APNI) 790 (2%)
Northern Ireland Women's Coalition (NIWC) 695 (2%)
Progressive Unionist Party (PUP) 580 (1%)
Labour (Lab) 544 (1%)
Ulster Democratic Party (UDP) 497 (1%)
United Kingdom Unionist Party (UKUP) 324 (1%)
Green Party 191 (0.42%)
Conservative Party (Con) 92 (0.20%)
Workers Party (WP) 81 (0.18%)
Ulster Independence Movement (UIM) 65 (0.14%)
Natural Law Party (NLP) 41 (0.09%)
Democratic Left (DL) 40 (0.09%)
Independent Chambers 22 (0.05%)

Electorate: 66,598; votes cast: 45,308 (68.0%); spoilt votes: 124 (0.2%); valid votes: 45,184

Hume was elected to the old Northern Ireland House of Commons representing Foyle in 1969; he was then elected to the 1973 Assembly, the 1975 Constitutional Convention, and (as was McGuinness) the 1982 Assembly, in all cases for Londonderry.

See also: Full 2003 results from Foyle | Full 1998 results from Foyle | The Boundary Commission's Provisional Recommendations | Boundary Commission 2003 | Jim Riley's analysis of votes and seats in the 1998 Assembly election | The constituencies

Other sites based at ARK: ORB (Online Research Bank) | CAIN (Conflict Archive on the INternet) | Northern Ireland Life and Times Survey

Your comments, please! Send an email to me at nicholas.whyte@gmail.com.
 

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