Newry and Armagh


Map and diagram by Conal Kelly

This constituency takes in all of Armagh District Council and the western part of Newry and Mourne District Council. The member of parliament is Conor Murphy (SF), who won the seat when Seamus Mallon (SDLP) retired in 2005. Mallon had defeated Jim Nicholson (UUP) in a 1986 by-election. Sinn Fein have three Assembly seats here, and the other three are held by the SDLP, UUP and DUP (Sinn Fein gained a seat from the SDLP in 2003). Newry and Armagh was created in 1983 and was hardly changed in 1995. See the 1983-1992 Newry and Armagh results. The boundary commission's current proposals leave Newry and Armagh unchanged.

Newry and Armagh's population in the 2001 census was 100,950 (6th of the 18 constituencies).

The average age was 34.52 (14th highest).
62.82% described themselves as Catholic (4th of 18 constituencies); 11.44% as Presbyterian (15th highest), 11.74% as Church of Ireland (14th highest), 1.50% as Methodist (12th highest) and 3.97% as members of other Christian denominations (15th highest). 8.44% were "no religion or religion not stated" (14th highest).
The translation into "Community background" was 67.16% Catholic (4th out of 18), 31.83% Protestants and other Christians (14th highest), 0.14% other religions and philosophies (equal lowest) and 0.87% none (16th).

Results table

	DUP	UUP	Oth U	Alliance	Oth	SDLP	SF
2007a	13%	13%	6%	1%	6%	20%	42%
2005w	18%	14%			1%	25%	41%
2005lg	17%	16%			5%	24%	38%
2003a	18%	16%	1%	1%		25%	40%
2001w	19%	12%				37%	31%
1997lg	15%	18%			4%	28%	35%
1998a	13%	18%		1%	6%	35%	26%
1997lg	7%	30%		1%	4%	34%	25%
1997w		34%		2%	0%	43%	21%
1996f	10%	22%	3%	2%	3%	34%	26%

2007 Assembly Election

Full details of each count are available from the Electoral Office (in PowerPoint format) here.

*Conor Murphy MP (SF) 7437 (15.0%)
Cathal Boylan (SF) 7105 (14.3%)
*Danny Kennedy (UUP) 6517 (13.1%)
William Irwin (DUP) 6418 (12.9%)
Mickey Brady (SF) 6337 (12.8%)
*Dominic Bradley (SDLP) 5318 (10.7%)
Sharon Haughey (SDLP) 4500 (9.1%)
*Paul Berry (Independent Unionist) 2317 (4.7%)
*Davy Hyland (Independent) 2188 (4.4%)
William Frazer (Independent Unionist) 605 (1.2%)
Arthur Morgan (Green) 599 (1.2%)
Máire Hendron (Alliance) 278 (0.6%)

*Elected in 2003 from Newry and Armagh

SF 20,879 (42.1%, +2.3%) 3 seats
SDLP 9,818 (19.8%, -4.8%) 1 seat
UUP 6,517 (13.1%, -2.4%) 1 seat
DUP 6,418 (12.9%, -5.2%) 1 seat
Ind U's 2,922 (5.9%)
Ind 2,188 (4.4%)
Green 599 (1.2%)
Alliance 278 (0.6%)

Electorate 70,823
Votes cast 50,165 (70.8%); spoilt votes 546 (1.1%)
Valid votes 49,619; quota 7,089

Two incumbent MLAs here had left their original parties and stood as independents - Berry (DUP) and Hyland (SF) - but there was no change in party strengths, and both lost their seats. [On a personal note, both Hendron and Hyland taught at the grammar school I attended in Belfast, though neither of them ever taught me.] On the last count, Haughey was 942 votes behind Bradley (both SDLP), with 441 undistributed SF votes.

2005 Westminster election (5 May, 1 seat)

@Conor Murphy (Sinn Fein) 20,965 (41.4% +10.5%)
@Dominic Bradley (SDLP) 12,770 (25.2% -12.2%)
@Paul Berry (DUP) 9,311 (18.4% -1.0%)
@Danny Kennedy (UUP) 7,025 (13.9% +1.6%)
Gerry Markey (Independent) 625 (1.2%)

@ Member of the Assembly

SF's most widely anticipated (and, as it turned out, only) gain. These votes, if cast in a six-seat STV election, would have given SF three seats and the SDLP, DUP and UUP one each.

2005 Local Government Election (5 May)

The Newry and Armagh constituency contains all 22 wards in Armagh and 17 of the 30 wards in Newry and Mourne (all 7 wards in the Newry Town DEA, all 5 wards in the Slieve Gullion DEA, and 5 of the 6 wards in The Fews DEA [Bessbrook, Camlough, Derrymore, Newtownhamilton and Tullyhappy])

Sinn Fein 19,449.8 (38.5%)
SDLP 12,124.8 (24.0%)
DUP 8,527.5 (16.9%)
UUP 8,142.8 (16.1%)
Independents 2,338 (4.6%)

Extrapolating from the local government elections is difficult because the Newry and Armagh constituency breaches one electoral area boundary. These votes, cast in a six seat STV election, would have elected two from SF and one each from the SDLP, DUP and UUP, with the last seat between the SDLP and SF.

2003 Assembly election (26 November; six seats)

Also available: details of each count with analysis of surplus transfers.

*Paul Berry (DUP) 8125 (17.1%)
*Conor Murphy (SF) 7595 (16.0%)
*Danny Kennedy (UUP) 7347 (15.5%)
Davy Hyland (SF) 5779 (12.2%)
Patricia O'Rawe (SF) 5478 (11.6%)
Jim Lennon (SDLP) 4116 (8.7%)
Dominic Bradley (SDLP) 4111 (8.7%)
*John Fee (SDLP) 3410 (7.2%)
William Frazer (Ind) 632 (1.3%)
Freda Donnelly (WP) 474 (1.0%)
Peter Whitcroft (Alliance) 311 (0.7%)

SF 18,852 (39.8%, +13.8%) 3 seats
SDLP 11,637 (24.6%, -10.4%) 1 seat
DUP 8,599 (18.1%, +4.8%) 1 seat
UUP 7,347 (15.5%, -2.6%) 1 seat
Ind 632 (1.3%)
Alliance 311 (0.7%, -0.7%)

Electorate 68,731
Votes cast 48,233 (70.2%); spoilt votes 855 (1.8%)
Valid votes 47,378; quota 6,769

Reaction: SF made a gain from the SDLP, who thus held only one out of six in a constituency where they still had the Westminster seat. O'Rawe ended up 599 votes ahead of Lennon, with undistributed surpluses of 578 from Kennedy and 14 from Bradley which would have narrowed the gap but not sufficiently.

Paul Berry was subsequently suspended from the DUP, and eventually resigned from the party, after media allegations about his private life, and sits as an independent (but deignated Unionist) in the Assembly.

Newry and Armagh had lost 10.27% of its electorate in the great electoral register shake-out, varying from 14.93% in the Drumgullion ward of Newry and Mourne to 4.50% in the Hamilton's Bawn ward of Armagh. 9 constituencies lost fewer voters, 8 lost more.

2001 Westminster Election (7 June; 1 seat)

*@Seamus Mallon (SDLP) 20,785 (37.4%)
@Conor Murphy (Sinn Fein) 17,209 (30.9%)
@Paul Berry (DUP) 10,795 (19.4%)
Sylvia McRoberts (UUP) 6,833 (12.3%)

Electorate: 72,466; votes cast: 56,208 (77.5%); spoilt votes: 587 (1.0%)
Valid votes: 55,621; SDLP majority 3,576

* outgoing MP
@ member of the Assembly

The narrowness of Mallon's victory surprised many observers. If this had been a six-seat Assembly election, the Nationalist parties would have won two seats each and the Unionist parties one each.

2001 Local Government Election (7 June)

SF 19161.3 (35%)
SDLP 15237.8 (28%)
UUP 10115.7 (18%)
DUP 8254.5 (15%)
NIWC 209 (0.4%)
Independents 2091 (4%)
Total valid 55069.3

The above figures in a six-seat STV election would have given two seats each to Sinn Fein and the SDLP, and one each to the UUP and the DUP.

1998 Assembly Election (25 June; six seats)

Also available: details of each count with analysis of surplus transfers.

*Seamus Mallon (SDLP) 13,582
Paul Berry (DUP) 7,214
*Danny Kennedy (UUP) 5,495
Conor Murphy (SF) 4,839
Davy Hyland (SF) 4,643
*Pat McNamee (SF) 4,570
Jim Speers (UUP) 4,324
John Fee (SDLP) 3,166
*Frank Feeley (SDLP) 2,205
Mary Allen (Ind) 1,227
Kate Fearon (WC) 1,138
William Fraser (Ulster Independence) 933
Pete Whitcroft (Alliance) 777
David Evans (NLP) 23

SDLP 18,953 votes (35.01%) 2 seats
SF 14,052 votes (25.96%) 2 seats
UUP 9,819 votes (18.14%) 1 seat
DUP 7,214 votes (13.33%) 1 seat
Independent 1,227 votes (2.27%)
WC 1,138 votes (2.10%)
Ulster Independence 933 votes (1.72%)
Alliance 777 votes (1.44%)
NLP 23 votes (0.04%)

Electorate: 71,553
Votes cast: 55,293 (77.3%); quota 7,734

* elected in 1996 Forum/talks election from Newry and Armagh

A good result for the DUP; not so good for the UUP who held this parliamentary seat from 1983 to 1986. The three SF candidates balanced their votes well but one was overtaken by the SDLP's John Fee, who finished with 7,169 votes, far ahead of his running mate Frank Feely's 5,875. Feely had been elected at all four previous regional elections.

1997 Local Government Election

Social Democratic and Labour Party 15,705.4 (34%)
Ulster Unionist Party 13,778.6 (30%)
Sinn Féin 11,408.8 (25%)
Democratic Unionist Party 3,117 (7%)
Alliance 348 (1%)
Others 1,959 (4%)
Total valid 46489.8 (65.93% of electorate)

1997 Westminster Election (one seat)

*ƒSeamus Mallon (Social Democratic and Labour Party) 22,904 (43%)
ƒDanny Kennedy (Ulster Unionist Party) 18,015 (34%)
ƒPatrick McNamee (Sinn Féin) 11,218 (21%)
Pete Whitcroft (Alliance Party of Northern Ireland) 1,015 (2%)
David Evans (Natural Law Party) 123 (0.23%)
Turnout 53,275 (75.40%)

* outgoing MP
ƒ member of the Forum

1996 Forum election (five seats)

Also available: full list of 1996 candidates

Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) 16,775 (34%) 2 seats (Seamus Mallon, Frank Feeley elected)
Sinn Féin (SF) 12,585 (26%) 2 seats (Patrick McNamee, Maria Caraher elected)
Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) 11,047 (22%) 1 seat (Danny Kennedy elected)
Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) 4,774 (10%)
Alliance Party of Northern Ireland (APNI) 1,037 (2%)
Progressive Unionist Party (PUP) 640 (1%)
United Kingdom Unionist Party (UKUP) 474 (1%)
Northern Ireland Women's Coalition (NIWC) 356 (1%)
Labour (Lab) 262 (1%)
Ulster Democratic Party (UDP) 257 (1%)
Workers Party (WP) 208 (0.42%)
Green Party 205 (0.42%)
Ulster Independence Movement (UIM) 173 (0.35%)
Conservative Party (Con) 131 (0.27%)
Democratic Partnership 114 (0.23%)
Independent Democratic Unionist Party 55 (0.11%)
Democratic Left (DL) 46 (0.09%)
Natural Law Party (NLP) 31 (0.06%)
Independent Chambers 12 (0.02%)

Electorate: 69,887; votes cast: 49,347 (70.6%); spoilt votes: 165 (0.3%); valid votes: 49,182

Both Mallon and Feeley had been elected to the 1973 Assembly, the 1975 Convention and the 1982 Assembly, for Armagh and South Down respectively (Mallon, however, was disqualified after the 1982 election).

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.

This page has been developed with the support of a project grant from the New Initiatives Fund of the Electoral Commission. However, any views expressed on this page or, in particular, other pages of this website are those of the author and not necessarily shared by The Electoral Commission.

Nicholas Whyte, 3 June 1998; last updated 7 October 2007.

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