Lower Falls was one of the nine district electoral areas which existed in Belfast, Northern Ireland from 1985 to 2014. Located in the west of the city, the district elected five members to Belfast City Council and contained the wards of Beechmount; Clonard; Falls; Upper Springfield; and Whiterock. Lower Falls formed part of the Belfast West constituencies for the Northern Ireland Assembly and UK Parliament. The district, along with the neighbouring Upper Falls district took its name from the Falls Road, one of the main arterial routes in the west of the city.
| Lower Falls District Electoral Area | |
|---|---|
 Map showing Lower Falls wards within Belfast | |
| Population | (2008 Estimate) |
| District | |
| County | |
| Country | Northern Ireland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| UK Parliament | |
| NI Assembly | |
History
editLower Falls was created for the 1985 local elections. The Falls and Clonard wards had previously been in Area F, with the remaining wards part of Area D. It was abolished for the 2014 local elections. The Falls and Clonard wards joined the Court District Electoral Area, while the remaining wards became part of a new Black Mountain District Electoral Area.
Wards
edit| Map | Ward | Population (2011 Census) |
Catholic | Protestant | Other | No Religion | Area | Density | NI Assembly | UK Parliament | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Beechmount | 5,485 | 90.8% | 6.1% | 0.6% | 2.5% | 0.84 km2 | 6,530/km2 | Belfast West | Belfast West | [1] |
| 2 | Clonard | 4,975 | 90.5% | 6.4% | 0.6% | 2.6% | 0.61 km2 | 8,156/km2 | Belfast West | Belfast West | [2] |
| 3 | Falls | 5,184 | 87.6% | 7.5% | 2.3% | 2.6% | 1.2 km2 | 4,320/km2 | Belfast West | Belfast West | [3] |
| 4 | Upper Springfield | 5,250 | 93.5% | 4.6% | 0.3% | 1.6% | 2.5 km2 | 2,100/km2 | Belfast West | Belfast West | [4] |
| 5 | Whiterock | 5,694 | 93.1% | 4.7% | 0.3% | 1.8% | 0.78 km2 | 7,300/km2 | Belfast West | Belfast West | [5] |
| Lower Falls | 26,588 | 91.1% | 5.8% | 0.3% | 1.8% | 5.93 km2 | 4,484 /km2 | Belfast West | Belfast West | ||
Councillors
edit| Election | Councillor (Party) |
Councillor (Party) |
Councillor (Party) |
Councillor (Party) |
Councillor (Party) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Tom Hartley (Sinn Féin) |
Jim McVeigh (Sinn Féin) |
Steven Corr (Sinn Féin) |
Janice Austin (Sinn Féin) |
Colin Keenan (SDLP) | |||||
| 2005 | Marie Moore (Sinn Féin) |
Máire Cush (Sinn Féin) |
Fra McCann (Sinn Féin) | |||||||
| 2001 | Margaret Walsh (SDLP) | |||||||||
| 1997 | Seán McKnight (Sinn Féin) | |||||||||
| 1993 | Mary Muldoon (SDLP) |
Patsy McGeown (Sinn Féin) | ||||||||
| 1989 | Elizabeth Fitzsimons (Sinn Féin) |
Seán McKnight (Sinn Féin) |
Joe Hendron (SDLP) | |||||||
| 1985 | Seán Keenan (Sinn Féin) |
Will Glendinning (Alliance) | ||||||||
2011 Election
edit2005: 5 x Sinn Féin
2011: 4 x Sinn Féin, 1 x SDLP
2005-2011 Change: SDLP gain from Sinn Féin
| Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | ||||
| Sinn Féin | Janice Austin* | 19.66% | 1,920 | |||||
| Sinn Féin | Steven Corr | 16.10% | 1,572 | 1,583.85 | 1,603.85 | 1,618 | 1,677 | |
| Sinn Féin | Tom Hartley* | 15.99% | 1,561 | 1,566.1 | 1,581.1 | 1,602.25 | 1,666.25 | |
| Sinn Féin | Jim McVeigh | 15.33% | 1,497 | 1,499.7 | 1,531 | 1,544.15 | 1,600.45 | |
| SDLP | Colin Keenan | 10.24% | 1,000 | 1,003.15 | 1,058.15 | 1,214.15 | 1,326.15 | |
| Sinn Féin | Breige Brownlee | 8.33% | 813 | 1,070.7 | 1,109 | 1,123 | 1,188.3 | |
| éirígí | John McCusker | 6.63% | 647 | 647.6 | 723.6 | 748.6 | ||
| Workers' Party | John Lowry | 4.08% | 398 | 398.45 | 430.45 | |||
| Irish Republican Socialist | Jim Gorman | 2.14% | 209 | 209.75 | ||||
| Socialist Party | Pat Lawlor | 1.52% | 148 | 148.5 | ||||
| Electorate: 17,238 Valid: 9,765 (56.65%) Spoilt: 305 Quota: 1,628 Turnout: 10,070 (58.42%) | ||||||||
2005 Election
edit2001: 4 x Sinn Féin, 1 x SDLP
2005: 5 x Sinn Féin
2001-2005 Change: Sinn Féin gain from SDLP
| Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | ||||
| Sinn Féin | Janice Austin | 19.42% | 2,071 | ||||
| Sinn Féin | Fra McCann* | 19.17% | 2,045 | ||||
| Sinn Féin | Tom Hartley* | 18.39% | 1,962 | ||||
| Sinn Féin | Máire Cush* | 15.33% | 1,764 | 1,797 | |||
| Sinn Féin | Marie Moore* | 11.67% | 1,245 | 1,253 | 1,528.1 | 1,764.42 | |
| SDLP | Margaret Walsh* | 11.86% | 1,265 | 1,439 | 1,449.95 | 1,476.27 | |
| Workers' Party | John Lowry | 2.94% | 314 | ||||
| Electorate: 16,334 Valid: 10,666 (65.30%) Spoilt: 392 Quota: 1,778 Turnout: 11,058 (67.70%) | |||||||
2001 Election
edit1997: 4 x Sinn Féin, 1 x SDLP
2001: 4 x Sinn Féin, 1 x SDLP
1997-2001 Change: No change
| Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | ||||
| Sinn Féin | Fra McCann* | 18.97% | 2,399 | |||||
| Sinn Féin | Tom Hartley* | 18.59% | 2,351 | |||||
| Sinn Féin | Máire Cush | 17.63% | 2,230 | |||||
| SDLP | Margaret Walsh* | 15.94% | 2,016 | 2,262 | ||||
| Sinn Féin | Marie Moore* | 15.16% | 1,917 | 1,928 | 1,955.17 | 1,977.94 | 1,996.94 | |
| Sinn Féin | Sean McKnight* | 9.86% | 1,247 | 1,272 | 1,521.99 | 1,735.83 | 1,761.83 | |
| Workers' Party | John Lowry | 3.86% | 488 | |||||
| Electorate: 18,349 Valid: 12,648 (68.93%) Spoilt: 581 Quota: 2,109 Turnout: 13,229 (72.10%) | ||||||||
1997 Election
edit1993: 4 x Sinn Féin, 1 x SDLP
1997: 4 x Sinn Féin, 1 x SDLP
1993-1997 Change: No change
| Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | ||||
| Sinn Féin | Fra McCann* | 19.65% | 2,420 | ||||
| Sinn Féin | Sean McKnight | 18.56% | 2,286 | ||||
| SDLP | Margaret Walsh | 14.32% | 1,764 | 1,775.4 | 2,248.7 | ||
| Sinn Féin | Tom Hartley* | 16.42% | 2,022 | 2,047.05 | 2,061.05 | ||
| Sinn Féin | Marie Moore* | 14.70% | 1,810 | 1,822.15 | 1,829.15 | 2,033.65 | |
| Sinn Féin | Janice Austin | 10.34% | 1,274 | 1,581.35 | 1,606.25 | 1,625.75 | |
| Workers' Party | John Lowry | 3.80% | 468 | 468.75 | |||
| SDLP | Mary White | 1.84% | 227 | 227.9 | |||
| Alliance | Keith Jacques | 0.37% | 45 | 45.3 | |||
| Electorate: 19,372 Valid: 12,316 (63.58%) Spoilt: 390 Quota: 2,053 Turnout: 12,706 (65.59%) | |||||||
1993 Election
edit1989: 3 x Sinn Féin, 2 x SDLP
1993: 4 x Sinn Féin, 1 x SDLP
1989-1993 Change: Sinn Féin gain from SDLP
| Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | ||||
| Sinn Féin | Tom Hartley | 19.79% | 2,573 | ||||||
| Sinn Féin | Fra McCann* | 18.40% | 2,393 | ||||||
| Sinn Féin | Patrick McGeown | 18.09% | 2,352 | ||||||
| Sinn Féin | Marie Moore | 14.97% | 1,946 | 2,316.77 | |||||
| SDLP | Mary Muldoon* | 13.45% | 1,749 | 1,760.39 | 1,832.92 | 1,929.38 | 2,030.98 | 2,325.98 | |
| SDLP | Margaret Walsh | 7.59% | 987 | 991.93 | 1,049.44 | 1,134.77 | 1,165.97 | 1,306.48 | |
| Workers' Party | John Lowry | 6.11% | 794 | 804.37 | 831.54 | 874.47 | 924.07 | ||
| Alliance | Patrick Woods | 0.83% | 108 | 109.87 | |||||
| Democratic Left | Mary McMahon | 0.78% | 101 | 105.24 | |||||
| Electorate: 19,978 Valid: 13,003 (65.09%) Spoilt: 509 Quota: 2,168 Turnout: 13,512 (67.63%) | |||||||||
1989 Election
edit1985: 3 x Sinn Féin, 1 x SDLP, 1 x Alliance
1989: 3 x Sinn Féin, 2 x SDLP
1985-1989 Change: SDLP gain from Alliance
| Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | ||||
| SDLP | Joe Hendron* | 23.51% | 2,748 | |||||
| Sinn Féin | Fra McCann | 19.73% | 2,307 | |||||
| Sinn Féin | Elizabeth Fitzsimons* | 15.10% | 1,765 | 1,786.7 | 1,816.25 | 1,849.69 | 1,885.5 | |
| Sinn Féin | Sean McKnight* | 12.22% | 1,428 | 1,461.48 | 1,466.72 | 1,750.56 | 1,774.62 | |
| SDLP | Mary Muldoon | 5.03% | 588 | 1,196.84 | 1,257.51 | 1,261.19 | 1,738.98 | |
| Sinn Féin | Richard May | 13.91% | 1,626 | 1,634.68 | 1,637.68 | 1,651.92 | 1,679.45 | |
| Workers' Party | Mary McMahon | 9.35% | 1,093 | 1,186 | 1,218.75 | 1,224.19 | ||
| Alliance | Derrick Crothers | 1.15% | 135 | 164.45 | ||||
| Electorate: 20,095 Valid: 11,690 (58.17%) Spoilt: 570 Quota: 1,949 Turnout: 12,260 (61.01%) | ||||||||
1985 Election
edit1985: 3 x Sinn Féin, 1 x SDLP, 1 x Alliance
| Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | ||||
| SDLP | Joe Hendron* | 22.06% | 2,606 | ||||
| Sinn Féin | Sean McKnight | 16.41% | 1,939 | 1,963 | 1,985.4 | ||
| Alliance | Will Glendinning* | 9.42% | 1,113 | 1,195 | 1,549.48 | 2,015.48 | |
| Sinn Féin | Sean Keenan | 14.83% | 1,752 | 1,764 | 1,795.36 | 1,845.2 | |
| Sinn Féin | Elizabeth Fitzsimons | 13.50% | 1,595 | 1,609 | 1,649.6 | 1,697.4 | |
| Sinn Féin | Fra McCann | 12.42% | 1,467 | 1,472 | 1,499.44 | 1,552.4 | |
| Workers' Party | Mary McMahon | 9.44% | 1,115 | 1,168 | 1,312.2 | ||
| SDLP | Sean Mullan | 1.35% | 159 | ||||
| Communist | Desmond Murray | 0.57% | 67 | ||||
| Electorate: 21,058 Valid: 11,813 (56.10%) Spoilt: 450 Quota: 1,969 Turnout: 12,263 (58.23%) | |||||||
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Ward Information for Beechmount ward 95GG07". NISRA. Retrieved 22 December 2013.
- ^ "Ward Information for Clonard ward 95GG18". NISRA. Retrieved 22 December 2013.
- ^ "Ward Information for Falls ward 95GG21". NISRA. Retrieved 22 December 2013.
- ^ "Ward Information for Upper Springfield ward 95GG46". NISRA. Retrieved 22 December 2013.
- ^ "Ward Information for Whiterock ward 95GG48". NISRA. Retrieved 22 December 2013.
- ^ "Lower Falls Result Sheet" (PDF). EONI. Retrieved 8 July 2021.
- ^ "Local Government Results 2005". EONI. Retrieved 8 July 2021.
- ^ "Local Government Results 2001". EONI. Retrieved 8 July 2021.
- ^ "Local Government Results 1997". EONI. Retrieved 8 July 2021.
- ^ "Local Government Results 1993". EONI. Retrieved 8 July 2021.
- ^ "Local Government Results 1989". EONI. Retrieved 8 July 2021.
- ^ "Local Government Results 1985". EONI. Retrieved 8 July 2021.