Armagh (Assembly constituency)

Coordinates: 54°20′53″N 6°39′22″W / 54.348°N 6.656°W Armagh was a constituency used for the Northern Ireland Assembly.[1]

The seat was first used for a Northern Ireland-only election for the Northern Ireland Assembly, 1973. Members were then elected from the constituency to the 1975 Constitutional Convention and the 1982 Assembly. After the Assembly dissolved in 1986, the constituency was not used again, its area being represented by parts of Newry and Armagh and Upper Bann.

It usually shared boundaries with the Armagh UK Parliament constituency, however the boundaries of the two constituencies were slightly different from 1983 to 1986 as the Assembly boundaries had not caught up with Parliamentary boundary changes.

For further details of the history and boundaries of the constituency, see Armagh (UK Parliament constituency).

Members

In 1982 elections were held for an Assembly for Northern Ireland to hold the Secretary of State to account, in the hope that this would be the first step towards restoring devolution. Armagh elected 7 members as follows:

Changes 1982-1986

In 1975 elections were held to a Constitutional Convention which sought (unsuccessfully) to generate a consensus on the future of the province. The seven members elected from Armagh were:

In 1973 elections were held to the Assembly set up under the Sunningdale Agreement. The seven members elected from Armagh were:

Elections

1982

Assembly Election 20 October 1982
Party Candidate Count 1 Count 2 Count 3 Count 4 Count 5 Count 6 Count 7 Count 8 Count 9 Count 10 Count 11 Count 12 Count 13 Count 14
UUP Harold McCusker 19547
SDLP Seamus Mallon 8528 8528
Sinn Féin Jim McAllister 5182 5188 5230 5247 5248 7717 7720 7721 8090
SDLP Paddy O'Hanlon 4231 4239 4501 4688 4691 4799 4800 4801 5199 5245 5252 5254 5255 5288
Sinn Féin Jim O'Hagan 3042 3049 3072 3088 3088
SDLP Hugh News 2871 2883 3256 3578 3580 3778 3781 3781 5460 5566 5570 5571 5576 5607
Workers' Party Tom French 2826 2850 2872 3270 3272 3470 3494 3494
UUP Jim Nicholson 2590 7155 7156 7384 7472 7472 8137
DUP David Calvert 2661 3110 3110 3124 3873 3873 4845 4868 4887 4887 5135 5310 9459
DUP Douglas Hutchinson 2333 2894 2894 2915 3630 3631 4259 4280 4297 4298 4741 5016
UUUP Alistair Black 2014 2873 2873 2941 3096 3096
UUP Jim Speers 1836 3438 3438 3538 3623 3625 3858 3953 3981 3982
Alliance William Jeffrey 1806 1942 1958
DUP Woolsey Smith 1716 2028 2028 2039
UUP Mary Simpson 721 3838 3838 4147 4360 4361 4857 5126 5220 5221 8212
Electorate=95610, valid=61904, spoiled=2078, quota=7739

source:[2]

1975

Constitutional Convention Election 1 May 1975
Party Candidate Count 1 Count 2 Count 3 Count 4 Count 5 Count 6 Count 7 Count 8 Count 9
SDLP Seamus Mallon 8999
UUP Michael Armstrong 8802 8802
DUP Douglas Hutchinson 7746 7746 7746
Vanguard Thomas Carson 5974 5974 6225 6367 6371 6388 6439 6448 6885
Vanguard Alistair Black 5435 5435 6064 6180 6188 6213 6283 6287 6789
UUP Herbert Whitten 4843 4843 5198 5240 5242 5276 5381 5383 7021
SDLP Paddy O'Hanlon 4710 5095 5095 5095 5190 5206 5678 6243 6361
SDLP Hugh News 3303 4261 4261 4261 4327 4375 5074 6140 6457
Unionist Party NI John Maginnis 2797 2798 2860 2867 2870 3002 3838 3856
Republican Clubs Malachy McGurran 2577 2650 2650 2650 3587 3602 3761
Alliance Michael Connolly 1742 1781 1787 1788 1806 2828
Alliance Brian English 1307 1318 1327 1328 1332
Republican Clubs Patrick Houlahan 617 636 636 637
Republican Clubs Thomas Moore 536 546 546 546
Electorate=90640, valid=59388, spoiled=2011, quota=7424

source:[3]

1973

1973 Assembly election: Armagh
Party Candidate % 1st Pref Count 1 Count 2Count 3Count 4Count 5Count 6Count 7Count 8Count 9Count 10Count 11Count 12
SDLP Paddy O'Hanlon 13.4 8,219                      
SDLP Seamus Mallon 13.0 7,995 7,995 7,995                  
UUP Herbert Whitten 11.2 6,891 6,891.24 7,127.30 7,127.58 7,208.62 7,284.62 8140.62 8140.62        
Vanguard Thomas Carson 11.1 6,866 6,866.66 6,936.66 6,936.74 6,955.86 7,432.86 7,505.86 7,810.86 7,810.86 7,810.86 7,810.86 7,810.86
SDLP Hugh News 7.7 4,731 5,163.30 5,278.40 5,564.96 5,670.04 5,672.08 5,677.18 5,677.18 5,677.73 5,688.79 5,691.03 7,832.03
DUP Douglas Hutchinson 7.4 4,552 4,552.12 4,598.18 4,598.50 4,612.50 4,821.50 4,902.56 6,620.56 6,644.76 6,887.40 7,237.40 7,431.40
UUP James Stronge 7.1 4,335 4,336.44 4,458.56 4,458.72 4,524.72 4,537.78 5,235.84 5,383.84 5,26.94 8,693.94    
UUP Alexander Greer 4.3 2,630 2,630.36 2,689.42 2,689.56 2,762.60 2,771.66 3,603.80 3,697.80 3,869.95      
DUP Thomas Willey 4.3 2,616 2,616 2,639.06 2,639.14 2,642.14 2,726.14 2,773.14          
Alliance Michael Connolly 4.2 2,572 2,589.70 2,763.38 2,780.06 4,268.62 4,275.72 4,292.72 4,302.72 4,304.37 4,329.30 4,630.34  
UUP Robert James Mitchell 4.2 2,571 2,571.42 2,625.48 2,625.84 2,653.84 2,673.64            
Vanguard Frederick Crowe 4.0 2,465 2,465.12 2,492.12 2,492.24 2,503.28 3,639.34 3,689.34 4,168.34 4,190.89 4,447.37 4,904.33 5,093.33
Vanguard Samuel McCammick 3.3 2,018 2,018.30 2,034.36 2,034.48 2,040.52              
Alliance Howard McNally 2.7 1,637 1,642.58 1,940.60 1,945.54                
NI Labour Thomas Newell 1.7 1,044 1,053.90                    
Independent Robert Murphy 0.4 238 244                    
Electorate: 89,056   Valid: 61,400   Spoilt: 1,955 (3.1%)   Quota: 7,676   Turnout: 63,355 (71.1%)

References