Northern Ireland

Barry McElduff set to complete political comeback at Fermanagh and Omagh count

Barry McElduff at the election count in Omagh. Picture from Gareth Wilkinson/Twitter
Barry McElduff at the election count in Omagh. Picture from Gareth Wilkinson/Twitter Barry McElduff at the election count in Omagh. Picture from Gareth Wilkinson/Twitter

Barry McElduff has been elected in Fermanagh and Omagh council. The former Sinn Fein MP was elected for the party on the fourth count to Omagh district electoral area.

He did not reach the quota (910) after polling 900 first-preference vote. Errol Thompson of the DUP topped the poll with 970 votes.

Mr McElduff had reisgned from the party in 2018 after a photo appeared on social media of him balancing a loaf of Kingsmill bread on his head on the anniversary of the killing of 10 Protestant workmen at Kingsmill in 1976.

Mr McElduff has always maintained he did not mean to cause offence.

There was a silent reaction from Mr McElduff, his family and other members of Sinn Féin when it was officially confirmed that the former MP was elected.

Speaking after, he said: "I want to be as respectful and dignified as I can be when challenged.

"I want to acknowledge the suffering of everyone in the conflict. I respect everybody who has lost someone in the conflict. I am Irish republican, anti-sectarian and we have a vision of a new Ireland which is inclusive of all our citizens.

"The people have elected me, the people have spoken. I'm very grateful to the people of Omagh."

Full election results

There was also resounding success for independent nationalist councillor John McCluskey, who was elected on the first count in Erne East today.

The council newcomer, who campaigned on health issues and the removal of GP services from his home village of Roslea, polled 1,286 votes and was among the first three councillors to be elected at the count in Omagh Leisure Centre.

He said he was pleased people had got behind him and the victory belonged not to him but the "people of Fermanagh".

There was a perfect birthday present for John Coyle who was re-elected for the SDLP in Erne North, while the party secured another seat in West Tyrone with sitting councillor and chairperson Mary Garrity being elected on the third count.

The DUP was first out of the blocks with Paul Robinson polling the highest number of votes in Erne East.

The councillor of 13 years said "working on the ground" for voters had paid off.

His vote of 1,382 - the quota was 1,209 - was followed closely by the UUP's Victor Warrington on 1,352.

There was resounding victory too for UUP councillor Alex Baird who topped the poll in Erne West, having also led the way in 2014.

He said he was "pleased and relieved", being a '"glass half empty rather than a glass half full" man, adding that although he is a unionist he works for everyone in his area.

Full election results

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Fermanagh and Omagh District Council

40 seats

Change since 2014:

SF 15 (-2), UUP 9 (-), SDLP 5 (-3), DUP 5 (-), All 1 (+1), CCLA 1 (+1), Ind 4 (+3)

Turnout: 62 per cent

Enniskillen (Quota: 1,033)

Keith Elliott (DUP) 1,161

Paul Blake (SDLP) 955

Tommy Maguire (SF) 946

Debbie Coyle (SF) 761

Robert Irvine (UUP) 753

Donal O Cofaigh (Cross Community Labour Alternative) 720

Howard Thornton (UUP) 651

Donald Crawford (TUV) 492

Simon Wiggins (DUP) 340

Matthew Beaumont (All)

Debbie Coleman (Green)

Elected

Keith Elliott (DUP) 1st count


Paul Blake (SDLP) 4th count


Robert Irvine (UUP) 6th count


Howard Thornton (UUP) 6th count


Tommy Maguire (SF) 7th count


Donal O Cofaigh (CCLA) 7th count

Erne East (6 seats, Quota 1,209)

Paul Robinson (DUP) 1,382

Victor Warrington (UUP) 1,352

John McCluskey (Ind) 1,286

Sheamus Greene (SF) 1,032

Garbhan McPhillips (SDLP) 839

Thomas O’Reilly (SF) 829

Noeleen Hayes (SF) 738

Brian McCaffrey (SF) 620

Caroline Wheeler (Ind) 204

Gerry McHugh (Aontú) 174

Elected

Paul Robinson (DUP) 1st count


Victor Warrington (UUP) 1st count


John McCluskey (Ind) 1st count


Garbhan McPhillips (SDLP) 6th count


Sheamus Greene (SF) 6th count


Thomas O’Reilly (SF) 6th count

Erne North (5 seats, Quota 1,142)

Diana Armstrong (UUP) 1,186

Siobhan Currie (SF) 1,055

John Coyle (SDLP) 911

John Feely (SF) 769

David Mahon (DUP) 732

Deborah Armstrong (DUP) 668

John McClaughry (UUP) 630

Alex Elliott (TUV) 465

Diane Little (All) 413

Lewis Jennings (Democrats and Veterans Party) 20

Elected

Diana Armstrong (UUP) 1st count


John Coyle (SDLP) 2nd count


Siobhan Currie (SF) 3rd count


Deborah Armstrong (DUP) 7th count


John McClaughry (UUP) 7th count

Erne West (5 seats, Quota 1,231)

Alex Baird (UUP) 1,333

Anthony Feely (SF) 1,208

Bernice Swift (SF) 1,159

Chris McCaffrey (SF) 1,136

Fionnuala Leonard (SF) 879

Adam Gannon (SDLP) 611

Carol Johnston (DUP) 547

Trevor Armstrong (Ind) 512

Elected

Alex Baird (UUP) 1st count


Bernice Swift (SF) 3rd count


Anthony Feely (SF) 3rd count


Chris McCaffrey (SF) 4th count


Adam Gannon (SDLP) 4th count

Mid Tyrone (6 seats, Quota: 1,156)

Padraigin Kelly (SF) 995

Bert Wilson (UUP) 979

Catherine Kelly (SF) 964

James Managh (DUP) 931

Emmet McAleer (Ind) 897

Sean Clarke (SF) 889

Sean Donnelly (SF) 778

Bernard McGrath (SDLP) 598

Rosemarie Shields (Aontú) 464

Richard Bullick (All) 306

Kevin McColgan (SF) 287

Elected 

Emmet McAleer (Ind) 5th count


Padraigin Kelly (SF) 6th count


Bert Wilson (UUP) 6th count


Catherine Kelly (SF) 6th count


Sean Clarke (SF) 6th count


Sean Donnelly (SF) 6th count

Omagh (6 seats, Quota 910)

Errol Thompson (DUP) 970

Barry McElduff (SF) 900

Josephine Deehan (Ind) 728

Christopher Smyth (UUP) 633

Stephen Donnelly (All) 616

Anne Marie Fitzgerald (SF) 589

Marty McColgan (SF) 509

Jacinta McKeown (SDLP) 258

Lee Hawkes (SDLP) 256

Sorcha McAnespy (Ind) 194

Margaret Swift (Aontú) 182

Susan Glass (Green) 141

Joanne Donnelly (Ind) 128

Charles Chittick (TUV) 115

Barry Brown (Citizens Independent Social Thought Alliance) 101

Will Convey (Ind) 43

Elected

Errol Thompson (DUP) 1st count


Barry McElduff (SF) 4th count


Josephine Anne Deehan (Ind) 8th count


Christopher Smyth (UUP) 11th count


Stephen Donnelly (All) 11th count


Anne Marie Fitzgerald (SF) 11th count

West Tyrone (6 seats, Quota 1,079)

Mark Buchanan (DUP) 1,546

Allan Rainey (UUP) 1,095

Mary Garrity (SDLP) 1,047

Glenn Campbell (SF) 983

Stephen McCann (SF) 839

Ann-Marie Donnelly (SF) 752

Frankie Donnelly (SF) 653

Fia Cowan (All) 390

Cathal McCrory (Aontú) 242

Elected

Mark Buchanan (DUP) 1st count


Allan Rainey (UUP) 1st count


Mary Garrity (SDLP) 2nd count


Ann-Marie Donnelly (SF) 5th count


Glenn Campbell (SF) 5th count


Stephen McCann (SF) 6th coun