Sinn Fein takes Heart as Terry tops Slieve Gullion

Sinn Fein takes Heart as Terry tops Slieve Gullion

8 May 2019

SLIEVE Gullion was a triumph for Sinn Fein with the party picking up five of the seven seats up for grabs.

As in 2014, Terry Hearty once again topped the poll but his vote was down from 2,135 five years ago to 1,876 with the decrease part of Sinn Fein’s vote management strategy to collect a fifth seat which they missed out on five years ago when the SDLP’s Kate Loughran pipped Daire Hughes in the dying embers of the count.

There were no slip-ups from Sinn Fein this time, however, with Hearty elected on the first count alongside his stablemates, Mickey Larkin (1,646) and Oonagh Magennis (1,622).

Bara  Ó Muirí retained his seat, polling 1,351 first preference votes, while Roisin Mulgrew, who was Newry, Mourne and Down Council’s chairman two years ago, also elected. She polled 1,362 first preference votes.

Republicans were delighted to secure five seats which helped ensure that Sinn Fein is the biggest party in the council, stretching ahead of the SDLP for the first time, with 16 seats.

The SDLP’s Pete Byrne — who was contesting his first election —  polled 1,643 first preference votes and was also elected on the first count to the delight of his party.

But there was disappointment for the SDLP when Loughran, who left it late to secure the seventh seat in 2014, lost out, despite polling 1,059 first preference votes.

Sinn Fein’s party share of the vote increased slightly to 62.7% but the SDLP’s dipped from 23.25% to 21.6%. Alliance’s share was 2.9% after Balázs Gazdag polled 361 first preference votes — the party did not field a candidate in Slieve Gullion last lime round. The UUP and DUP share of the vote was 10.3% and 2.5% respectively.