Newry and Armagh
2005 Result:
SF: 20965 (41.4%)
SDLP: 12770 (25.2%)
DUP: 9311 (18.4%)
UU: 7025 (13.9%)
Ind: 625 (1.2%)
Majority: 8195 (16.2%)
No boundary changes
Profile: Contains the two cities of Newry and Armagh themselves and the south of County Armagh reaching down to the border with the Republic, what was once IRA bandit country where British troops feared to patrol. The deep south of this seat, Newry and towns like Crossmaglen and Bessbrook is solidly Catholic and generally associated with deprivation and poverty. To the north Armagh - the seat of Ireland’s protestant and catholic Archbishops - is more divided and the towns and villages of the north of the constituency towards the boundary with Upper Bann - places like Laurelvale and the crisp-manufacturing town of Tandragee - are staunchly protestant.
With a two-thirds Catholic majority overall Newry and Armagh is a strongly nationalist seat, though was briefly held by the UUP from 1983 thanks to a split in the nationalist vote. When the Unionist MPs resigned en masse in 1986 in protest at the Anglo-Irish Agreement it was the only seat that fell to the SDLP in the consequent by-elections. The unionist vote has further declined here since then, and even a single unionist candidate against a split nationalist vote would be unlikely to stand a chance now. It has been held by Sinn Fein since the retirement of the SDLP’s Seamus Mallon in 2005. It returns 3 Sinn Fein, 1 SDLP, 1 UUP and 1 DUP to the Assembly.
Current MP: Conor Murphy (Sinn Fein) born 1963, Newry. Educated at St. Colman’s College and Queens University of Belfast. Sentenced to 5 years imprisonment in 1982 for IRA membership and possession of explosives. Newry and Armagh councillor 1989-1997. Assemblymember since 1998. First elected as MP for Newry and Armagh in 2005.
5 Responses
Cities of London and Westminster
Seamus Mallon only just held on in 2001, and Conor Murphy is a popular local man who is building a personal vote. I don’t see this going back to anyone else and he may even get an absolute majority.
March 27th, 2008 at 9:31 pmSheffield Central
Clearly an SF hold. Will the DUP beat the SDLP into second place? A quick look at the 2007 Assembly result suggests not, as the DUP fell back even behind the UUP, but it’s safe to assume that in a general election, they’d take the 6% which went to hardliner Willie Frazer and ex-DUPer Paul Berry. This would place them only 1% behind the SDLP.
April 22nd, 2008 at 5:57 pmBradford South
This seat has done what Down South has done since 1987.
April 22nd, 2008 at 7:36 pm“This seat has done what Down South has done since 1987. :(”
Finally… an english person who isn’t delighted with SF advances
May 13th, 2008 at 10:50 pmRuislip Northwood
I think most English people are not delighted with Sinn Fein advances. I must admit I dont quite understand what votedave means. This seat hasnt done what South Down has done, since Sinn Fein havent gained that seat
May 13th, 2008 at 11:00 pm