South Down

Map by Conal Kelly

This constituency was much cut down from the old South Down. It included all of Down district, and also parts of Banbridge and Newry & Mourne. Most of the old South Down constituency survived as the new South Down after 1995, with some territory lost to Strangford. The Member of Parliament elected in 1983 was Enoch Powell (UUP); he was reelected in the 1986 by-election but lost his seat to Eddie McGrady (SDLP) in 1987. McGrady was reelected in 1992.

See spreadsheets for 1983, 1987 and 1992.

Election results, 1983-1992

9 April 1992

Eddie McGrady MP (Social Democratic and Labour Party) 31,523 (51.2%)
Drew Nelson (Ulster Unionist Party) 25,181 (40.9%)
Sean Fitzpatrick (Sinn Féin) 1,843 (3%)
Michael Healy (Alliance Party of Northern Ireland) 1,542 (2.5%)
Jane McKenzie-Hill (Conservative Party) 1,488 (2.4%)

Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) majority: 6342; Electorate: 76,186; Turnout: (80.8%)

11 June 1987

Eddie McGrady (Social Democratic and Labour Party) 26,579 (57.0%)
Enoch Powell MP (Ulster Unionist Party) 25,848 (45.7%)
Geraldine Ritchie (Sinn Féin) 2,363 (4.2%)
Siobhan Laird (Alliance Party of Northern Ireland) 1,069 (1.9%)
Dessie O'Hagan(Workers Party) 675 (1.2%)

Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) majority: 731; Electorate: 71,443; Turnout: 79.6%

23 January 1986

Enoch Powell MP (Ulster Unionist Party) 24,963 (48.4%)
Eddie McGrady (Social Democratic and Labour Party) 23,121 (44.9%)
Hugh McDowell (Sinn Féin) 2,936 (5.7%)
Sean Magee (Workers' Party) 522 (1.0%)

Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) majority 1,842; Electorate 70,108; Turnout 74.0%

9 June 1983

Enoch Powell MP (Ulster Unionist Party) 20,693 (40.3%)
@Eddie McGrady (Social Democratic and Labour Party) 20,145 (39.2%)
Patrick Fitzsimmons (Sinn Féin) 4,074 (7.9%)
Cecil Harvey (Democratic Unionist Party) 3,743 (7.3%)
Patrick Forde (Alliance Party of Northern Ireland) 1,823 (3.6%)
Margaret Magee (Workers Party) 851 (1.7%)

Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) majority: 548; Electorate:66,987; Turnout: 76.6%

See also:

Results from 1983 to 1995 for each seat: East Belfast | North Belfast | South Belfast | West Belfast | East Antrim | North Antrim | South Antrim | North Down | South Down | Fermanagh and South Tyrone | Foyle | Lagan Valley | East Londonderry | Mid Ulster | Newry and Armagh | Strangford | Upper Bann

Other sites based at ARK: ORB (Online Research Bank) | CAIN (Conflict Archive on the INternet) | Northern Ireland Life and Times Survey

Your comments, please! Send an email to me at nicholas.whyte@gmail.com.

Nicholas Whyte, 21 October 2000; modified 16 February 2002.