# Downshire (District Electoral Area)

Downshire was one of the district electoral areas in Lisburn, Northern Ireland which existed from 1985 to 2014. It was one of four Lisburn DEAs until 1993, and one of five until 2014. The district elected seven members to Lisburn City Council from 1985 to 1993, and five members from 1993 to 2014, and formed part of Lagan Valley constituencies for the Northern Ireland Assembly and UK Parliament.
It was created for the 1985 local elections, replacing Lisburn Area B and part of Lisburn Area C which had existed since 1973, and contained the wards of Ballymacashbrennan, Blaris, Dromara, Drumbo, Hillhall, Hillsborough and Maze. For the 1993 local elections, it was reduced by two wards as Blaris and Hillhall were transferred to the new Lisburn South DEA. It was abolished for the 2014 local elections and most of the area was transferred to the new Downshire East DEA and Downshire West DEA.

## Councillors

| Election | Councillor (Party) | Councillor (Party) | Councillor (Party) | Councillor (Party) | Councillor (Party) | Councillor (Party) | Councillor (Party) | Councillor (Party) | Councillor (Party) |
| 2011 | Jennifer Coulter (Alliance) | James Baird (UUP) | Paul Stewart (DUP) | Allan Ewart (DUP) | Uel Mackin (DUP) | 7 seats 1985–1993 | 7 seats 1985–1993 | 7 seats 1985–1993 | 7 seats 1985–1993 |
| 2005 | Elizabeth Campbell (Alliance) | William Ward (UUP) | Basil McCrea (UUP) | Allan Ewart (DUP) | Edwin Poots (DUP) | 7 seats 1985–1993 | 7 seats 1985–1993 | 7 seats 1985–1993 | 7 seats 1985–1993 |
| 2001 | Elizabeth Campbell (Alliance) | William Ward (UUP) | William Falloon (UUP) | James Baird (UUP) | Edwin Poots (DUP) | 7 seats 1985–1993 | 7 seats 1985–1993 | 7 seats 1985–1993 | 7 seats 1985–1993 |
| 1997 | Elizabeth Campbell (Alliance) | Kenneth Hull (UUP) | William Falloon (UUP) | William Bleakes (Conservative)/ (UUP) | Edwin Poots (DUP) | 7 seats 1985–1993 | 7 seats 1985–1993 | 7 seats 1985–1993 | 7 seats 1985–1993 |
| 1993 | Thomas Lilburn (UUP) | William McConnell (UUP) | William Falloon (UUP) | William Bleakes (Conservative)/ (UUP) | Charles Poots (DUP) | 7 seats 1985–1993 | 7 seats 1985–1993 | 7 seats 1985–1993 | 7 seats 1985–1993 |
| 1989 | Thomas Lilburn (UUP) | Wilfred McClung (UUP) | Thomas Davis (UUP)/ (DUP) | William Bleakes (Conservative)/ (UUP) | Charles Poots (DUP) | | Anne Blake (DUP) | | Kenneth Hull (Alliance) |
| 1985 | Thomas Lilburn (UUP) | Wilfred McClung (UUP) | Thomas Davis (UUP)/ (DUP) | William Bleakes (Conservative)/ (UUP) | Charles Poots (DUP) | | Denis McCarroll (DUP) | | Richard Reid (Alliance) |

## 2011 Election

2005: 2 x DUP, 2 x UUP, 1 x Alliance
2011: 3 x DUP, 1 x UUP, 1 x Alliance
2005-2011 Change: DUP gain from UUP
Downshire - 5 seats :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| | DUP | Allan Ewart* | 20.09% | 1,591 | | | | | | |
| | DUP | Paul Stewart | 19.64% | 1,555 | | | | | | |
| | DUP | Uel Mackin | 12.51% | 1,070 | 1,297.46 | 1,486.91 | | | | |
| | Alliance | Jennifer Coulter* | 14.13% | 1,136 | 1,142.12 | 1,147.82 | 1,156.82 | 1,173.82 | 1,194.59 | 1,393.59 |
| | UUP | James Baird | 13.28% | 1,052 | 1,065.94 | 1,081.99 | 1,143.64 | 1,143.64 | 1,248.96 | 1,266.03 |
| | UUP | Alasdair O'Hara | 5.62% | 445 | 449.59 | 453.64 | 465.49 | 466.49 | 520.82 | 532.12 |
| | UUP | Richard Price | 5.11% | 405 | 411.12 | 418.77 | 440.52 | 441.52 | 490.23 | 499.98 |
| | SDLP | Christine Wilson | 3.40% | 269 | 269.68 | 271.78 | 273.58 | 348.75 | 352.2 | |
| | TUV | Kaye Kilpatrick | 3.65% | 289 | 294.78 | 297.18 | 307.68 | 308.68 | | |
| | Sinn Féin | Fionnu McCaughley | 1.35% | 107 | 107.34 | 107.49 | 107.49 | | | |
| Electorate: 13,764 Valid: 7,919 (57.53%) Spoilt: 114 Quota: 1,320 Turnout: 8,033 (58.36%) |||||||||||

## 2005 Election

2001: 3 x UUP, 1 x DUP, 1 x Alliance
2005: 2 x DUP, 2 x UUP, 1 x Alliance
2001-2005 Change: DUP gain from UUP
Downshire - 5 seats :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
| | DUP | Edwin Poots* | 23.43% | 1,929 | | | | | |
| | UUP | Basil McCrea | 19.45% | 1,601 | | | | | |
| | DUP | Allan Ewart | 18.25% | 1,502 | | | | | |
| | UUP | William Ward* | 7.73% | 636 | 672.54 | 710.48 | 888.5 | 890.34 | 1,421.13 |
| | Alliance | Elizabeth Campbell* | 13.20% | 1,087 | 1,097.44 | 1,123.62 | 1,221.84 | 1,222.8 | 1,325.67 |
| | DUP | Joseph Lockhart | 7.01% | 577 | 1,008.52 | 1,017.62 | 1,040.93 | 1,153.81 | 1,247.23 |
| | UUP | James Baird* | 6.79% | 559 | 603.37 | 674.91 | 780.97 | 783.45 | |
| | UUP | William Scott | 2.88% | 237 | 257.01 | 330.79 | | | |
| | Sinn Féin | David Hall | 1.26% | 104 | 105.16 | 105.44 | | | |
| Electorate: 12,797 Valid: 8,232 (64.33%) Spoilt: 114 Quota: 1,373 Turnout: 8,346 (65.22%) ||||||||||

## 2001 Election

1997: 2 x UUP, 1 x DUP, 1 x Alliance, 1 x Conservative
2001: 3 x UUP, 1 x DUP, 1 x Alliance
1997-2001 Change: UUP gain from Conservative
Downshire - 5 seats :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| | DUP | Edwin Poots* | 23.65% | 2,006 | | | | |
| | UUP | James Baird | 17.76% | 1,507 | | | | |
| | Alliance | Elizabeth Campbell* | 14.16% | 1,201 | 1,208.2 | 1,350.1 | 1,483.1 | |
| | UUP | William Ward | 14.06% | 1,193 | 1,273.7 | 1,315.9 | 1,460.9 | |
| | UUP | William Falloon* | 11.87% | 1,007 | 1,055.6 | 1,100 | 1,308.5 | 1,382.48 |
| | DUP | Allan Ewart | 7.45% | 632 | 1,025.3 | 1,044 | 1,159.2 | 1,168.44 |
| | Independent | William Bleakes* | 7.18% | 609 | 650.1 | 691.7 | | |
| | UUP | Joanne Johnston | 2.56% | 217 | 255.4 | | | |
| | Sinn Féin | Cara McCann | 1.31% | 111 | 111.3 | | | |
| Electorate: 12,983 Valid: 8,483 (65.34%) Spoilt: 119 Quota: 1,414 Turnout: 8,602 (66.26%) |||||||||

## 1997 Election

1993: 3 x UUP, 1 x DUP, 1 x Conservative
1997: 2 x UUP, 1 x DUP, 1 x Alliance, 1 x Conservative
1997-2001 Change: Alliance gain from UUP
Downshire - 5 seats :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| | UUP | William Falloon* | 25.06% | 1,328 | | | |
| | DUP | Edwin Poots | 19.65% | 1,041 | | | |
| | Alliance | Elizabeth Campbell | 17.02% | 902 | | | |
| | NI Conservatives | William Bleakes* | 15.97% | 846 | 784.9 | | |
| | UUP | Kenneth Hull | 6.64% | 352 | 637.6 | 647.05 | 945.05 |
| | DUP | Jonathan Craig | 8.32% | 441 | 457.66 | 567.16 | 608.16 |
| | UUP | William Moore | 7.34% | 389 | 500.18 | 519.38 | |
| Electorate: 12,872 Valid: 5,299 (41.17%) Spoilt: 81 Quota: 884 Turnout: 5,380 (41.80%) ||||||||

## 1993 Election

1989: 4 x UUP, 2 x DUP, 1 x Alliance
1993: 3 x UUP, 1 x DUP, 1 x Conservative
1989-1993 Change: DUP and Alliance loss due to the reduction of two seats, Conservative leaves UUP
Downshire - 5 seats :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| | UUP | Thomas Lilburn* | 18.38% | 1,104 | | | | |
| | DUP | Charles Poots* | 16.49% | 990 | 1,030 | | | |
| | NI Conservatives | William Bleakes* | 15.73% | 945 | 999 | 1,010.61 | | |
| | UUP | William Falloon* | 13.62% | 818 | 863 | 907.91 | 1,042.91 | |
| | UUP | William McConnell | 9.64% | 579 | 601 | 632.41 | 868.02 | 906.02 |
| | Alliance | Kenneth Hull* | 13.25% | 796 | 811 | 813.34 | 831.7 | 833.6 |
| | DUP | James McCann | 8.18% | 491 | 552 | 557.67 | | |
| | Ulster Democratic | David Adams | 8.18% | 283 | | | | |
| Electorate: 12,290 Valid: 6,006 (48.87%) Spoilt: 124 Quota: 1,002 Turnout: 6,130 (49.88%) |||||||||

## 1989 Election

1985: 3 x UUP, 3 x DUP, 1 x Alliance
1989: 4 x UUP, 2 x DUP, 1 x Alliance
1985-1989 Change: UUP gain from DUP
Downshire - 7 seats :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| | UUP | William Bleakes* | 28.40% | 2,297 | | | | | | |
| | UUP | Thomas Lilburn* | 13.40% | 1,084 | | | | | | |
| | DUP | Charles Poots* | 12.88% | 1,042 | | | | | | |
| | DUP | Anne Blake | 12.34% | 998 | 1,125.11 | | | | | |
| | UUP | Thomas Davis | 8.24% | 666 | 992.61 | 995.18 | 1,018.55 | | | |
| | UUP | Wilfred Corfield-McClung* | 2.11% | 171 | 634.98 | 636.98 | 682.01 | 705.11 | 706.88 | 1,023.51 |
| | Alliance | Kenneth Hull | 10.78% | 872 | 910.76 | 951.33 | 951.9 | 956.59 | 956.95 | 1,000.61 |
| | DUP | James McCann | 7.10% | 574 | 637.84 | 641.84 | 658.37 | 666.42 | 689.88 | 816.42 |
| | UUP | John Curry | 3.96% | 320 | 572.51 | 575.51 | 601.16 | 633.78 | 636.39 | |
| | Workers' Party | Patrick Pollock | 0.78% | 63 | 64.71 | | | | | |
| Electorate: 15,814 Valid: 8,087 (51.14%) Spoilt: 175 Quota: 1,011 Turnout: 8,262 (52.24%) |||||||||||

## 1985 Election

1985: 3 x UUP, 3 x DUP, 1 x Alliance
Downshire - 7 seats :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| | UUP | William Bleakes* | 27.49% | 2,244 | | | | |
| | DUP | Charles Poots* | 13.34% | 1,089 | | | | |
| | UUP | Thomas Lilburn* | 11.63% | 949 | 1,587.82 | | | |
| | UUP | Wilfred McClung | 2.57% | 210 | 325.02 | 580.7 | 682.56 | 1,037.86 |
| | Alliance | Richard Reid | 11.69% | 954 | 984.24 | 992.4 | 992.94 | 1,026.94 |
| | DUP | Thomas Davis | 9.63% | 786 | 925.32 | 949.32 | 963.78 | 1,025.06 |
| | DUP | Denis McCarroll* | 10.49% | 856 | 960.76 | 990.52 | 1,006.06 | 1,023.06 |
| | DUP | James McCann* | 8.15% | 665 | 725.48 | 746.12 | 772.64 | 772.64 |
| | UUP | William Gardiner-Watson* | 5.02% | 410 | 525.02 | 647.42 | 652.28 | |
| Electorate: 14,092 Valid: 8,163 (57.93%) Spoilt: 141 Quota: 1,021 Turnout: 8,304 (58.93%) |||||||||