# 1981 Omagh District Council election

Elections to Omagh District Council were held on 20 May 1981 on the same day as the other Northern Irish local government elections. The election used four district electoral areas to elect a total of 20 councillors.

## Election results

Omagh District Council Election Result 1981 :
| Party | Seats | Gains | Losses | Net gain/loss | Seats % | Votes % | Votes | +/− |
| SDLP | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 25.0 | 25.0 | 5,413 | 4.6 |
| Irish Independence | 5 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 25.0 | 22.2 | 4,809 | New |
| UUP | 4 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 20.0 | 19.5 | 4,216 | 16.4 |
| DUP | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20.0 | 16.6 | 3,596 | New |
| Alliance | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 10.0 | 9.0 | 1,951 | 7.0 |
| Independent | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 2.8 | 604 | 2.8 |
| Republican Clubs | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0.0 | 1.9 | 407 | 2.3 |
| Ind. Republican | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 1.7 | 375 | 1.7 |
| Ind. Unionist | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 1.2 | 270 | 1.2 |
Note: "Votes" are the first preference votes.

## Districts summary

Results of the Omagh District Council election, 1981 by district :
| Ward | % | Cllrs | % | Cllrs | % | Cllrs | % | Cllrs | % | Cllrs | % | Cllrs | Total Cllrs |
| Ward | SDLP | SDLP | IIP | IIP | UUP | UUP | DUP | DUP | Alliance | Alliance | Others | Others | | Total Cllrs |
| Area A | 32.2 | 2 | 23.3 | 1 | 24.5 | 1 | 14.8 | 1 | 1.6 | 0 | 3.6 | 0 | 5 |
| Area B | 8.7 | 0 | 13.8 | 1 | 25.4 | 1 | 17.0 | 1 | 12.6 | 1 | 22.5 | 0 | 4 |
| Area C | 30.3 | 2 | 17.9 | 1 | 17.4 | 2 | 19.3 | 1 | 14.1 | 1 | 1.0 | 0 | 7 |
| Area D | 23.6 | 1 | 37.7 | 2 | 10.2 | 0 | 13.8 | 1 | 5.6 | 0 | 9.1 | 0 | 4 |
| Total | 25.0 | 5 | 22.2 | 5 | 19.5 | 4 | 16.6 | 4 | 9.0 | 2 | 7.7 | 0 | 20 |

## Districts results
### Area A

1977: 2 x SDLP, 2 x UUP, 1 x Independent Nationalist 1981: 2 x SDLP, 1 x UUP, 1 x IIP, 1 x DUP 1977-1981 Change: IIP and DUP gain from UUP and Independent Nationalist
Omagh Area A - 5 seats :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| | UUP | Arthur McFarland* | 15.54% | 846 | 935 | | | | | |
| | SDLP | Liam McQuaid* | 15.43% | 840 | 858 | 859 | 1,148 | | | |
| | Irish Independence | Charles McElholm | 14.16% | 771 | 778 | 780 | 788 | 799.05 | 1,151.05 | |
| | SDLP | John Skelton* | 9.88% | 538 | 550 | 550 | 625 | 841.75 | 943.75 | |
| | DUP | Ivan Foster | 8.71% | 474 | 518 | 800 | 800 | 800 | 807 | 810 |
| | UUP | William Montgomery | 9.00% | 490 | 538 | 577 | 577 | 577 | 577 | 580 |
| | Irish Independence | John Fahy | 9.11% | 496 | 510 | 512 | 520 | 530.2 | | |
| | SDLP | Vincent O'Brien | 6.91% | 376 | 391 | 392 | | | | |
| | DUP | George Thompson | 6.06% | 330 | 345 | | | | | |
| | Ind. Unionist | Cecil Anderson* | 3.60% | 196 | | | | | | |
| | Alliance | Dermot McCormick | 1.60% | 87 | | | | | | |
| Electorate: 6,459 Valid: 5,444 (84.29%) Spoilt: 166 Quota: 908 Turnout: 5,610 (86.86%) |||||||||||

### Area B

1977: 2 x UUP, 1 x Alliance, 1 x Independent Nationalist 1981: 1 x UUP, 1 x Alliance, 1 x DUP, 1 x IIP 1977-1981 Change: DUP gain from UUP, Independent Nationalist joins IIP
Omagh Area B - 4 seats :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| | Irish Independence | Patrick Donnelly* | 13.81% | 623 | 623 | 715 | 1,014 | | | |
| | UUP | Robert Moses | 13.23% | 597 | 616 | 618 | 619 | 619 | 1,101 | |
| | DUP | James McConnell | 11.35% | 512 | 709 | 710 | 710 | 710 | 802.5 | 966.02 |
| | Alliance | Patrick Bogan* | 12.64% | 570 | 570 | 674 | 768 | 825 | 833 | 866.6 |
| | Independent | John Mullin | 13.39% | 604 | 605 | 643 | 742 | 793.75 | 794.75 | 794.75 |
| | UUP | John Hutchinson | 12.21% | 551 | 586 | 587 | 587 | 588.5 | | |
| | Republican Clubs | Tommy Owens | 9.02% | 407 | 407 | 539 | | | | |
| | SDLP | Eugene Donnelly | 8.71% | 393 | 394 | | | | | |
| | DUP | William McFarland | 5.63% | 254 | | | | | | |
| Electorate: 5,332 Valid: 4,511 (84.60%) Spoilt: 120 Quota: 903 Turnout: 4,631 (86.85%) |||||||||||

### Area C

1977: 3 x SDLP, 3 x UUP, 1 x Alliance 1981: 2 x SDLP, 2 x UUP, 1 x Alliance, 1 x DUP, 1 x IIP 1977-1981 Change: DUP and IIP gain from SDLP and UUP
Omagh Area C - 7 seats :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| | Irish Independence | Patrick Fahy | 15.77% | 1,185 | | | | | | |
| | DUP | Oliver Gibson | 13.65% | 1,026 | | | | | | |
| | SDLP | Bernadette Grant* | 10.88% | 818 | 839.84 | 840.08 | 843.08 | 847.18 | 849.39 | ???? |
| | Alliance | Aidan Lagan* | 9.62% | 723 | 744 | 744.8 | 753.8 | 766.53 | 769.53 | ???? |
| | UUP | John Ashenhurst | 8.70% | 654 | 654 | 658.16 | 668.24 | 668.24 | 750.2 | ???? |
| | UUP | William Thompson | 6.08% | 457 | 457 | 461.72 | 468.8 | 468.8 | 548.2 | ???? |
| | SDLP | Stephen McKenna* | 6.83% | 513 | 526.23 | 526.39 | 526.39 | 536.75 | 536.75 | ???? |
| | SDLP | Patrick McGowan | 6.60% | 496 | 503.98 | 503.98 | 504.98 | 512.87 | 512.87 | ???? |
| | SDLP | Arthur Breen | 6.03% | 453 | 464.13 | 464.13 | 464.13 | 471.39 | 473.39 | ???? |
| | Alliance | Richard Hinds | 4.47% | 336 | 336.42 | 336.74 | 337.74 | 337.74 | 339.74 | ???? |
| | DUP | William Caldwell | 4.45% | 251 | 251.21 | 281.77 | 292.25 | 292.25 | 305.81 | ???? |
| | Irish Independence | Michael Kelly | 1.05% | 79 | 179.38 | 179.38 | 181.38 | 273.99 | 273.99 | ???? |
| | DUP | James Mitchell | 2.30% | 173 | 173 | 209.8 | 224.2 | 224.2 | 238.92 | ???? |
| | UUP | Alfred Barnett* | 2.58% | 194 | 194.21 | 196.93 | 203.93 | 203.93 | | |
| | Irish Independence | Francis Loughran | 1.10% | 83 | 146.21 | 146.21 | 147.21 | | | |
| | Ind. Unionist | Edward Sayers | 0.98% | 74 | 74 | 75.04 | | | | |
| Electorate: 10,778 Valid: 7,515 (69.73%) Spoilt: 166 Quota: 940 Turnout: 7,681 (71.27%) |||||||||||
* Data missing from stage 7 onwards

### Area D

1977: 1 x SDLP, 1 x UUP, 1 x Alliance, 1 x Republican Clubs 1981: 2 x IIP, 1 x SDLP, 1 x DUP 1977-1981 Change: IIP (two seats) and DUP gain from UUP, Alliance and Republican Clubs
Omagh Area D - 7 seats :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
| | Irish Independence | Francis Conway | 23.59% | 984 | | | | | | | | |
| | SDLP | Brendan Martin* | 15.42% | 643 | 654.1 | 691.3 | 760.4 | 906.4 | | | | |
| | DUP | Willis Cooke | 13.81% | 576 | 576.9 | 576.9 | 582.9 | 584.9 | 584.9 | 983.9 | | |
| | Irish Independence | Brian McGrath | 7.26% | 303 | 371.4 | 375.85 | 382.95 | 457.5 | 636.85 | 642 | 652 | 684 |
| | Ind. Republican | Francis McElroy* | 8.99% | 375 | 386.1 | 395.55 | 448.05 | 489.85 | 575.95 | 583.1 | 594.1 | 626.1 |
| | UUP | John Johnston* | 10.24% | 427 | 427.6 | 427.6 | 466.6 | 467.6 | 467.75 | | | |
| | Irish Independence | Patrick Walsh | 6.83% | 285 | 312.75 | 315.2 | 324.95 | 325.85 | | | | |
| | SDLP | Patrick McCrory | 5.39% | 225 | 232.8 | 282.7 | 323.2 | | | | | |
| | Alliance | John Hadden* | 5.63% | 235 | 243.7 | 257.15 | | | | | | |
| | SDLP | John McSherry | 2.83% | 118 | 122.05 | | | | | | | |
| Electorate: 5,408 Valid: 4,171 (77.13%) Spoilt: 160 Quota: 835 Turnout: 4,331 (80.09%) |||||||||||||