# 1977 Magherafelt District Council election

Elections to Magherafelt District Council were held on 18 May 1977 on the same day as the other Northern Irish local government elections. The election used three district electoral areas to elect a total of 15 councillors.

## Election results

Magherafelt District Council Election Result 1977 :
| Party | Seats | Gains | Losses | Net gain/loss | Seats % | Votes % | Votes | +/− |
| SDLP | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 33.3 | 35.1 | 5,451 | 2.9 |
| UUP | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 26.7 | 20.1 | 3,127 | 9.0 |
| DUP | 3 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 20.0 | 18.7 | 2,897 | New |
| Republican Clubs | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 8.5 | 1,323 | 0.6 |
| UUUP | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6.7 | 6.3 | 972 | New |
| Ind. Nationalist | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6.7 | 4.4 | 685 | 0.8 |
| Alliance | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 4.7 | 727 | 0.1 |
| Unionist Party NI | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 1.2 | 181 | New |
| Vanguard | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 1.1 | 165 | 5.2 |
Note: "Votes" are the first preference votes.

## Districts summary

Results of the Magherafelt District Council election, 1977 by district :
| Ward | % | Cllrs | % | Cllrs | % | Cllrs | % | Cllrs | % | Cllrs | % | Cllrs | Total Cllrs |
| Ward | SDLP | SDLP | UUP | UUP | DUP | DUP | RC | RC | UUUP | UUUP | Others | Others | | Total Cllrs |
| Area A | 47.8 | 2 | 26.2 | 2 | 10.0 | 0 | 17.0 | 1 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 5 |
| Area B | 21.5 | 1 | 24.5 | 2 | 14.8 | 1 | 9.1 | 0 | 10.1 | 1 | 20.0 | 1 | 5 |
| Area C | 36.5 | 2 | 10.2 | 1 | 31.4 | 2 | 0.0 | 0 | 8.4 | 0 | 13.5 | 0 | 5 |
| Total | 35.1 | 5 | 20.1 | 4 | 18.7 | 3 | 8.5 | 1 | 6.3 | 1 | 11.3 | 1 | 15 |

## Districts results
### Area A

1973: 3 x SDLP, 1 x UUP, 1 x Republican Clubs 1977: 2 x SDLP, 2 x UUP, 1 x Republican Clubs 1973-1977 Change: UUP gain from SDLP
Magherafelt Area A - 5 seats :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
| | SDLP | Philip Bradley* | 24.87% | 1,243 | | | | | |
| | Republican Clubs | Francis Donnelly* | 11.20% | 560 | 619.4 | 682.76 | 844.92 | | |
| | UUP | Francis Thompson | 13.07% | 653 | 653 | 654 | 654 | 654 | 927 |
| | SDLP | Patrick Sweeney* | 13.81% | 690 | 789 | 806.08 | 830.32 | 832.48 | 832.48 |
| | UUP | John Henning | 13.13% | 656 | 656.72 | 656.72 | 656.72 | 657.08 | 827.24 |
| | SDLP | Francis McKendry | 9.10% | 455 | 674.24 | 676.24 | 689.92 | 692.44 | 693.52 |
| | DUP | Phyllis Charlton | 8.98% | 449 | 455.12 | 455.12 | 455.12 | 455.12 | |
| | Republican Clubs | Kevin Murphy | 3.86% | 193 | 213.52 | 225.88 | | | |
| | Republican Clubs | Peter Merron | 1.98% | 99 | 100.8 | | | | |
| Electorate: 6,853 Valid: 4,998 (72.93%) Spoilt: 285 Quota: 834 Turnout: 5,283 (77.09%) ||||||||||

### Area B

1973: 2 x UUP, 1 x SDLP, 1 x Vanguard, 1 x Independent Nationalist 1977: 1 x UUP, 1 x SDLP, 1 x DUP, 1 x UUUP, 1 x Independent Nationalist 1973-1977 Change: DUP and UUUP gain from UUP and Vanguard
Magherafelt Area B - 5 seats :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
| | DUP | Matthew Hyndman | 14.81% | 768 | 809 | 812 | 812 | 812 | 960 | | | | | | |
| | Ind. Nationalist | Vincent O'Neill* | 13.21% | 685 | 685 | 698 | 712 | 753 | 753 | 753 | 912 | | | | |
| | UUP | Thomas Kelso* | 11.27% | 584 | 647 | 667 | 667 | 667 | 713 | 726 | 727 | 986 | | | |
| | UUUP | Robert Overend | 10.13% | 525 | 545 | 597 | 597 | 597 | 686 | 760.75 | 761.75 | 914.75 | | | |
| | SDLP | Patrick Scullion* | 9.82% | 509 | 509 | 530 | 568 | 602 | 602 | 602 | 651 | 654 | 658 | 661 | 685.96 |
| | SDLP | John Madden | 7.29% | 378 | 379 | 388 | 405 | 566 | 566 | 566 | 626 | 630 | 637 | 639 | 660.32 |
| | UUP | Robert Shiels | 7.35% | 381 | 393 | 414 | 414 | 414 | 451 | 456.85 | 461.85 | | | | |
| | Republican Clubs | Murty Dorrity | 5.42% | 281 | 283 | 289 | 397 | 402 | 402 | 402 | | | | | |
| | UUP | David Porte | 5.90% | 306 | 321 | 326 | 328 | 328 | | | | | | | |
| | SDLP | Frank McWilliams | 4.38% | 227 | 227 | 234 | 243 | | | | | | | | |
| | Republican Clubs | Michael Scullion | 3.67% | 190 | 190 | 198 | | | | | | | | | |
| | Alliance | Thomas Smyth | 3.57% | 185 | 190 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Vanguard | Ian Davidson* | 3.18% | 165 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Electorate: 6,757 Valid: 5,184 (76.72%) Spoilt: 192 Quota: 865 Turnout: 5,376 (79.56%) ||||||||||||||||

### Area C

1973: 2 x SDLP, 2 x UUP, 1 x United Loyalist 1977: 2 x SDLP, 2 x DUP, 1 x UUP 1973-1977 Change: DUP gain from UUP, United Loyalist joins DUP
Magherafelt Area C - 5 seats :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
| | DUP | William McCrea* | 24.73% | 1,322 | | | | | | | |
| | SDLP | Michael O'Neill* | 14.65% | 783 | 783 | 791 | 791 | 793 | 1,012 | | |
| | SDLP | William Conaghan | 15.23% | 814 | 814.32 | 819.32 | 820.32 | 820.32 | 920.32 | | |
| | DUP | George Miller | 6.70% | 358 | 665.2 | 665.54 | 682.84 | 772.04 | 772.04 | 772.04 | 980.04 |
| | UUP | Thomas Bradley* | 10.23% | 547 | 575.8 | 578.8 | 657.12 | 686.88 | 686.88 | 689.88 | 839.36 |
| | Alliance | Wilfred Brennan | 8.75% | 468 | 474.08 | 519.4 | 551.4 | 555.04 | 570.04 | 670.04 | 697.88 |
| | UUUP | Robert Ditty | 4.86% | 260 | 294.88 | 294.88 | 333.84 | 434.92 | 435.92 | 435.92 | |
| | SDLP | Joseph Walls | 6.58% | 352 | 352 | 358 | 358 | 362 | | | |
| | UUUP | Ruby Speer | 3.50% | 187 | 227.96 | 227.96 | 234.28 | | | | |
| | Unionist Party NI | William Galway* | 3.39% | 181 | 182.92 | 182.92 | | | | | |
| | Alliance | George Logue | 1.38% | 74 | 74.64 | | | | | | |
| Electorate: 7,307 Valid: 5,346 (73.16%) Spoilt: 272 Quota: 892 Turnout: 5,618 (76.89%) ||||||||||||