# 1985 Newry and Mourne District Council election

Elections to Newry and Mourne District Council were held on 15 May 1985 on the same day as the other Northern Irish local government elections. The election used five district electoral areas to elect a total of 30 councillors.

## Election results

Newry and Mourne District Council Election Result 1985 :
| Party | Seats | Gains | Losses | Net gain/loss | Seats % | Votes % | Votes | +/− |
| SDLP | 14 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 46.7 | 40.9 | 14,013 | 0.8 |
| UUP | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 23.3 | 20.2 | 6,931 | 1.5 |
| Sinn Féin | 5 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 16.7 | 18.5 | 6,347 | New |
| DUP | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6.7 | 7.8 | 2,772 | 1.7 |
| Ind. Nationalist | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3.3 | 4.4 | 1,510 | 3.1 |
| Irish Independence | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 3.3 | 4.2 | 1,461 | 7.2 |
| Workers' Party | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 1.5 | 498 | 0.5 |
| Alliance | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 356 | 2.6 |
| Independent | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.7 | 258 | 2.6 |
| Ind. Republican | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.6 | 187 | 1.6 |
| Independent Labour | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 30 | 0.0 |
Note: "Votes" are the first preference votes.

## Districts summary

Results of the Newry and Mourne District Council election, 1985 by district :
| Ward | % | Cllrs | % | Cllrs | % | Cllrs | % | Cllrs | % | Cllrs | % | Cllrs | Total Cllrs |
| Ward | SDLP | SDLP | UUP | UUP | Sinn Féin | Sinn Féin | DUP | DUP | IIP | IIP | Others | Others | | Total Cllrs |
| Crotlieve | 54.2 | 4 | 18.0 | 2 | 0.0 | 0 | 6.9 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 20.9 | 1 | 7 |
| Newry Town | 45.0 | 4 | 12.6 | 1 | 19.3 | 1 | 0.0 | 0 | 15.3 | 1 | 7.8 | 0 | 7 |
| Slieve Gullion | 44.8 | 3 | 0.0 | 0 | 47.5 | 2 | 0.0 | 0 | 4.6 | 0 | 3.1 | 0 | 5 |
| The Fews | 30.9 | 2 | 35.0 | 2 | 18.9 | 1 | 7.9 | 1 | 0.8 | 0 | 6.5 | 0 | 6 |
| The Mournes | 26.6 | 1 | 34.2 | 2 | 12.8 | 1 | 26.4 | 1 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 5 |
| Total | 40.9 | 14 | 20.2 | 7 | 18.5 | 5 | 7.8 | 2 | 4.2 | 1 | 8.4 | 1 | 30 |

## District results
### Crotlieve

1985: 4 x SDLP, 2 x UUP, 1 x Independent Nationalist
Crotlieve - 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 |
| | SDLP | P. J. Bradley* | 22.09% | 1,717 | | | | | | | | |
| | SDLP | Jim McCart* | 11.63% | 904 | 1,138.08 | | | | | | | |
| | UUP | Violet Cromie* | 10.92% | 849 | 855.6 | 855.6 | 856.04 | 1,238.04 | | | | |
| | SDLP | Brian Mulligan* | 8.17% | 635 | 781.08 | 826.65 | 861.05 | 863.05 | 864.59 | 1,079.59 | | |
| | SDLP | Patrick Harper* | 7.22% | 561 | 732.6 | 761.74 | 785.36 | 785.36 | 785.36 | 1,003.97 | | |
| | UUP | William McCoy | 7.04% | 547 | 548.76 | 549.38 | 560.13 | 699.13 | 961.7 | 974.7 | | |
| | Ind. Nationalist | Ciaran Mussen | 8.77% | 682 | 708.84 | 715.35 | 754.43 | 755.43 | 755.43 | 781.36 | 800.36 | 804.7 |
| | Ind. Nationalist | Sean Tinnelly | 7.74% | 602 | 613.88 | 616.36 | 718.07 | 718.07 | 718.07 | 760.02 | 790.02 | 793.43 |
| | SDLP | Liam Trainor* | 5.06% | 393 | 500.36 | 568.25 | 657.02 | 657.02 | 657.79 | | | |
| | DUP | William Sterritt* | 6.91% | 537 | 537 | 537 | 539 | | | | | |
| | Independent | Francis Price | 2.26% | 176 | 190.96 | 194.68 | | | | | | |
| | Workers' Party | Henry Smyth | 1.81% | 141 | 149.36 | 153.7 | | | | | | |
| | Independent Labour | Johnny Ward | 0.39% | 30 | 33.52 | 35.07 | | | | | | |
| Electorate: 12,132 Valid: 7,774 (64.08%) Spoilt: 231 Quota: 972 Turnout: 8,005 (65.98%) |||||||||||||

### Newry Town

1985: 4 x SDLP, 1 x Sinn Féin, 1 x IIP, 1 x UUP
Newry Town - 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 | Eugene Markey* | 13.52% | 1,003 | | | | | | | | |
| | UUP | William McCaigue* | 12.64% | 938 | | | | | | | | |
| | SDLP | Sean Gallogly | 12.37% | 918 | 921.08 | 922.15 | 930.15 | | | | | |
| | SDLP | Arthur Ruddy* | 12.02% | 892 | 896.06 | 902.27 | 927.23 | 929.07 | | | | |
| | SDLP | Patrick McElroy* | 7.92% | 588 | 592.13 | 603.34 | 624.28 | 626.56 | 661.65 | 727.55 | 743.76 | 989.76 |
| | Sinn Féin | Brendan Curran | 9.49% | 704 | 708.9 | 713.04 | 734.91 | 734.91 | 740.19 | 778.54 | 879.5 | 908.89 |
| | SDLP | Thomas McGrath* | 7.52% | 558 | 563.25 | 570.25 | 583.4 | 584.52 | 657.37 | 696.37 | 710.79 | 841.43 |
| | Sinn Féin | Sean Mathers | 5.12% | 380 | 382.24 | 383.24 | 387.8 | 387.84 | 391.98 | 401.05 | 609.59 | 614.63 |
| | SDLP | John McArdle | 5.16% | 383 | 384.26 | 387.26 | 398.66 | 400.02 | 430.35 | 471.19 | 479.33 | |
| | Sinn Féin | Deborah Morgan | 4.68% | 347 | 350.57 | 354.57 | 358.39 | 358.39 | 367.53 | 380.95 | | |
| | Ind. Nationalist | James McKevitt | 3.05% | 226 | 229.85 | 261.06 | 292.99 | 294.31 | 342.24 | | | |
| | Workers' Party | Tom Moore | 3.58% | 266 | 269.29 | 272.29 | 282.46 | 283.9 | | | | |
| | Irish Independence | Freddie Kearns* | 1.83% | 136 | 167.92 | 174.2 | | | | | | |
| | Independent | Noel Sloan | 1.10% | 82 | 83.12 | | | | | | | |
| Electorate: 12,788 Valid: 7,421 (58.03%) Spoilt: 237 Quota: 928 Turnout: 7,658 (59.88%) |||||||||||||

### Slieve Gullion

1985: 3 x SDLP, 2 x Sinn Féin
Slieve Gullion - 5 seats :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| | Sinn Féin | Jim McAllister | 20.36% | 1,199 | | | | |
| | SDLP | Pat Toner* | 18.24% | 1,074 | | | | |
| | SDLP | Owen Kelly* | 13.38% | 788 | 821.44 | 854.72 | 944.83 | 986.83 |
| | Sinn Féin | Eamon Larkin | 12.08% | 711 | 738.93 | 741.73 | 744.92 | 980.72 |
| | SDLP | Noel McKevitt | 13.20% | 777 | 779.66 | 811.02 | 821.37 | 954.03 |
| | Sinn Féin | Patrick Murphy | 10.58% | 623 | 738.33 | 742.65 | 774.55 | 856.74 |
| | Irish Independence | Jim Murphy* | 4.55% | 268 | 281.49 | 288.93 | 307.36 | |
| | Sinn Féin | Sarah Murphy | 4.43% | 261 | 269.74 | 271.26 | 283.67 | |
| | Ind. Republican | Brian Woods | 3.18% | 187 | 198.59 | 200.67 | | |
| Electorate: 8,395 Valid: 5,888 (70.14%) Spoilt: 211 Quota: 982 Turnout: 6,099 (72.65%) |||||||||

### The Fews

1985: 2 x UUP, 2 x SDLP, 1 x Sinn Féin, 1 x DUP
The Fews - 6 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 |
| | Sinn Féin | Brendan Lewis | 18.94% | 1,302 | | | | | | | |
| | SDLP | James Savage* | 13.25% | 911 | 1,011 | | | | | | |
| | UUP | Andy Moffett* | 11.16% | 767 | 768.2 | 779.6 | 1,051.6 | | | | |
| | UUP | Danny Kennedy | 10.91% | 750 | 750.4 | 754.8 | 810.2 | 828.7 | 863.7 | 1,300.7 | |
| | SDLP | Nan Sands* | 11.10% | 763 | 803 | 844 | 846 | 846.25 | 947.25 | 951.45 | 955.45 |
| | DUP | Gordon Heslip | 7.90% | 543 | 543 | 544 | 589 | 593.5 | 599.9 | 686.15 | 917.15 |
| | SDLP | John McElherron | 6.55% | 450 | 525.2 | 583.2 | 583.2 | 583.2 | 789.8 | 792.8 | 793.8 |
| | UUP | David McMullan | 7.19% | 494 | 494.8 | 495.2 | 508.2 | 552.7 | 562.7 | | |
| | Alliance | Victor Frizell | 5.18% | 356 | 387.6 | 428.2 | 428.2 | 428.2 | | | |
| | UUP | Florence Henning | 5.72% | 393 | 393.4 | 393.4 | | | | | |
| | Workers' Party | Brian Mulligan | 1.32% | 91 | 109.4 | | | | | | |
| | Irish Independence | Francis McCamley* | 0.79% | 54 | 104 | | | | | | |
| Electorate: 9,873 Valid: 6,874 (69.62%) Spoilt: 141 Quota: 983 Turnout: 7,015 (71.05%) ||||||||||||

### The Mournes

1985: 2 x UUP, 1 x SDLP, 1 x DUP, 1 x Sinn Féin
The Mournes - 5 seats :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
| | DUP | George Graham* | 22.20% | 1,422 | | | | | |
| | UUP | William Russell* | 21.71% | 1,391 | | | | | |
| | UUP | Arthur Coulter* | 12.52% | 802 | 935.25 | 1,231.72 | | | |
| | SDLP | Colum Murnion* | 16.52% | 1,058 | 1,060.5 | 1,060.96 | 1,062.31 | 1,638.31 | |
| | Sinn Féin | Patrick Young | 12.80% | 820 | 820.25 | 820.48 | 820.63 | 866.86 | 1,134.86 |
| | DUP | William Burns | 4.21% | 270 | 485.5 | 503.9 | 655.1 | 661.61 | 673.61 |
| | SDLP | Anne Marie Cunningham* | 10.04% | 643 | 644 | 646.3 | 649.3 | | |
| Electorate: 9,530 Valid: 6,406 (67.22%) Spoilt: 189 Quota: 1,068 Turnout: 6,595 (69.20%) ||||||||||