# 1981 Fermanagh District Council election

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

## Election results

Fermanagh District Council Election Result 1981 :
| Party | Seats | Gains | Losses | Net gain/loss | Seats % | Votes % | Votes | +/− |
| UUP | 8 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 40.0 | 34.0 | 10,395 | 4.0 |
| Irish Independence | 4 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 20.0 | 22.3 | 6,867 | New |
| SDLP | 4 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 20.0 | 17.8 | 5,436 | 7.3 |
| DUP | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 10.0 | 12.3 | 3,750 | 12.3 |
| Alliance | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 1.6 | 477 | 0.3 |
| Ind. Nationalist | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5.0 | 5.5 | 1,697 | 2.9 |
| Ind. Republican | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5.0 | 3.5 | 1,069 | 3.5 |
| Independent Labour | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 1.2 | 362 | 1.2 |
| Independent | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0.0 | 1.7 | 528 | 4.5 |
Note: "Votes" are the first preference votes.

## Districts summary

Results of the Fermanagh District Council election, 1981 by district :
| Ward | % | Cllrs | % | Cllrs | % | Cllrs | % | Cllrs | % | Cllrs | Total Cllrs |
| Ward | UUP | UUP | IIP | IIP | SDLP | SDLP | DUP | DUP | Others | Others | | Total Cllrs |
| Area A | 21.3 | 2 | 19.6 | 1 | 13.8 | 0 | 8.3 | 0 | 37.0 | 1 | 4 |
| Area B | 52.0 | 2 | 21.5 | 1 | 12.4 | 0 | 14.1 | 1 | 0.0 | 0 | 4 |
| Area C | 27.6 | 1 | 33.7 | 1 | 16.5 | 1 | 7.9 | 0 | 14.3 | 1 | 4 |
| Area D | 36.8 | 2 | 15.8 | 0 | 25.9 | 1 | 18.6 | 1 | 2.9 | 0 | 4 |
| Area E | 34.3 | 2 | 22.5 | 1 | 19.9 | 1 | 12.6 | 0 | 10.7 | 0 | 5 |
| Total | 34.0 | 8 | 22.3 | 4 | 17.8 | 4 | 12.3 | 2 | 13.6 | 2 | 20 |

## Districts results
### Area A

1977: 1 x UUP, 1 x SDLP, 1 x Unity, 1 x Independent 1981: 1 x UUP, 1 x SDLP, 1 x IIP, 1 x Independent Republican 1977-1981 Change: IIP gain from Independent, Independent Republican leaves Unity
Fermanagh Area A - 4 seats :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
| | UUP | Jack Leahy* | 16.29% | 1,075 | 1,076 | 1,363 | | | |
| | Irish Independence | John McMahon | 19.58% | 1,292 | 1,309 | 1,312 | 1,312 | 1,455 | |
| | Ind. Republican | John McCusker* | 16.20% | 1,069 | 1,085 | 1,086 | 1,086.36 | 1,239.44 | 1,243.44 |
| | SDLP | Fergus McQuillan | 9.52% | 628 | 834 | 838 | 838.72 | 1,005.08 | 1,025.42 |
| | Ind. Nationalist | Thomas Murray* | 12.87% | 849 | 859 | 860 | 860 | 887 | 889 |
| | DUP | Caroline Madill | 8.31% | 548 | 549 | 576 | 612.9 | 616.8 | |
| | Independent | Michael McBarron | 8.00% | 528 | 544 | 546 | 550.32 | | |
| | UUP | Thomas Johnston | 4.99% | 329 | 331 | | | | |
| Electorate: 7,737 Valid: 6,598 (85.28%) Spoilt: 136 Quota: 1,320 Turnout: 6,734 (87.04%) ||||||||||

### Area B

1977: 2 x UUP, 1 x UUUP, 1 x SDLP 1981: 2 x UUP, 1 x IIP, 1 x DUP 1977-1981 Change: IIP and DUP gain from UUUP and SDLP
Fermanagh Area B - 4 seats :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
| | UUP | Cecil Noble* | 29.30% | 1,660 | | | | | |
| | Irish Independence | Anthony Cox | 21.47% | 1,216 | | | | | |
| | UUP | Norman Brown* | 15.75% | 892 | 1,181.85 | | | | |
| | DUP | Roy Coulter | 9.44% | 535 | 583.05 | 583.14 | 826.68 | 828.3 | 1,136.3 |
| | SDLP | Thomas Doherty | 6.97% | 395 | 395.93 | 437.06 | 437.06 | 746.36 | 749.36 |
| | UUP | Cyril Crozier | 6.99% | 396 | 551 | 551.99 | 575.71 | 580.8 | |
| | SDLP | Seamus Carson | 5.47% | 310 | 310.93 | 348.01 | 350.01 | | |
| | DUP | Margaret Veitch | 4.61% | 261 | 276.5 | 276.5 | | | |
| Electorate: 6,582 Valid: 5,665 (86.07%) Spoilt: 109 Quota: 1,134 Turnout: 5,774 (87.72%) ||||||||||

### Area C

1977: 1 x UUP, 1 x SDLP, 1 x Unity, 1 x Independent Nationalist 1981: 1 x UUP, 1 x SDLP, 1 x IIP, 1 x Independent Nationalist 1977-1981 Change: Unity joins IIP
Fermanagh Area C - 4 seats :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| | Irish Independence | Patrick McCaffrey* | 19.90% | 1,178 | 1,196 | |
| | UUP | Wilson Elliott* | 15.90% | 941 | 1,215 | |
| | Ind. Nationalist | Patrick Flanagan* | 14.32% | 848 | 901 | 1,252 |
| | SDLP | Gerry Gallagher* | 13.11% | 776 | 907 | 1,150 |
| | UUP | Herbert Corrigan | 11.71% | 693 | 861 | 890 |
| | Irish Independence | Annie Cavanagh | 13.78% | 816 | 818 | |
| | DUP | George Gott | 7.91% | 468 | | |
| | SDLP | Patrick McGovern | 3.38% | 200 | | |
| Electorate: 6,653 Valid: 5,920 (88.98%) Spoilt: 174 Quota: 1,185 Turnout: 6,094 (91.60%) |||||||

### Area D

1977: 2 x SDLP, 1 x UUP, 1 x UUUP 1981: 2 x UUP, 1 x SDLP, 1 x DUP 1977-1981 Change: UUP gain from SDLP, UUUP joins DUP
Fermanagh Area D - 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 |
| | UUP | Herbert Kerr | 19.31% | 1,214 | 1,290 | | | | | | |
| | SDLP | John O'Kane | 13.41% | 843 | 868 | 868 | 869.98 | 990.98 | 1,003.98 | 1,505.98 | |
| | DUP | Bert Johnston* | 14.39% | 905 | 921 | 1,180 | 1,181.98 | 1,183.98 | 1,187.98 | 1,194.98 | 1,197.98 |
| | UUP | Caldwell McClaughry | 17.08% | 1,074 | 1,117 | 1,124 | 1,149.74 | 1,153.74 | 1,156.74 | 1,167.4 | 1,191.4 |
| | Irish Independence | Gerry O'Donnell | 8.65% | 544 | 547 | 548 | 548 | 576 | 876 | 992 | 1,170 |
| | SDLP | John Cunningham | 6.30% | 396 | 414 | 415 | 416.98 | 647.98 | 752.98 | | |
| | Irish Independence | Patrick Keown | 7.13% | 448 | 450 | 451 | 451 | 460 | | | |
| | SDLP | Patrick McGrath | 6.22% | 391 | 403 | 403 | 403 | | | | |
| | DUP | Mariam Cuthbertson | 4.23% | 266 | 270 | | | | | | |
| | Alliance | John Haslett | 2.85% | 179 | | | | | | | |
| Electorate: 7,320 Valid: 6,287 (85.89%) Spoilt: 84 Quota: 1,258 Turnout: 6,371 (87.04%) ||||||||||||

### Area E

1977: 2 x SDLP, 1 x UUP, 1 x UUUP 1981: 2 x UUP, 1 x SDLP, 1 x IIP 1977-1981 Change: UUP and IIP gain from SDLP and UUUP
Fermanagh Area E - 4 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 |
| | UUP | Raymond Ferguson* | 18.26% | 1,116 | 1,124 | 1,225 | | | | | |
| | SDLP | James Lunny* | 8.49% | 519 | 629 | 694 | 790 | 795 | 1,294 | | |
| | Irish Independence | Patrick O'Reilly | 13.50% | 825 | 836 | 844 | 931 | 931 | 984 | 1,558 | |
| | UUP | Samuel Foster | 9.21% | 563 | 570 | 596 | 603 | 996 | 1,001 | 1,006 | 1,041 |
| | DUP | Nigel Dodds | 12.55% | 767 | 768 | 772 | 781 | 813 | 815 | 823 | 837 |
| | Irish Independence | Edward Bermingham | 8.97% | 548 | 552 | 553 | 623 | 624 | 639 | | |
| | SDLP | James Donnelly* | 7.46% | 456 | 512 | 532 | 608 | 609 | | | |
| | UUP | Alwin Loane | 6.79% | 415 | 421 | 436 | 440 | | | | |
| | Independent Labour | Thomas Campbell | 5.92% | 362 | 384 | 425 | | | | | |
| | Alliance | Marjorie Moore | 4.88% | 298 | 313 | | | | | | |
| | SDLP | Roy Tarbotton | 3.96% | 242 | | | | | | | |
| Electorate: 7,934 Valid: 6,111 (77.02%) Spoilt: 142 Quota: 1,223 Turnout: 6,253 (78.81%) ||||||||||||