Lower Falls (District Electoral Area)
Human settlement in Northern Ireland
Lower Falls was one of the nine district electoral areas which existed in Belfast , Northern Ireland from 1985 to 2014. Located in the west of the city, the district elected five members to Belfast City Council and contained the wards of Beechmount; Clonard; Falls; Upper Springfield; and Whiterock. Lower Falls formed part of the Belfast West constituencies for the Northern Ireland Assembly and UK Parliament . The district, along with the neighbouring Upper Falls district took its name from the Falls Road , one of the main arterial routes in the west of the city.
History
Lower Falls was created for the 1985 local elections. The Falls and Clonard wards had previously been in Area F , with the remaining wards part of Area D . It was abolished for the 2014 local elections. The Falls and Clonard wards joined the Court District Electoral Area , while the remaining wards became part of a new Black Mountain District Electoral Area .
Wards
Map
Ward
Population (2011 Census)
Catholic
Protestant
Other
No Religion
Area
Density
NI Assembly
UK Parliament
Ref
1
Beechmount
5,485
90.8%
6.1%
0.6%
2.5%
0.84 km2
6,530/km2
Belfast West
Belfast West
[ 1]
2
Clonard
4,975
90.5%
6.4%
0.6%
2.6%
0.61 km2
8,156/km2
Belfast West
Belfast West
[ 2]
3
Falls
5,184
87.6%
7.5%
2.3%
2.6%
1.2 km2
4,320/km2
Belfast West
Belfast West
[ 3]
4
Upper Springfield
5,250
93.5%
4.6%
0.3%
1.6%
2.5 km2
2,100/km2
Belfast West
Belfast West
[ 4]
5
Whiterock
5,694
93.1%
4.7%
0.3%
1.8%
0.78 km2
7,300/km2
Belfast West
Belfast West
[ 5]
Lower Falls
26,588
91.1%
5.8%
0.3%
1.8%
5.93 km2
4,484 /km2
Belfast West
Belfast West
Councillors
2011 Election
2005: 5 x Sinn Fรฉin
2011: 4 x Sinn Fรฉin, 1 x SDLP
2005-2011 Change: SDLP gain from Sinn Fรฉin
Lower Falls - 5 seats[ 6]
Party
Candidate
FPv%
Count
1
2
3
4
5
Sinn Fรฉin
Janice Austin *
19.66%
1,920
Sinn Fรฉin
Steven Corr
16.10%
1,572
1,583.85
1,603.85
1,618
1,677
Sinn Fรฉin
Tom Hartley *
15.99%
1,561
1,566.1
1,581.1
1,602.25
1,666.25
Sinn Fรฉin
Jim McVeigh
15.33%
1,497
1,499.7
1,531
1,544.15
1,600.45
SDLP
Colin Keenan
10.24%
1,000
1,003.15
1,058.15
1,214.15
1,326.15
Sinn Fรฉin
Breige Brownlee
8.33%
813
1,070.7
1,109
1,123
1,188.3
รฉirรญgรญ
John McCusker
6.63%
647
647.6
723.6
748.6
Workers' Party
John Lowry
4.08%
398
398.45
430.45
Irish Republican Socialist
Jim Gorman
2.14%
209
209.75
Socialist Party
Pat Lawlor
1.52%
148
148.5
Electorate: 17,238 Valid: 9,765 (56.65%) Spoilt: 305 Quota: 1,628 Turnout: 10,070 (58.42%)
2005 Election
2001: 4 x Sinn Fรฉin, 1 x SDLP
2005: 5 x Sinn Fรฉin
2001-2005 Change: Sinn Fรฉin gain from SDLP
Lower Falls - 5 seats[ 7]
Party
Candidate
FPv%
Count
1
2
3
4
Sinn Fรฉin
Janice Austin
19.42%
2,071
Sinn Fรฉin
Fra McCann *
19.17%
2,045
Sinn Fรฉin
Tom Hartley *
18.39%
1,962
Sinn Fรฉin
Mรกire Cush *
15.33%
1,764
1,797
Sinn Fรฉin
Marie Moore *
11.67%
1,245
1,253
1,528.1
1,764.42
SDLP
Margaret Walsh*
11.86%
1,265
1,439
1,449.95
1,476.27
Workers' Party
John Lowry
2.94%
314
Electorate: 16,334 Valid: 10,666 (65.30%) Spoilt: 392 Quota: 1,778 Turnout: 11,058 (67.70%)
2001 Election
1997: 4 x Sinn Fรฉin, 1 x SDLP
2001: 4 x Sinn Fรฉin, 1 x SDLP
1997-2001 Change: No change
Lower Falls - 5 seats[ 8]
Party
Candidate
FPv%
Count
1
2
3
4
5
Sinn Fรฉin
Fra McCann *
18.97%
2,399
Sinn Fรฉin
Tom Hartley *
18.59%
2,351
Sinn Fรฉin
Mรกire Cush
17.63%
2,230
SDLP
Margaret Walsh *
15.94%
2,016
2,262
Sinn Fรฉin
Marie Moore *
15.16%
1,917
1,928
1,955.17
1,977.94
1,996.94
Sinn Fรฉin
Sean McKnight*
9.86%
1,247
1,272
1,521.99
1,735.83
1,761.83
Workers' Party
John Lowry
3.86%
488
Electorate: 18,349 Valid: 12,648 (68.93%) Spoilt: 581 Quota: 2,109 Turnout: 13,229 (72.10%)
1997 Election
1993: 4 x Sinn Fรฉin, 1 x SDLP
1997: 4 x Sinn Fรฉin, 1 x SDLP
1993-1997 Change: No change
Lower Falls - 5 seats[ 9]
Party
Candidate
FPv%
Count
1
2
3
4
Sinn Fรฉin
Fra McCann *
19.65%
2,420
Sinn Fรฉin
Sean McKnight
18.56%
2,286
SDLP
Margaret Walsh
14.32%
1,764
1,775.4
2,248.7
Sinn Fรฉin
Tom Hartley *
16.42%
2,022
2,047.05
2,061.05
Sinn Fรฉin
Marie Moore *
14.70%
1,810
1,822.15
1,829.15
2,033.65
Sinn Fรฉin
Janice Austin
10.34%
1,274
1,581.35
1,606.25
1,625.75
Workers' Party
John Lowry
3.80%
468
468.75
SDLP
Mary White
1.84%
227
227.9
Alliance
Keith Jacques
0.37%
45
45.3
Electorate: 19,372 Valid: 12,316 (63.58%) Spoilt: 390 Quota: 2,053 Turnout: 12,706 (65.59%)
1993 Election
1989: 3 x Sinn Fรฉin, 2 x SDLP
1993: 4 x Sinn Fรฉin, 1 x SDLP
1989-1993 Change: Sinn Fรฉin gain from SDLP
Lower Falls - 5 seats[ 10]
Party
Candidate
FPv%
Count
1
2
3
4
5
6
Sinn Fรฉin
Tom Hartley
19.79%
2,573
Sinn Fรฉin
Fra McCann *
18.40%
2,393
Sinn Fรฉin
Patrick McGeown
18.09%
2,352
Sinn Fรฉin
Marie Moore
14.97%
1,946
2,316.77
SDLP
Mary Muldoon *
13.45%
1,749
1,760.39
1,832.92
1,929.38
2,030.98
2,325.98
SDLP
Margaret Walsh
7.59%
987
991.93
1,049.44
1,134.77
1,165.97
1,306.48
Workers' Party
John Lowry
6.11%
794
804.37
831.54
874.47
924.07
Alliance
Patrick Woods
0.83%
108
109.87
Democratic Left
Mary McMahon
0.78%
101
105.24
Electorate: 19,978 Valid: 13,003 (65.09%) Spoilt: 509 Quota: 2,168 Turnout: 13,512 (67.63%)
1989 Election
1985: 3 x Sinn Fรฉin, 1 x SDLP, 1 x Alliance
1989: 3 x Sinn Fรฉin, 2 x SDLP
1985-1989 Change: SDLP gain from Alliance
Lower Falls - 5 seats[ 11]
Party
Candidate
FPv%
Count
1
2
3
4
5
SDLP
Joe Hendron *
23.51%
2,748
Sinn Fรฉin
Fra McCann
19.73%
2,307
Sinn Fรฉin
Elizabeth Fitzsimons *
15.10%
1,765
1,786.7
1,816.25
1,849.69
1,885.5
Sinn Fรฉin
Sean McKnight *
12.22%
1,428
1,461.48
1,466.72
1,750.56
1,774.62
SDLP
Mary Muldoon
5.03%
588
1,196.84
1,257.51
1,261.19
1,738.98
Sinn Fรฉin
Richard May
13.91%
1,626
1,634.68
1,637.68
1,651.92
1,679.45
Workers' Party
Mary McMahon
9.35%
1,093
1,186
1,218.75
1,224.19
Alliance
Derrick Crothers
1.15%
135
164.45
Electorate: 20,095 Valid: 11,690 (58.17%) Spoilt: 570 Quota: 1,949 Turnout: 12,260 (61.01%)
1985 Election
1985: 3 x Sinn Fรฉin, 1 x SDLP, 1 x Alliance
Lower Falls - 5 seats[ 12]
Party
Candidate
FPv%
Count
1
2
3
4
SDLP
Joe Hendron *
22.06%
2,606
Sinn Fรฉin
Sean McKnight
16.41%
1,939
1,963
1,985.4
Alliance
Will Glendinning *
9.42%
1,113
1,195
1,549.48
2,015.48
Sinn Fรฉin
Sean Keenan
14.83%
1,752
1,764
1,795.36
1,845.2
Sinn Fรฉin
Elizabeth Fitzsimons
13.50%
1,595
1,609
1,649.6
1,697.4
Sinn Fรฉin
Fra McCann
12.42%
1,467
1,472
1,499.44
1,552.4
Workers' Party
Mary McMahon
9.44%
1,115
1,168
1,312.2
SDLP
Sean Mullan
1.35%
159
Communist
Desmond Murray
0.57%
67
Electorate: 21,058 Valid: 11,813 (56.10%) Spoilt: 450 Quota: 1,969 Turnout: 12,263 (58.23%)
See also
References
Places adjacent to Lower Falls (District Electoral Area)