west tyrone

West Tyrone Constituency Profile – Assembly Elections 2022…

Michael Hehir on May 4, 2022, 7:30 am

| Readers 2617

I have used the most recent Lucid Talk poll for my projection of party shares in the constituency. Unionist vote share has slipped in West Tyrone from a consistent 33% or 34% in all elections up to and including 2017. Since then, it has not gone above 32% and hit 29% at the last Westminster election. Nationalist performance has been a little more uneven over the period, with no discernible trend. While Others bumped along the bottom of the chart, …

SluggerTV looks at the smaller parties, West Tyrone & the SDLP special conference

David McCann on May 26, 2018, 7:09 pm

| Readers 657

This month we debate the West Tyrone by-election, the SDLP special conference and the other smaller parties with Brendan Mulgrew from MWA Advocate, Andree Murphy who is an Andersonstown News Columnist and the Irish News reporter, Brendan Hughes. David McCannDavid McCann holds a PhD in North-South relations from University of Ulster. You can follow him on twitter @dmcbfs

Swann seeks an agreed candidate for West Tyrone by-election

David McCann on April 2, 2018, 11:06 am

| Readers 4392

The UUP Leader, Robin Swann had reiterated his comments for an agreed candidate to stand in the West Tyrone by-election on May 3rd; It is clear that Sinn Fein has learnt nothing from the appalling disrespect shown by Barry McElduff. Only last week they failed to condemn the banner put on display in Newry describing one of the IRA’s most ruthless terrorists caught in possession of one of the murder weapons used at Kingsmills ‘our hero’. Given that McElduff resigned …

Órfhlaith Begley to contest the West Tyrone by election for Sinn Fein

David McCann on February 25, 2018, 7:09 pm

| Readers 3894

Sinn Féin has today selected 26-year-old Carrickmore solicitor Órfhlaith Begley to contest the West Tyrone by election following the resignation of Barry McElduff. Speaking about her selection she said; “If elected MP for West Tyrone I pledge that I will be an MP for all, that I will work without fear or favour for all the people of this constituency. “If you want an Acht Gaeilge, equal marriage rights, the right to a coroner’s inquest then I am calling on …

SDLP candidate in West Tyrone facing a sustained campaign of intimidation…

Mick Fealty on February 24, 2017, 8:50 am

| Readers 2679

The last SDLP MLA in Strabane was Eugene McMenamin had both his car and his home attacked. Like SF’s perils in Bangor, it’s the price of running against the thuggery of the post-conflict years. Now at least the abuse Daniel McCrossan is taking is not (yet) physical. But it seems more than virtual: “My car’s been followed, with photos of it posted online which is a bit of a danger for me being on the policing board,” he told the …

UUP MLA Ross Hussey steps down in West Tyrone on grounds of health…

Mick Fealty on January 23, 2017, 5:40 pm

| Readers 2808

Slugger understands that Mr Hussey has been in a state of uncertainty since the calling of this snap election. The UUP have just released this statement, saying he has… …advised the party leadership of his intention not to seek re-election to the NI Assembly due to his deteriorating health. He is currently awaiting surgery and accepts that the period of time required to recover from the surgery will be substantial which would make it difficult for him to manage his …

#AE16 West Tyrone: Could Nationalist squabbling and the ‘Arlene factor’ open a second for the DUP?

Mick Fealty on April 12, 2016, 5:32 pm

| Readers 3551

SIXTH SEAT CONTEST: The DUP need a better-balanced ticket than they managed last time, plus an ‘Arlene Factor’ to nick a second seat from the UUP. As for the nationalism, if McCrossan has independent troubles, so does Sinn Fein, giving them more limited scope for taking an SDLP seat than in 2010.

Third ‘rebel without a cause’ resigns in one of the SDLP’s sure fire #AE16 constituencies…

Mick Fealty on April 11, 2016, 5:07 pm

| Readers 2271

So the SDLP holdouts in West Tyrone have a third defector: timed, presumably, for maximum disruption of the party’s manifesto launch this morning. Last week the party’s campaign launch was the target. Joanne Donnelly, from the Omagh end of what’s a rather disparate constituency, is the youngest and the latest councillor to leave. It’s not clear either from the MSM reporting or the various statements what it’s all about. Here’s the party’s statement: “These issues are difficult. We’re a democratic party, we’ve had two selection conventions …

Former Sinn Féin Cllr Sorcha McAnespy: “There’s too much nepotism and misogyny present in the party locally. It’s jobs for the boys. It is not open and transparent.”

Pete Baker on April 2, 2016, 4:22 pm

| Readers 2939

Omagh Councillor Sorcha McAnespy launched a broadside against Sinn Féin in West Tyrone after her sudden resignation from the party on Thursday, and announced her intention to stand as an independent candidate in the forthcoming Northern Ireland Assembly election. The Ulster Herald appears to have broken the story on Thursday. The former vice-chair of Omagh District Council said she made the shock decision because she was “left in an untenable position at local level” by Sinn Féin councillors and other members …

West Tyrone may keep its’ independents #ae11

Aldous Duke on March 10, 2011, 6:52 pm

| Readers 55

West Tyrone’s independent MLA Dr Kieran Deeny may have decided to step down from the Assembly, but I can reveal that there will be at least one independent candidate standing in the constituency. Speaking to Omagh District Councillor McGowan on Wednesday afternoon for a story that ran in today’s Ulster Herald, he confirmed that he will “definitely” run for the Assembly. A well known public figure in the Omagh District, McGowan has sat on Omagh District Council since 1985 and …

Declaration of independents?

Aldous Duke on November 18, 2010, 1:37 pm

| Readers 10

In a conversation with independent West Tyrone MLA Kieran Deeny this week, he revealed that he has been approached by a number of people from various constituencies considering running for next year’s Assembly elections under the independent banner. First approached six months ago, he confirmed that he has already held talks with a number of these people in previous weeks and was set to meet two more this week. None are sitting MLAs, but from what I could gather most …

West Tyrone – the Deeny factor

Blank on May 10, 2010, 8:51 pm

| Readers 10

With Kieran Deeny not running the constituency returned the best performances for three parties (in terms of increased percentage): Pat Doherty (SF) – +9.5% Thomas Buchanan (DUP) – +2.0% Ross Hussey (UCUNF) – +7.3% Even the SDLP managed their 2nd best % improvement here: Joe Byrne (SDLP) – +4.9% Anyone care to speculate on what if anything can be deduced about Deeny’s vote from this? ADDS: I know some will get cross at me doing this (not comparing like with …