Upper Falls (District Electoral Area)

Upper Falls was one of the nine district electoral areas (DEA) 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 Andersonstown; Falls Park; Glen Road; Glencolin; and Ladybrook. Upper Falls formed part of the Belfast West constituencies for the Northern Ireland Assembly and UK Parliament. The district, along with the neighbouring Lower Falls district, took its name from the Falls Road, one of the main arterial routes in the west of the city.

Upper Falls District Electoral Area
Map showing Upper Falls wards within Belfast
Population	(2008 Estimate)
District	Belfast City Council
County	County Antrim
Country	Northern Ireland
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
UK Parliament	Belfast West
NI Assembly	Belfast West
List of places UK Northern Ireland Antrim

History

The district was created for the 1985 local elections. All five wards were part of Area D before 1985. Area D had also contained three wards which became part of the Lower Falls electoral area. Boundary changes for the 2014 local elections created an extra ward in the area and abolished the Upper Falls DEA. Four of the six wards became part of a new Black Mountain District Electoral Area, while the remaining two formed part of a new Collin District Electoral Area, together with parts of the former Lisburn City Council.

Wards

Map	Ward	Population (2011 Census)	Catholic	Protestant	Other	No Religion	Area	Density	NI Assembly	UK Parliament	Ref
1	Andersonstown	4,907	94.5%	3.6%	0.3%	1.6%	1.08 km2	4,544/km2	Belfast West	Belfast West	[1]
2	Falls Park	5,343	94.4%	3.3%	0.7%	1.6%	2.35 km2	2,274/km2	Belfast West	Belfast West	[2]
3	Glen Road	5,573	95.1%	3.3%	0.5%	1.1%	1.57 km2	3,550/km2	Belfast West	Belfast West	[3]
4	Glencolin	6,498	93.2%	5.1%	0.2%	1.5%	9.54 km2	681/km2	Belfast West	Belfast West	[4]
5	Ladybrook	6,519	85.3%	10.9%	0.6%	3.1%	1.29 km2	5,053/km2	Belfast West	Belfast West	[5]
Upper Falls		28,840	92.2%	5.5%	0.5%	1.8%	15.83 km2	1,822/km2	Belfast West	Belfast West

Councillors

Election	Councillor (Party)		Councillor (Party)		Councillor (Party)		Councillor (Party)		Councillor (Party)
2011		Emma Groves (Sinn Féin)		Gerard O'Neill (Sinn Féin)		Matt Garrett (Sinn Féin)		Caoimhin Mac Giolla Mhín (Sinn Féin)		Tim Attwood (SDLP)
2005		Paul Maskey (Sinn Féin)				Michael Browne (Sinn Féin)		Christine Mhic Giolla Mhín (Sinn Féin)
2001								Chrissie McAuley (Sinn Féin)		Alex Attwood (SDLP)
1997		Alex Maskey (Sinn Féin)		Martin Livingstone (Sinn Féin)
1993				Una Gillespie (Sinn Féin)		Máirtín Ó Muilleoir (Sinn Féin)		Patricia Lewsley (SDLP)
1989				Teresa Holland (Sinn Féin)				Cormac Boomer (SDLP)
1985						Pip Glendinning (Alliance)

2011 Election

2005: 4 x Sinn Féin, 1 x SDLP

2011: 4 x Sinn Féin, 1 x SDLP

2005-2011 Change: No change

Upper Falls - 5 seats^[6]

Party		Candidate	FPv%	Count
				1	2	3
	Sinn Féin	Matt Garrett	18.00%	2,250
	Sinn Féin	Gerard O'Neill*	17.47%	2,184
	Sinn Féin	Emma Groves	17.07%	2,133
	SDLP	Tim Attwood*	16.12%	2,015	2,356
	Sinn Féin	Caoimhín Mac Giolla Mhín	15.28%	1,910	1,952	2,009
	éirígí	Pádraic Mac Coitir	11.32%	1,415	1,428	1,474
	SDLP	Helen Walsh	2.00%	250
	DUP	Eileen Kingston	1.43%	179
	Alliance	Dan McGuinness	1.30%	162
Electorate: 20,530   Valid: 12,498 (60.88%)   Spoilt: 298   Quota: 2,084   Turnout: 12,796 (62.33%)

2005 Election

2001: 4 x Sinn Féin, 1 x SDLP

2005: 4 x Sinn Féin, 1 x SDLP

2001-2005 Change: No change

Upper Falls - 5 seats^[7]

Party		Candidate	FPv%	Count
				1	2	3	4
	Sinn Féin	Paul Maskey*	23.69%	3,084
	SDLP	Tim Attwood	21.63%	2,815
	Sinn Féin	Gerard O'Neill*	18.81%	2,448
	Sinn Féin	Michael Browne*	17.34%	2,257
	Sinn Féin	Christine Mac Giolla Mhín	10.97%	1,428	2,070.32	2,089.57	2,325.41
	SDLP	Roisin Mulholland	3.17%	413	467.56	1,025.56	1,031.83
	Sinn Féin	Caoimhín Mac Giolla Mhín	4.39%	571	779.54	843.44	863.79
Electorate: 19,767   Valid: 13,016 (65.85%)   Spoilt: 437   Quota: 2,170   Turnout: 13,453 (68.06%)

2001 Election

1997: 4 x Sinn Féin, 1 x SDLP

2001: 4 x Sinn Féin, 1 x SDLP

1997-2001 Change: No change

Upper Falls - 5 seats^[8]

Party		Candidate	FPv%	Count
				1	2	3	4
	Sinn Féin	Paul Maskey	21.81%	3,349
	SDLP	Alex Attwood*	21.23%	3,260
	Sinn Féin	Gerard O'Neill	18.66%	2,866
	Sinn Féin	Michael Browne*	16.08%	2,469	2,548.68	2,628.26
	Sinn Féin	Chrissie McAuley*	11.73%	1,801	2,442.52	2,494.96	2,592.96
	SDLP	Brian Heading	7.24%	1,112	1,131.44	1,569.13	1,774.13
	NI Women's Coalition	Mary Catney	2.38%	365	385.4	450.72
	Alliance	Mary Ayers	0.89%	136	137.92	183.69
Electorate: 22,107   Valid: 15,358 (69.47%)   Spoilt: 614   Quota: 2,560   Turnout: 15,972 (72.25%)

1997 Election

1993: 3 x Sinn Féin, 2 x SDLP

1997: 4 x Sinn Féin, 1 x SDLP

1993-1997 Change: Sinn Féin gain from SDLP

Upper Falls - 5 seats^[9]

Party		Candidate	FPv%	Count
				1	2	3	4
	SDLP	Alex Attwood*	20.42%	2,855
	Sinn Féin	Alex Maskey*	20.08%	2,807
	Sinn Féin	Michael Browne	18.45%	2,580
	Sinn Féin	Martin Livingstone	17.12%	2,394
	Sinn Féin	Chrissie McAuley	12.43%	1,738	1,754.02	2,181.23	2,401.37
	SDLP	Patricia Lewsley*	4.26%	596	982.82	998.63	1,003.22
	SDLP	Stephen McGowan	4.41%	616	707.98	719.54	721.7
	DUP	David McNerlin	1.44%	201	201	201.17	201.26
	Workers' Party	James McAllister	0.79%	110	113.96	117.7	119.23
	Alliance	Dan McGuinness	0.61%	85	91.3	93.34	93.61
Electorate: 22,561   Valid: 13,982 (61.97%)   Spoilt: 345   Quota: 2,331   Turnout: 14,327 (63.50%)

1993 Election

1989: 3 x Sinn Féin, 2 x SDLP

1993: 3 x Sinn Féin, 2 x SDLP

1989-1993 Change: No change

Upper Falls - 5 seats^[10]

Party		Candidate	FPv%	Count
				1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9
	SDLP	Alex Attwood*	24.08%	3,203
	Sinn Féin	Una Gillespie	20.79%	2,765
	Sinn Féin	Alex Maskey*	20.56%	2,735
	Sinn Féin	Mairtin O'Muilleoir*	15.74%	2,093	2,114.12	2,629.32
	SDLP	Patricia Lewsley	6.00%	798	1,428.72	1,437.72	1,602.89	1,623.89	1,625.89	1,670.62	1,774.2	2,122.7
	SDLP	Terence Tracey	5.28%	702	888.24	891.64	1,007.84	1,019.24	1,027.24	1,059.73	1,167.52	1,327.21
	Ind. Nationalist	Cormac Boomer*	2.84%	378	474.96	477.56	582.14	594.34	595.34	626.15	744.45
	Independent Labour	Billy Lynn	1.08%	144	154.24	158.24	242.9	260.7	271.85	298.53
	Alliance	Julie Greaves	1.09%	145	173.8	175.4	186.19	187.39	253.59	266.7
	Workers' Party	James Maxwell	1.23%	164	171.36	173.56	206.76	208.36	217.36
	DUP	David McNerlin	1.31%	174	174.64	174.64	176.3	176.7
Electorate: 21,948   Valid: 13,301 (60.60%)   Spoilt: 424   Quota: 2,217   Turnout: 13,725 (62.53%)

1989 Election

1985: 2 x Sinn Féin, 2 x SDLP, 1 x Alliance

1989: 3 x Sinn Féin, 2 x SDLP

1985-1989 Change: Sinn Féin gain from Alliance

Upper Falls - 5 seats^[11]

Party		Candidate	FPv%	Count
				1	2	3	4	5	6	7
	SDLP	Alex Attwood*	26.53%	3,292
	Sinn Féin	Alex Maskey*	19.26%	2,378
	Sinn Féin	Teresa Holland*	18.77%	2,329
	SDLP	Cormac Boomer*	9.58%	1,189	2,202.46
	Sinn Féin	Mairtin O'Muilleoir	15.74%	1,435	1,462.74	1,739.64	1,976.47	2,000.75	2,004.3	2,004.67
	SDLP	Peter Prendiville	5.75%	713	815.98	819.1	820.97	834.35	935.6	962.75
	Alliance	Dan McGuinness	2.63%	326	363.24	365.71	368.35	374.73	384.88	505.88
	Workers' Party	Jean Craig	3.06%	380	409.64	411.72	413.48	432.48	443.83	488.83
	DUP	Robert Morrow	2.28%	283	283	283.39	283.72	283.72	283.97
	Communist	Kevin O'Donnell	0.68%	84	87.04	89.77	90.54
Electorate: 22,975   Valid: 12,409 (54.01%)   Spoilt: 426   Quota: 2,069   Turnout: 12,835 (55.87%)

1985 Election

1985: 2 x Sinn Féin, 2 x SDLP, 1 x Alliance

Upper Falls - 5 seats^[12]

Party		Candidate	FPv%	Count
				1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9
	SDLP	Alex Attwood	19.35%	2,461
	Sinn Féin	Alex Maskey	18.30%	2,329
	Sinn Féin	Teresa Holland	17.73%	2,256
	SDLP	Cormac Boomer*	13.01%	1,655	1,890.43	1,897.72	1,900.42	1,903.42	1,958.24	2,028.22	2,161.22
	Alliance	Pip Glendinning	7.32%	931	947.38	949.9	951.16	955.16	958.73	994.31	1,334.43	1,805.43
	Sinn Féin	Mairtin O'Muilleoir	8.01%	1,031	1,034.25	1,214.16	1,334.58	1,339.82	1,410.1	1,440.06	1,461.64	1,561.64
	SDLP	Mary Muldoon*	6.28%	799	834.36	840.84	843.36	850.36	903.78	940.23	1,035.15
	Workers' Party	Gerald McCann	3.03%	386	389.77	390.67	391.63	405.76	413.51	463.37
	DUP	Irene Lewis	2.92%	372	372.39	372.39	372.51	372.6	372.6	374.6
	Labour and Trade Union	Michael Duffy	1.87%	238	243.2	244.82	246.14	255.14	273.81
	People's Democracy	John McAnulty*	1.03%	131	131.91	137.67	140.73	146
	SDLP	Peter Prendiville	0.57%	72	87.86	88.04	88.28	90.5
	Communist	Kevin McCorry	0.47%	60	60.39	61.11	61.17
Electorate: 23,327   Valid: 12,721 (54.53%)   Spoilt: 331   Quota: 2,121   Turnout: 13,052 (55.95%)

See also

• Belfast City Council
• Electoral wards of Belfast
• Local government in Northern Ireland
• Members of Belfast City Council

References

1. "Ward Information for Andersonstown ward 95GG01". NISRA. Retrieved 22 December 2013.
2. "Ward Information for Falls Park ward 95GG22". NISRA. Retrieved 22 December 2013.
3. "Ward Information for Glen Road ward 95GG25". NISRA. Retrieved 22 December 2013.
4. "Ward Information for Glencolin ward 95GG27". NISRA. Retrieved 22 December 2013.
5. "Ward Information for Ladybrook ward 95GG31". NISRA. Retrieved 22 December 2013.
6. "Upper Falls Result Sheet" (PDF). EONI. Retrieved 8 July 2021.
7. "Local Government Results 2005". EONI. Retrieved 8 July 2021.
8. "Local Government Results 2001". EONI. Retrieved 8 July 2021.
9. "Local Government Results 1997". EONI. Retrieved 8 July 2021.
10. "Local Government Results 1993". EONI. Retrieved 8 July 2021.
11. "Local Government Results 1989". EONI. Retrieved 8 July 2021.
12. "Local Government Results 1985". EONI. Retrieved 8 July 2021.