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Candidates: Jarlath Tinnelly (Independent); Jim Boylan (Independent); Mark Gibbons (Independent); Finbarr Lambe (Independent); Anne Sheridan (SDLP), Declan McAteer (SDLP), Karen McKevitt (SDLP); Ricky McGaffin (Ulster Unionist Party); Kate Murphy (Sinn Féin), Selina Murphy (Sinn Féin), Gerry O’Hare (Sinn Féin), Mickey Ruane (Sinn Féin); Daniel Neary (Alliance); Hugh O’Reilly (Green Party); Keith Parke (DUP)
Crotlieve turned out to be the most ‘exciting’ of the local DEA at the council 2019 elections…if you can get excited about elections.
The DEA returned two Independent councillors, Warrenpoint man Mark Gibbons and Rostrevor native Jarlath Tinnelly who topped the poll.
SDLP veteran councillor, the late Michael Carr, unexpectedly lost his seat while Sinn Féin got things wrong somewhat. They fielded four candidates but lost a sitting councillor - Oksana McMahon who had served a term as Deputy Council Chairperson - and were very close to losing a second relying heavily on transfers to get then Group Party Leader Cllr Ruane across the line. Gerry O’Hare made sure the party retained its two seats polling second with 1,286 first preferences.
Surprisingly the party is running four candidates again this time with Kate Murphy and Selina Murphy joining the Sinn Féin ticket. But what the thinking here is this time is hard to work out considering 2019 was something of a disaster for the party in Crotlieve where their percentage of the vote was 29.5% down from 34.5% in 2014. It could be a risk but perhaps they are looking at the runaway success of Sinead Ennis in last year’s Assembly…we shall see.
The 2019 local election results weren’t something for the SDLP to brag about in Crotlieve either as their share of the vote dropped from 43.4% (three seats) in 2014 to 29.8% (two seats) in 2019.
Cllr Declan McAteer was their leading candidate and would be expected to be again. Former MLA Karen McKevitt replaced Gillian Fitzpatrick on the ballot sheet securing a second seat for the party but a loss from the three secured in 2014.
The SDLP are fielding a third candidate this time around, nurse Anne Sheridan but it will require a big effort for the party to regain their third seat but it’s not impossible, with indications that she is being well received on the doors.
This time there are four Independents in the mix, Tinnelly and Gibbons, Narrow Water Bridge and Warrenpoint community campaigner Jim Boylan and Finbarr Lambe.
Tinnelly picked up over 1412 first preference votes in 2019 - almost double his 2014 first preferences of 740 - and would be expected to retain his seat. Gibbons perhaps caught the other candidates off guard last time out and while the former 2014 local election Sinn Féin candidate is well known around Warrenpoint, we’ll have to wait and see if he can repeat his exploits of four years ago. Boylan stood in 2019 picking up 788 first preferences and will have to rely on transfers if he wants to pick up one of the six seats. Lambe last ran in 2014 securing just 258 first preferences.
An interesting candidate in the mix is the Alliance Party’s Daniel Neary. The highly regarded local solicitor is well-known in the area and with Alliance riding high across the North, he’s expected to increase the 483 first preference votes Alliance secured in 2019 Neary may be an attractive transfer candidate.
The combined unionist (UUP & DUP) vote in Crotlieve in 2014 was 1159 and with transfers William Mitchell (UUP) was just 75 votes shy of Tinnelly for the last seat. However, the 2019 combined vote dropped to 1083 first preferences with Josh Lowry (UUP) over 500 votes behind McKevitt for the sixth seat.
Ricky McGaffin, who ran in Newry in 2019, is the UUP candidate this time around while Keith Parke is standing for the DUP. Hugh O’Reilly is the Green Party candidate.
Just a wee fact to finish: In 2014 Independent Crotlieve candidates secured 998 first preference votes or 10.2%. In 2019 that jumped to 3,389 first preference votes equal to a 29.5% share of the vote.
