IIRC Three of them were elected in 1981 - one of the others was in Louth where like C-M Sinn Fein have a seat today. Which reveals something I suppose.. (Though Unlike now Shinners then did not take their seats.)
That IRA hunger striker who was elected to Fermanagh-South Tyrone was of course none other than Bobby Sands. IIRC the by-election which elected him had something like a 90% turnout.
Yep, the hunger strikes made Sinn Féin or at least republicanism much more acceptable in the public's eyes.
Some of the elections...
April 1981 |
Fermanagh & South Tyrone (By-election) |
Bobby Sands (Anti H-block) | 51.2% |
Harry West (Ulster Unionist) | 48.8% |
After which, Mrs Thatcher suddenly decided that the right of the people to elect prisoners wasn't a good idea and amended the
Representation of the People Act accordingly.
Sandsof course died and his election agent, Owen Carron stood as a proxy anti H-block candidate.
August 1981 |
Fermanagh & South Tyrone (By-election) |
Owen Carron (Anti H-block) | 49.1% |
Ken Maginnis (Ulster Unionist) | 45.6% |
Seamus Close (Alliance) | 3% |
Tom Moore (Republican Clubs) | 1.8% |
The seat was lost in the 1983 General when the Nationalist vote was split...
June 1983 |
Fermanagh & South Tyrone (General Election) |
Ken Maginnis (Ulster Unionist) | 47.6% |
Owen Carron (Anti H-block) | 34.8% |
Rosemary Flanagan (SDLP) | 16.5% |
David Kettyles (Workers) | 1.1% |
The seat remained Unionist until Sinn Féin took it ultra-marginally in 2001, since which they've consolidated their hold.
The one that had two by-elections in a year. The first guy elected was an IRA hunger striker, who died shortly after being elected.
The second, Owen Carron, was 'on the run' from the law for ten years after he skipped bail in the mid 80s (after he had lost the seat to Ken Maginnis of the Ulster Unionists).
Yep, but for the past few years he's been a primary school teacher in Leitrim.