Fermanagh and Omagh District Council
Local authority in Northern Ireland
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Fermanagh and Omagh District Council (Irish: Comhairle Ceantair Fhear Manach agus na hÓmaí; Ulster-Scots: Districk Cooncil o Fermanagh an Omey[1]) is a local authority in Northern Ireland and was established on 1 April 2015. It replaced Fermanagh District Council and Omagh District Council and covers most of the southwest of Northern Ireland. Its first election was on 22 May 2014, and it acted as a shadow authority prior to the creation of the Fermanagh and Omagh district in April 2015.
Fermanagh and Omagh District Council Comhairle Ceantair Fhear Manach agus na hÓmaí Districk Cooncil o Fermanagh an Omey | |
|---|---|
| |
| Type | |
| Type | |
| History | |
| Founded | 1 April 2015 |
| Preceded by | Fermanagh District Council Omagh District Council |
| Leadership | |
Chair | |
Deputy Chair | Shirley Hawkes, Democratic Unionist Party |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 40 |
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Political groups | Sinn Féin (21) UUP (7) DUP (6) SDLP (2) Alliance (2) Independents (2) |
| Elections | |
Last election | 18 May 2023 |
| Meeting place | |
.jpg) | |
| Townhall, 2 Townhall Street, Enniskillen (pictured) and The Grange, Mountjoy Road, Omagh | |
| Website | |
| http://www.fermanaghomagh.com/ | |
Chairmanship
Chairman
| From | To | Name | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 2016 | Thomas O'Reilly | Sinn Féin | |
| 2016 | 2017 | Mary Garrity | SDLP | |
| 2017 | 2018 | Stephen McCann | Sinn Féin | |
| 2018 | 2019 | Howard Thornton | UUP | |
| 2019 | 2020 | Siobhan Currie | Sinn Féin | |
| 2020 | 2020 | Chris Smyth | UUP | |
| 2020 | 2021 | Diana Armstrong | UUP | |
| 2021 | 2022 | Errol Thompson | DUP | |
| 2022 | 2023 | Barry McElduff | Sinn Féin | |
| 2023 | 2024 | Thomas O’Reilly | Sinn Féin | |
| 2024 | 2025 | John McClaughry | UUP | |
| 2025 | Present | Barry McElduff[2] | Sinn Féin | |
Vice Chairman
| From | To | Name | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 2016 | Paul Robinson | DUP | |
| 2016 | 2017 | Bert Wilson | UUP | |
| 2017 | 2018 | Alex Baird | UUP | |
| 2018 | 2019 | John Feely | Sinn Féin | |
| 2019 | 2020 | Diana Armstrong | UUP | |
| 2020 | 2021 | John Coyle | SDLP | |
| 2021 | 2022 | Chris McCaffrey | Sinn Féin | |
| 2022 | 2023 | Allan Rainey | UUP | |
| 2023 | 2024 | Ann-Marie Donnelly | Sinn Féin | |
| 2024 | 2025 | Elaine Brough | Sinn Féin | |
| 2025 | Present | Shirley Hawkes | DUP | |
Councillors
For the purpose of elections the council is divided into seven district electoral areas (DEA):[3]
| Area | Seats |
|---|---|
| Enniskillen | 6 |
| Erne East | 6 |
| Erne North | 5 |
| Erne West | 5 |
| Mid Tyrone | 6 |
| Omagh | 6 |
| West Tyrone | 6 |
Seat summary
| Party | Elected 2014 | Elected 2019 | Elected 2023 | Current | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sinn Féin | 17 | 15 | 21 | 21 | |
| Ulster Unionist Party | 9 | 9 | 7 | 9 | |
| Social Democratic and Labour Party | 8 | 5 | 3 | 2 | |
| Democratic Unionist Party | 5 | 5 | 6 | 6 | |
| Alliance Party of Northern Ireland | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | |
| Cross-Community Labour Alternative | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| Independents | 1 | 4 | 1 | 2 | |
Councillors by electoral area
| Current council members | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| District electoral area | Name | Party | |
| Enniskillen | Aaron Elliott † | DUP | |
| Eddie Roofe | Alliance | ||
| Tommy Maguire | Sinn Féin | ||
| Roy Crawford | UUP | ||
| Dermot Browne | Sinn Féin | ||
| Robert Irvine | UUP | ||
| Erne East | Sheamus Greene | Sinn Féin | |
| Paul Robinson | DUP | ||
| Tom O'Reilly | Sinn Féin | ||
| Noeleen Hayes | Sinn Féin | ||
| Victor Warrington | UUP | ||
| Garbhan McPhillips ‡ | Independent | ||
| Erne North | Debbie Coyle | Sinn Féin | |
| Rosemary Barton † | UUP | ||
| David Mahon | DUP | ||
| John Feely | Sinn Féin | ||
| John McClaughtry | UUP | ||
| Erne West | Anthony Feely | Sinn Féin | |
| Elaine Brough | Sinn Féin | ||
| Declan McArdle | Sinn Féin | ||
| Adam Gannon | SDLP | ||
| Mark Ovens | UUP | ||
| Mid Tyrone | Pádraigín Kelly | Sinn Féin | |
| Roisin Devine Gallagher | Sinn Féin | ||
| Ruaídhrí Lyttle † | Sinn Féin | ||
| Patrick Withers | Sinn Féin | ||
| Shirley Hawkes | DUP | ||
| Bernard McGrath | SDLP | ||
| Omagh | Barry McElduff | Sinn Féin | |
| Errol Thompson | DUP | ||
| Catherine Kelly | Sinn Féin | ||
| Marty McColgan | Sinn Féin | ||
| Stephen Donnelly | Alliance | ||
| Josephine Deehan | Independent | ||
| West Tyrone | Mark Buchanan | DUP | |
| Glenn Campbell | Sinn Féin | ||
| Allan Rainey | UUP | ||
| Ann-Marie Donnelly | Sinn Féin | ||
| Collette McNulty | Sinn Féin | ||
| Stephen McCann | Sinn Féin | ||
Premises
The council has two main administrative buildings, being the Townhall in Enniskillen, which was formerly the headquarters of Fermanagh District Council, and The Grange in Omagh, which was formerly the headquarters of Omagh District Council.[4] Council meetings are held at both buildings.[5]
Population
The area covered by the new council has a population of 113,161 residents according to the 2011 Northern Ireland census.[6]