Sinn Féin’s Barry McElduff wins council seat in Omagh

A former MP who resigned after angering relatives of those killed shot dead in a sectarian massacre has been elected as a local councillor.

Barry McElduff was elected to Fermanagh and Omagh District Council on Saturday, the second day of counting in the local government elections.

Mr McElduff received 900 first preference votes in the Omagh DEA, with the DUP's Errol Thompson topping the poll. Mr McElduff was only short of the quota by 10 votes and was elected in the second round.

He had stepped down last year after an outcry prompted by him posting a video of himself balancing a loaf of Kingsmill bread on his head.

It was put on his Twitter account on the anniversary of the Kingsmills atrocity.

Ten Protestant workmen were shot dead by republicans in Co Armagh on 5 January 1976.

After being elected, Mr McElduff said: “Today is about this election. I have said my piece, I did so with as much dignity as I could, I resigned as an MP, I apologised for the unintended, and I stress, the unintended consequences and I took full responsibility for my own actions.”

At the start of Saturday's count, the DUP were leading the pack with 81 seats, ahead of Sinn Féin on 74, the UUP on 57, the SDLP on 42 and Alliance on 36.