A former SDLP Fermanagh and South Tyrone chair has claimed she was made to feel unwelcome because of her unionist background and has joined the Ulster Unionist Party to contest next year's local elections.

Ciara Dempsey from Lisburn has been selected as the UUP candidate for the Clogher Valley District Electoral Area on Mid Ulster District Council.

Ms Dempsey said she believed the SDLP was a genuinely cross-community party when she joined, but claimed she was repeatedly made to feel that her background was not welcome. She cited her family's involvement in unionist traditions, including her father's 50-year membership in the Millar Memorial Flute Band and her mother's role as organiser of the Poppy Appeal in Armagh.

"So yes, I am a unionist," she said, confirming that she held that position before and after joining the SDLP.

Ms Dempsey said her experience in Fermanagh and South Tyrone differed from her expectations based on her time in Lisburn, where she said unionists sometimes agreed with the SDLP. She claimed she was "suppressed" and "reprimanded" for supporting farmers, an issue she considers important in the rural constituency.

She also said her participation in traditional unionist events such as The Twelfth was not welcomed. "Bands and stuff like that, I still went to the Twelfth when I was with the SDLP. They didn't like that," she said.

Ms Dempsey's decision to leave the SDLP was prompted by an incident involving her daughter and father-in-law, who served in the Parachute Regiment but was not involved in Bloody Sunday. She said she attended an Army appreciation event with her family, where her daughter wore a Parachute Regiment uniform, and she posted a photograph on her personal Facebook account. She said people within the SDLP objected to the photograph and her parenting was questioned.

"That was the final straw. That was the day I left the SDLP," she said.

Ms Dempsey said her position on the Union has not changed. "I believe in sticking with the Union," she said. "I don't believe in a United Ireland."

She also criticised the handling of the cull of 51 cattle at a Fivemiletown farm, calling for greater transparency. She suggested farmers had told her the cattle could have been placed under a welfare licence. Asked about Agriculture Minister Andrew Muir, she said: "I think he should go but the issue is whether we get the same person again or a totally different type of person."

Ms Dempsey said violence against women and girls is the biggest driver behind her political involvement. She disclosed that she was groomed by a man nearly 40 years old when she was 14.

An SDLP spokesperson said the party is "proud to be a home for people from all traditions and backgrounds" and wished Ms Dempsey well for the future.