Down (Northern Ireland Parliament constituency)

County constituency of the Parliament of Northern Ireland from 1921 - 1929

For other constituencies of the same name, see Down (disambiguation).

54°33′25″N 6°18′40″W﻿ / ﻿54.557°N 6.311°W﻿ / 54.557; -6.311

Down

Former County constituency
for the Parliament of Northern Ireland

Down shown within Northern Ireland

Former constituency
Created| 1921
Abolished| 1929
Election method| Single transferable vote

Down was a county constituency of the Parliament of Northern Ireland from 1921 to 1929. It returned eight MPs, using proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote.

## Boundaries

[edit]

Down was created by the Government of Ireland Act 1920 and consisted of the administrative County Down, excluding the parts of the historic county within the County Borough of Belfast. The House of Commons (Method of Voting and Redistribution of Seats) Act (Northern Ireland) 1929 divided the constituency into eight constituencies elected under first past the post: Ards, East Down, Iveagh, Mid Down, Mourne, North Down, South Down and West Down.[1]

## Second Dáil

[edit]

In May 1921, Dáil Éireann, the parliament of the self-declared Irish Republic run by Sinn Féin, passed a resolution declaring that elections to the House of Commons of Northern Ireland and the House of Commons of Southern Ireland would also serve as the election for the Second Dáil.[2] All those elected were on the roll of the Second Dáil, but Éamon de Valera, who was also elected for Clare, was the only MP elected for Down to sit as a TD in Dáil Éireann.[3]

## Politics

[edit]

Down had a Unionist majority, but with strong Nationalist support in the south. In both elections, six Unionists were elected, alongside one Nationalist and one Republican.

## Members of Parliament

[edit]

Election  | MP
(Party)  | MP
(Party)  | MP
(Party)  | MP
(Party)  | MP
(Party)  | MP
(Party)  | MP
(Party)  | MP
(Party)

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

1921 |  | James Craig
(UUP)  |  | J. M. Andrews
(UUP)  |  | Thomas Lavery
(UUP)  |  | Harry Mulholland
(UUP)  |  | Robert McBride
(UUP)  |  | Thomas McMullan
(UUP)  |  | Patrick O'Neill
(Nationalist)  |  | Éamon de Valera
(Sinn Féin/Republican)
1925

## Election results

[edit]

(1921–72)

Politics of Northern Ireland

Government

* Governor
* Privy Council
* Ministries
* Prime Minister
* Craigavon ministry
* Andrews ministry
* Brookeborough ministry
* O'Neill ministry
* Chichester-Clark ministry
* Faulkner ministry
* Northern Ireland Civil Service
* Departments

Parliament

* Acts
* Statutory rules and orders
* Senate
* Speaker of the Senate
* Leader of the Senate
* House of Commons
* Speaker
* Leader of the Opposition
* Members

1921, 1925, 1929, 1933
1938, 1945, 1949, 1953
1958, 1962, 1965, 1969

Senate

Elections

* Elections in Northern Ireland

1921, 1925, 1929, 1933
1938, 1945, 1949, 1953
1958, 1962, 1965, 1969

By-elections

* Constituencies
* Political parties

See also

* Fourth Home Rule Bill
* Constitution Act 1973

* Other countries

* v
* t
* e

1921 General Election: Down (8 seats)  Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count

|
|
|

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9
| UUP | James Craig | 36.7  | 29,829 |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
| Sinn Féin | Éamon de Valera | 26.7  | 21,677 |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
| UUP | J. M. Andrews | 15.5  | 12,584 |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
| Nationalist | Patrick O'Neill | 9.0  | 7,317  | 7,332  | 7,806  | 7,809  | 7,811  | 7,814  | 7,818  | 7,820  | 8,171
| UUP | Harry Mulholland | 5.7  | 4,665  | 10,183 |  |  |  |  |  |  |
| UUP | Robert McBride | 4.1  | 3,297  | 5,944  | 5,956  | 8,715  | 11,819 |  |  |  |
| UUP | Thomas Lavery | 3.5  | 2,863  | 12,883 |  |  |  |  |  |  |
| UUP | Thomas McMullan | 3.3  | 2,692  | 4,738  | 4,751  | 5,421  | 6,147  | 7,282  | 10,041 |  |
| Independent Labour | A. Adams  | 1.5  | 1,188  | 1,448  | 1,463  | 1,514  | 1,532  | 1,547  | 1,564  | 1,569  |
| Sinn Féin | Patrick Lavery  | 0.4  | 327  | 581  | 6,276  | 6,347  | 6,352  | 6,358  | 6,359  | 6,359  | 7,470
| Sinn Féin | Patrick M. Moore  | 0.2  | 149  | 197  | 1,236  | 1,245  | 1,252  | 1,255  | 1,272  | 1,284  |
Electorate: 93,138  Valid: 81,180  Quota: 9,021  Turnout: 87.2%

1925 General Election: Down (8 seats)  Party  | Candidate  | FPv% | %  | Seat  | Count

|
|
|
|
|

| UUP | J. M. Andrews | unopposed | N/A | N/A | N/A
| UUP | James Craig | unopposed | N/A | N/A | N/A
| Republican | Éamon de Valera | unopposed | N/A | N/A | N/A
| UUP | Thomas Lavery | unopposed | N/A | N/A | N/A
| UUP | Robert McBride | unopposed | N/A | N/A | N/A
| UUP | Thomas McMullan | unopposed | N/A | N/A | N/A
| UUP | Harry Mulholland | unopposed | N/A | N/A | N/A
| Nationalist | Patrick O'Neill | unopposed | N/A | N/A | N/A

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Northern Ireland Parliamentary Election results: Constituency Boundaries
2. ^ "Dáil Éireann debate - Tuesday, 10 May 1921 - PRESIDENT'S STATEMENT. - ELECTIONS". Houses of the Oireachtas. Retrieved 20 February 2019.
3. ^ "APPENDIX 19 DÁIL ÉIREANN". Houses of the Oireachtas. 16 August 1921. Retrieved 20 February 2019.

* v
* t
* e

Parliament of Northern Ireland constituencies

1921-1929|

1929-1973

Antrim|

* Antrim Borough
* Bannside
* Carrick
* Larkfield (from 1969)
* Larne
* Mid Antrim
* Newtownabbey (from 1969)
* North Antrim
* South Antrim

Armagh|

* Central Armagh
* Mid Armagh
* North Armagh
* South Armagh

Belfast East|

* Belfast Bloomfield
* Belfast Dock
* Belfast Pottinger
* Belfast Victoria

Belfast North|

* Belfast Clifton
* Belfast Duncairn
* Belfast Oldpark
* Belfast Shankill

Belfast South|

* Belfast Ballynafeigh
* Belfast Cromac
* Belfast Willowfield
* Belfast Windsor

Belfast West|

* Belfast Central
* Belfast Falls
* Belfast St Anne's
* Belfast Woodvale

Down|

* Ards
* Bangor (from 1969)
* East Down
* Iveagh
* Lagan Valley (from 1969)
* Mid Down
* Mourne
* North Down
* South Down
* West Down

Fermanagh and Tyrone|

* East Tyrone
* Enniskillen
* Lisnaskea
* Mid Tyrone
* North Tyrone
* South Fermanagh
* South Tyrone
* West Tyrone

Londonderry|

* City of Londonderry
* Foyle
* Mid Londonderry
* North Londonderry
* South Londonderry

Queen's University|

* Queen's University (to 1969)

* v
* t
* e

Parliamentary constituencies in County Down

Parliament of Ireland
to 1800|

* County Down (????–1800)
* Bangor (1613–1800)
* Downpatrick (1586–1800)
* Hillsborough (1662–1800)
* Killyleagh (1613–1800)
* Newry (????–1800)
* Newtownards (????–1800)

Westminster
1801–present|

| Historic|

* Down (1801–85, 1922–50)
* East Down (1885–1922)
* Mid Down (1918–22)
* North Down (1885–1922, 1950–)
* South Down (1885–1922, 1950–)
* West Down (1885–1922)
* Downpatrick (1801–85)
* Newry (1801–1918)

|

Current|

* Belfast South and Mid Down (2024–)
* Lagan Valley (1983–)
* Newry & Armagh (1983–)
* North Down (1983–)
* South Down (1983–)
* Strangford (1983–)

Dáil Éireann
Revolutionary era 1919–1922|

| First Dáil
1919–21|

| Seats taken|

(none)

|

Seats not taken|

* East Down
* Mid Down
* North Down
* South Down
* West Down

Second Dáil
1921–22|

| One or more seats taken|

Down

|

No seats taken|

(none)

Parliament of Northern Ireland
1921–72|

* Ards (1929–72)
* Bangor (1969–72)
* Down (1921–29)
* East Down (1929–72)
* Iveagh (1929–72)
* Lagan Valley (1969–72)
* Larkfield (1969–72)
* Mid Down (1929–72)
* Mourne (1929–72)
* North Down (1929–72)
* South Down (1929–72)
* West Down (1929–72)

Northern Ireland Assemblies|

| Assembly 1973–74
Constitutional Convention 1975–76
Assembly 1982–86|

* North Down
* South Down

|

Northern Ireland Forum 1996–98
Assembly (1998–present)|

* North Down
* South Down
* Lagan Valley
* Newry & Armagh
* Strangford
* Upper Bann

European Parliament
1979-2020|

* Northern Ireland

Constituencies in Ireland by county

Republic of Ireland|

* Carlow
* Cavan
* Clare
* Cork
* Donegal
* Dublin
* Galway
* Kerry
* Kildare
* Kilkenny
* Laois
* Leitrim
* Limerick
* Longford
* Louth
* Mayo
* Meath
* Monaghan
* Offaly
* Roscommon
* Sligo
* Tipperary
* Waterford
* Westmeath
* Wexford
* Wicklow

Northern Ireland|

* Antrim
* Armagh
* Down
* Fermanagh
* Londonderry
* Tyrone

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template
*[FPv%]: First preference votes percentage