Down (Northern Ireland Parliament constituency)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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	1st Pref	%	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

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.