Down North (Dáil Éireann constituency)

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For the modern UK Parliament constituency see North Down (UK Parliament constituency).

North Down County constituency
Created:	1885
Abolished:	1922
Type:	House of Commons

Down North, was a former United Kingdom Parliamentary constituency.

Contents 1 Boundaries and Boundary Changes 2 Politics 3 The First Dáil 4 Members of Parliament 5 Elections 6 References 7 External links 7.1 See also

[edit] Boundaries and Boundary Changes

This county constituency comprised the northern part of County Down.

It returned one Member of Parliament 1885-1922.

Prior to the United Kingdom general election, 1885 and from the dissolution of Parliament in 1922 the area was part of the Down constituency.

[edit] Politics

The constituency was a strongly unionist area. Neither the Nationalist Party or Sinn Féin contested the seat in 1918.

[edit] The First Dáil

Sinn Féin contested the general election of 1918 on the platform that instead of taking up any seats they won in the United Kingdom Parliament, they would establish a revolutionary assembly in Dublin. In republican theory every MP elected in Ireland was a potential Deputy to this assembly. In practice only the Sinn Féin members accepted the offer.

The revolutionary First Dáil assembled on 21 January 1919 and last met on 10 May 1921. The First Dáil, according to a resolution passed on 10 May 1921, was formally dissolved on the assembling of the Second Dáil. This took place on 16 August 1921.

In 1921 Sinn Féin decided to use the UK authorised elections for the Northern Ireland House of Commons and the House of Commons of Southern Ireland as a poll for the Irish Republic's Second Dáil. This area, in republican theory, was incorporated in a potential eight-member Dáil constituency of Down.

[edit] Members of Parliament

Key to parties: C Conservative, U Irish Unionist (1886-April 1921) and Ulster Unionist (May 1921-1922).

From	To	Name (Party)	Born	Died
1918	1922	Thomas Watters Brown (U)	1879	7 October 1944
1922	1922	Sir Henry Hughes Wilson, Bt (U)	5 May 1864	22 June 1922
1922	1922	Very Rev. John Morrow Simms (U)	23 November 1854	29 April 1934

[edit] Elections

The elections in this constituency took place using the first past the post electoral system.

General Election 14 December 1918: North Down
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Irish Unionist	Thomas Watters Brown	9,200		N/A
	Independent Unionist	John Alexander Davidson	2,153		N/A
Majority					N/A
Turnout			18,399		N/A
	Irish Unionist hold		Swing	N/A

• Brown appointed Solicitor-General for Ireland

General Election 23 June 1921: North Down
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Ulster Unionist	Thomas Watters Brown	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Ulster Unionist hold		Swing	N/A

• Brown appointed Justice of the Irish High Court

General Election 21 February 1922: North Down
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Ulster Unionist	Sir Henry Hughes Wilson, Bt	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Ulster Unionist hold		Swing	N/A

• Death of Wilson

General Election 21 July 1922: North Down
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Ulster Unionist	Very Rev. John Morrow Simms	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Ulster Unionist hold		Swing	N/A

[edit] References

• Parliamentary Election Results in Ireland, 1801-1922, edited by B.M. Walker (Royal Irish Academy 1978)
• Who's Who of British Members of Parliament: Volume II 1886-1918, edited by M. Stenton and S. Lees (The Harvester Press 1978)
• Who's Who of British Members of Parliament: Volume III 1919-1945, edited by M. Stenton and S. Lees (The Harvester Press 1979)

[edit] External links

• http://www.oireachtas.ie/members-hist/default.asp?housetype=0
• http://historical-debates.oireachtas.ie/en.toc.dail.html

[edit] See also

• List of UK Parliament Constituencies in Ireland and Northern Ireland
• Redistribution of Seats (Ireland) Act 1918
• MPs elected in the UK general election, 1918
• List of Dáil Éireann constituencies in Ireland (historic)
• Members of the 1st Dáil