View source for Down (Northern Ireland Parliament constituency)

{{Short description|County constituency of the Parliament of Northern Ireland from 1921 - 1929}}
{{For|other constituencies of the same name|Down (disambiguation)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{coord|54.557|-6.311|display=title|region:GB_scale:200000}}
{{Infobox constituency
| name = Down
| type = [[Northern Ireland Parliament constituencies|County]]
| parl_name = [[Parliament of Northern Ireland]]
| image = [[Image:Down (Northern Ireland Parliament constituency).svg|200px]]
| caption = Down  shown within [[Northern Ireland]]
| year = 1921
| abolished = 1929
| blank1_name = Election method
| blank1_info = [[Single transferable vote]]
}}
'''Down''' was a [[county constituencies|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 (Parliamentary and Dáil constituencies)|Government of Ireland Act 1920]] and consisted of the [[administrative county|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 (Northern Ireland Parliament constituency)|Ards]], [[East Down (Northern Ireland Parliament constituency)|East Down]], [[Iveagh (Northern Ireland Parliament constituency)|Iveagh]], [[Mid Down (Northern Ireland Parliament constituency)|Mid Down]], [[Mourne (Northern Ireland Parliament constituency)|Mourne]], [[North Down (Northern Ireland Parliament constituency)|North Down]], [[South Down (Northern Ireland Parliament constituency)|South Down]] and [[West Down (Northern Ireland Parliament constituency)|West Down]].<ref>[http://www.election.demon.co.uk/stormont/boundaries.html Northern Ireland Parliamentary Election results: Constituency Boundaries]</ref>

==Second Dáil==
In May 1921, [[Dáil Éireann (Irish Republic)|Dáil Éireann]], the parliament of the [[unilateral declaration of independence|self-declared]] [[Irish Republic]] run by [[Sinn Féin]], passed a resolution declaring that [[1921 Irish elections|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]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/dail/1921-05-10/26/|title=Dáil Éireann debate - Tuesday, 10 May 1921 - PRESIDENT'S STATEMENT. - ELECTIONS.|website=Houses of the Oireachtas|access-date=20 February 2019}}</ref> All those elected were on the roll of the Second Dáil, but [[Éamon de Valera]], who was also elected for [[Clare (Dáil constituency)|Clare]], was the only MP elected for Down to sit as a TD in Dáil Éireann.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/dail/1922-01-10/25/|title=APPENDIX 19 DÁIL ÉIREANN|website=Houses of the Oireachtas |date=16 August 1921|access-date=20 February 2019}}</ref>

==Politics==
Down had a [[Unionism (Ireland)|Unionist]] majority, but with strong [[Nationalist (Ireland)|Nationalist]] support in the south.  In both elections, six Unionists were elected, alongside one Nationalist and one Republican.

==Members of Parliament==
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
! Election
! scope="col" width="150" colspan = "2" | MP<br /> (Party) 
! scope="col" width="150" colspan = "2" | MP<br /> (Party) 
! scope="col" width="150" colspan = "2" | MP<br /> (Party) 
! scope="col" width="150" colspan = "2" | MP<br /> (Party)
! scope="col" width="150" colspan = "2" | MP<br /> (Party) 
! scope="col" width="150" colspan = "2" | MP<br /> (Party) 
! scope="col" width="150" colspan = "2" | MP<br /> (Party)
! scope="col" width="150" colspan = "2" | MP<br /> (Party)
|-
! [[1921 Northern Ireland general election|1921]]
! style="background-color: {{party color|Ulster Unionist Party}}" rowspan=2|
|rowspan="2"|[[James Craig, 1st Viscount Craigavon|James Craig]]<br /> ([[Ulster Unionist Party|UUP]])
! style="background-color: {{party color|Ulster Unionist Party}}" rowspan=2|
|rowspan="2"|[[J. M. Andrews]]<br /> ([[Ulster Unionist Party|UUP]])
! style="background-color: {{party color|Ulster Unionist Party}}" rowspan=2|
|rowspan="2"|[[Thomas Lavery]]<br /> ([[Ulster Unionist Party|UUP]])
! style="background-color: {{party color|Ulster Unionist Party}}" rowspan=2|
|rowspan="2"|[[Sir Henry Mulholland, 1st Baronet|Harry Mulholland]]<br /> ([[Ulster Unionist Party|UUP]])
! style="background-color: {{party color|Ulster Unionist Party}}" rowspan=2|
|rowspan="2"|[[Robert McBride (politician)|Robert McBride]]<br /> ([[Ulster Unionist Party|UUP]])
! style="background-color: {{party color|Ulster Unionist Party}}" rowspan=2|
|rowspan="2"|[[Thomas McMullan]]<br /> ([[Ulster Unionist Party|UUP]])
! style="background-color: {{party color|Nationalist Party (Northern Ireland)}}" rowspan=2|
|rowspan="2"|[[Patrick O'Neill (politician)|Patrick O'Neill]]<br /> ([[Nationalist Party (Northern Ireland)|Nationalist]])
|style="background-color: {{party color|Sinn Féin}}" rowspan=2|
|rowspan="2"|[[Éamon de Valera]]<br /> ([[Sinn Féin|Sinn Féin/Republican]])
|- 
| '''[[1925 Northern Ireland general election|1925]]'''

|}

==Election results==
{{Politics of Northern Ireland 1921-72}}

{{STV Election box begin2
 |title      = [[1921 Northern Ireland general election|1921 General Election]]: Down (8 seats)
 |numcounts  = 9
}}
{{STV Election box candidate2
 |candidate  = '''[[James Craig, 1st Viscount Craigavon|James Craig]]'''
 |party      = Ulster Unionist Party
 |percentage = 36.7
 |count1     = '''29,829'''
 |count2     = &nbsp;
 |count3     = &nbsp;
 |count4     = &nbsp;
 |count5     = &nbsp;
 |count6     = &nbsp;
 |count7     = &nbsp;
 |count8     = &nbsp;
 |count9     = &nbsp;
}}
{{STV Election box candidate2
 |candidate  = '''[[Éamon de Valera]]'''
 |party      = Sinn Féin
 |percentage = 26.7
 |count1     = '''21,677'''
 |count2     = &nbsp;
 |count3     = &nbsp;
 |count4     = &nbsp;
 |count5     = &nbsp;
 |count6     = &nbsp;
 |count7     = &nbsp;
 |count8     = &nbsp;
 |count9     = &nbsp;
}}
{{STV Election box candidate2
 |candidate  = '''[[J. M. Andrews]]'''
 |party      = Ulster Unionist Party
 |percentage = 15.5
 |count1     = '''12,584'''
 |count2     = &nbsp;
 |count3     = &nbsp;
 |count4     = &nbsp;
 |count5     = &nbsp;
 |count6     = &nbsp;
 |count7     = &nbsp;
 |count8     = &nbsp;
 |count9     = &nbsp;
}}
{{STV Election box candidate2
 |candidate  = '''[[Patrick O'Neill (politician)|Patrick O'Neill]]'''
 |party      = Nationalist Party (Northern Ireland)
 |percentage = 9.0
 |count1     = 7,317
 |count2     = 7,332
 |count3     = 7,806
 |count4     = 7,809
 |count5     = 7,811
 |count6     = 7,814
 |count7     = 7,818
 |count8     = 7,820
 |count9     = '''8,171'''
}}
{{STV Election box candidate2
 |candidate  = '''[[Sir Henry Mulholland, 1st Baronet|Harry Mulholland]]'''
 |party      = Ulster Unionist Party
 |percentage = 5.7
 |count1     = 4,665
 |count2     = '''10,183'''
 |count3     = &nbsp;
 |count4     = &nbsp;
 |count5     = &nbsp;
 |count6     = &nbsp;
 |count7     = &nbsp;
 |count8     = &nbsp;
 |count9     = &nbsp;
}}
{{STV Election box candidate2
 |candidate  = '''[[Robert McBride (politician)|Robert McBride]]'''
 |party      = Ulster Unionist Party
 |percentage = 4.1
 |count1     = 3,297
 |count2     = 5,944
 |count3     = 5,956
 |count4     = 8,715
 |count5     = '''11,819'''
 |count6     = &nbsp;
 |count7     = &nbsp;
 |count8     = &nbsp;
 |count9     = &nbsp;
}}
{{STV Election box candidate2
 |candidate  ='''[[Thomas Lavery]]'''
 |party      = Ulster Unionist Party
 |percentage = 3.5
 |count1     = 2,863
 |count2     = '''12,883'''
 |count3     = &nbsp;
 |count4     = &nbsp;
 |count5     = &nbsp;
 |count6     = &nbsp;
 |count7     = &nbsp;
 |count8     = &nbsp;
 |count9     = &nbsp;
}}
{{STV Election box candidate2
 |candidate  = '''[[Thomas McMullan]]'''
 |party      = Ulster Unionist Party
 |percentage = 3.3
 |count1     = 2,692
 |count2     = 4,738
 |count3     = 4,751
 |count4     = 5,421
 |count5     = 6,147
 |count6     = 7,282
 |count7     = '''10,041'''
 |count8     = &nbsp;
 |count9     = &nbsp;
}}
{{STV Election box candidate2
 |candidate  = A. Adams
 |party      = Independent Labour
 |percentage = 1.5
 |count1     = 1,188
 |count2     = 1,448
 |count3     = 1,463
 |count4     = 1,514
 |count5     = 1,532
 |count6     = 1,547
 |count7     = 1,564
 |count8     = 1,569
 |count9     = &nbsp;
}}
{{STV Election box candidate2
 |candidate  = Patrick Lavery
 |party      = Sinn Féin
 |percentage = 0.4
 |count1     = 327
 |count2     = 581
 |count3     = 6,276
 |count4     = 6,347
 |count5     = 6,352
 |count6     = 6,358
 |count7     = 6,359
 |count8     = 6,359
 |count9     = 7,470
}}
{{STV Election box candidate2
 |candidate  = Patrick M. Moore
 |party      = Sinn Féin
 |percentage = 0.2
 |count1     = 149
 |count2     = 197
 |count3     = 1,236
 |count4     = 1,245
 |count5     = 1,252
 |count6     = 1,255
 |count7     = 1,272
 |count8     = 1,284
 |count9     = &nbsp;
}}
{{STV Election box end2
 |numcounts  = 9
 |electorate = 93,138
 |valid      = 81,180
 |spoilt     = 
 |quota      = 9,021
 |turnout    = 87.2%
}}

{{STV Election box begin|title=[[1925 Northern Ireland general election|1925 General Election]]: Down (8 seats)}}
{{STV Election box candidate with party link|
 |candidate = '''[[J. M. Andrews]]'''
 |party = Ulster Unionist Party
 |votes = ''unopposed''
 |percentage = ''N/A''
 |seat = ''N/A''
 |count = ''N/A''
}}
{{STV Election box candidate with party link|
 |candidate = '''[[James Craig, 1st Viscount Craigavon|James Craig]]'''
 |party = Ulster Unionist Party
 |votes = ''unopposed''
 |percentage = ''N/A''
 |seat = ''N/A''
 |count = ''N/A''
}}
{{STV Election box candidate with party link|
 |candidate = '''[[Éamon de Valera]]'''
 |party = Republican (Ireland, 1923)
 |votes = ''unopposed''
 |percentage = ''N/A''
 |seat = ''N/A''
 |count = ''N/A''
}}
{{STV Election box candidate with party link|
 |candidate = '''[[Thomas Lavery]]'''
 |party = Ulster Unionist Party
 |votes = ''unopposed''
 |percentage = ''N/A''
 |seat = ''N/A''
 |count = ''N/A''
}}
{{STV Election box candidate with party link|
 |candidate = '''[[Robert McBride (politician)|Robert McBride]]'''
 |party = Ulster Unionist Party
 |votes = ''unopposed''
 |percentage = ''N/A''
 |seat = ''N/A''
 |count = ''N/A''
}}
{{STV Election box candidate with party link|
 |candidate = '''[[Thomas McMullan]]'''
 |party = Ulster Unionist Party
 |votes = ''unopposed''
 |percentage = ''N/A''
 |seat = ''N/A''
 |count = ''N/A''
}}
{{STV Election box candidate with party link|
 |candidate = '''[[Sir Henry Mulholland, 1st Baronet|Harry Mulholland]]'''
 |party = Ulster Unionist Party
 |votes = ''unopposed''
 |percentage = ''N/A''
 |seat = ''N/A''
 |count = ''N/A''
}}
{{STV Election box candidate with party link|
 |candidate = '''[[Patrick O'Neill (politician)|Patrick O'Neill]]'''
 |party = Nationalist Party (Northern Ireland)
 |votes = ''unopposed''
 |percentage = ''N/A''
 |seat = ''N/A''
 |count = ''N/A''
}}
{{end}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{Parliament of Northern Ireland}}
{{County Down constituencies}}

[[Category:Northern Ireland Parliament constituencies established in 1921]]
[[Category:Northern Ireland Parliament constituencies disestablished in 1929]]
[[Category:Constituencies of the Northern Ireland Parliament]]
[[Category:Historic constituencies in County Down]]
[[Category:Dáil constituencies in Northern Ireland (historic)]]