The Northern Ireland House of Commons, 1921-1972

Elections to the Northern Ireland House of Commons were not on the whole great historical events, apart perhaps from the very first one in 1921 and the very last in 1968. Two constituencies, accounting for 11 of the 52 seats, did not vote in the 1925 general election because they had the same number of candidates as seats; in 1933 only 19 of the seats actually had contests. The mood of debates is brilliantly pictured in James Kelly's autobiography, "Bonfires on the Hillsides"; of course Kelly, who as well as being a political journalist also engineered Eamon de Valera's election in County Down in 1933, was not a neutral observer but I have not found anyone writing with real conviction about the period from the Unionist point of view.

The 1921 and 1925 elections were by proportional representation (Single Transferable Vote), with the Belfast constituencies, Queen's University and County Armagh each electing four representatives, Londonderry electing five, Antrim seven, Down eight and Fermanagh/Tyrone also eight. For the 1929 electionz the Unionist government abolished PR and carved out 48 single-member seats from the city and county constituencies. The accusation that these were especially gerrymandered to reduce representation of Nationalists is difficult to substantiate. The Nationalist seat in County Antrim could not have been retained by any contiguous set of boundaries, and the loss of one seat due to the way the lines fell on the map in Armagh was offset by a gain in Belfast. One historian claims that the draughtsman had actually intended to create another Nationalist seat (presumably Dock) in Belfast but miscalculated. The real targets of the shift to single-member seats were the Independent Unionists, the Northern Ireland Labour Party and the Ulster Liberal Party, all of whom had made gains in 1925 but lost out in 1929.

However it should also be noted that although the Stormont constituencies were probably no more distorted than any set of boundaries for single-member seats, it is absolutely clear that the boundaries of election districts for local government elections had been heavily gerrymandered when proportional representation was abolished for these earlier in the 1920s. The case of Londonderry Corporation, while probably the best known, is far from unique. The delay in abolishing the ratepayers franchise in Northern Ireland further added to the distortions that had been introduced to the system.

My late father, John Whyte, looked at this issue and others in some detail in his 1984 paper, "How much discrimination was there under the Unionist regime, 1921-1968?" which is available on the CAIN web-site.

The Northern Ireland Parliament sat at a new building near Stormont Castle in East Belfast from 1932, and is often referred to simply as 'Stormont'. It also had a Senate of 26 members, whose members included the Lord Mayors of Belfast and Londonderry and 24 Senators elected by PR from the lower house. This body made little legislative impact. There was also a Governor of Northern Ireland.

In 1968 the reformist Prime Minister Terence O'Neill abolished the four Queen's University seats and created four new constituencies near Belfast, partly compensating for fifty years of population growth in the suburbs. However the Northern Ireland Parliament itself was abolished in 1972 and its constituency boundaries were not used again.

Elsewhere on the Web, Martin Sloan has published results (just of those elected) for all regional level elections in Northern Ireland from 1921 to 1982, and for the Westminster elections in NI from 1922 to 1997.

Part 1: 1921-29

County Antrim (2 Westminster MP's, 7 Northern Ireland MP's): elected six Unionists and one Nationalist in 1921; an Unbought Tenant took one of the Unionist seats in 1925.

County Armagh (1 Westminster MP, 4 Northern Ireland MP's): elected two Unionists, one Nationalist and one Sinn Feiner in 1921; the Sinn Fein seat was won by a Republican in 1925.

County Down (2 Westminster MP's, 8 Northern Ireland MP's): elected six Unionists, one Nationalist and one Sinn Feiner in 1921; the Sinn Fein seat was won by a Republican in 1925 when all candidates were unopposed.

Counties Fermanagh and Tyrone (2 Westminster MP's, 8 Northern Ireland MP's): elected four Unionists, one Nationalist and three Sinn Fein in 1921; all three Sinn Fein seats were taken by Nationalists in 1925.

County Londonderry (1 Westminster MP, 5 Northern Ireland MP's): elected three Unionists, one Nationalist and one Sinn Feiner in 1921; the Sinn Fein seat was won by a Nationalist in 1925.

East Belfast (1 Westminster MP, 4 Northern Ireland MP's): elected four Unionists in 1921; NILP and an Independent Unionist took two of those seats in 1925.

North Belfast (1 Westminster MP, 4 Northern Ireland MP's): elected four Unionists in 1921; NILP and an Independent Unionist took two of those seats in 1925.

South Belfast (1 Westminster MP, 4 Northern Ireland MP's): elected four Unionists in 1921; an Independent Unionist took one of those seats in 1925, but he resigned immediately (having also been elected for West Belfast) and the Unionists won the by-election.

West Belfast (1 Westminster MP, 4 Northern Ireland MP's): elected three Unionists and one Nationalist in 1921; NILP and an Independent Unionist took two Unionist seats in 1925.

Queen's University of Belfast (1 Westminster MP, 4 Northern Ireland MP's): elected four Unionists in 1921 and (unopposed) in 1925.

Part 2: 1929-1969

County Antrim

• Antrim Town: Won consistently by the Unionist candidate
• Bannside: Won consistently by the Unionist candidate (from 1946 Terence O'Neill, the last Northern Ireland Prime Minister of this period)
• Carrick: Won consistently by the Unionist candidate
• Larne: Won consistently by the Unionist candidate
• Mid Antrim: Won consistently by the Unionist candidate
• North Antrim: Won consistently by the Unionist candidate
• South Antrim: Won consistently by the Unionist candidate

County Armagh

• Armagh Central: Won consistently by the Unionist candidate
• Mid Armagh: Won consistently by the Unionist candidate
• North Armagh: Won consistently by the Unionist candidate
• South Armagh: Won consistently by Nationalists of various descriptions, apart from 1938 when the victorious candidate was in the NILP.

County Down

• Ards: Won consistently by the Unionist candidate
• East Down: Won consistently by the Unionist candidate
• Iveagh: Won consistently by the Unionist candidate
• Mid Down: Won consistently by the Unionist candidate (until 1953, J.M. Andrews who was briefly Prime Minister in the 1940s)
• Mourne: Won consistently by Nationalists of various descriptions, including James McSparran who was leader of the Nationalist Party, apart from 1935 when none stood and a Unionist won.
• North Down: Won by Prime Minister James Craig/Lord Craigavon until his death in 1941; the by-election was won by an Independent Unionist, who then rejoined the Unionist party who won consistently therafter.
• South Down: Won consistently by Nationalists of various descriptions, apart from 1935 when none stood and an Independent Unionist won.
• West Down: Won consistently by the Unionist candidate

Counties Fermanagh and Tyrone

Fermanagh

• Enniskillen: Won consistently by the Unionist candidate
• Lisnaskea: Won consistently by the Unionist candidate (who was equally consistently Sir Basil Brooke/Lord Brookeborough, the third Prime Minister of Northern Ireland)
• South Fermanagh: Won consistently by the Nationalist candidate (until 1965 the Nationalist leader Cahir Healy)

Tyrone

• East Tyrone: Won consistently by the Nationalist candidate (from 1964 Austin Currie)
• Mid Tyrone: Won consistently by the Nationalist candidate
• North Tyrone: Won consistently by the Unionist candidate
• South Tyrone: Won consistently by the Unionist candidate
• West Tyrone: Won consistently by the Nationalist candidate

County Londonderry

• City of Londonderry: Won consistently by the Unionist candidate
• Foyle: Won consistently by the Nationalist candidate (from 1953 the Nationalist leader Eddie McAteer)
• Mid Londonderry: Won consistently by the Nationalist candidate
• North Londonderry: Won consistently by the Unionist candidate
• South Londonderry: Won consistently by the Unionist candidate

East Belfast

• Bloomfield: Won consistently by the Unionist candidate
• Dock: Won by Unionist in 1929, NILP in 1933, Unionist in 1938, NILP in 1945, Unionist in 1949, Irish Labour in 1953, Unionist in 1958, Irish Labour (Gerry Fitt) in 1962, and Republican Labour (Fitt again) in 1965.
• Pottinger: Won by NILP in 1929 and 1933, Ind Labour (same candidate) in 1938 and 1945, Unionist in 1949 and 1953, and NILP in 1958, 1962 and 1965.
• Victoria: Won by Unionists in 1929, 1933, 1938, 1945, 1949, and 1953, by NILP in 1958 and 1962, and by Unionist again in 1965.

North Belfast

• Clifton: Won consistently by the Unionist candidate except in 1953 when an Independent Unionist won.
• Duncairn: Won consistently by the Unionist candidate
• Oldpark: Won by Unionists in 1929, 1933, and 1938, by NILP in 1945, by Unionist in 1949 and 1953, and by NILP in 1958, 1962 and 1965.
• Shankill: Won by Independent Unionist (Tommy Henderson) until he was defeated by Unionist in 1953, and by Unionists thereafter.

South Belfast

• Ballynafeigh: Won consistently by the Unionist candidate
• Cromac: Won consistently by the Unionist candidate
• Willowfield: Won consistently by the Unionist candidate apart from a brief interlude when Harry Midgeley won it for the NILP in a 1941 by-election; he won again for his own Commonwealth Labour Party in 1945 and then joined the Unionists.
• Windsor: Won consistently by the Unionist candidate

West Belfast

• Belfast Central: Won by Nationalist leader Joe Devlin until his death in 1934, then by the next Nationalist leader T.J. Campbell until he resigned in 1946; NILP candidate won the by-election and then sat as Independent Labour until 1965, when the seat was won unopposed by the New Democratic Party.
• Falls: Won by Nationalist in 1929, 1933, and 1938; on his death in 1942 the by-election was won by a Republican; Harry Diamond won the seat as a Socialist Republican in 1945 and held it for the rest of this period, changing his designation to Republican Labour in 1953.
• St Anne's: Won consistently by the Unionist candidate
• Woodvale: Won by INdependent Unionist until his death in 1950; then won by Unionist in by-election and 1953; NILP in 1958 and 1962; regained by Unionist in 1965.

Queen's University of Belfast

The 1968 general election and after

1. the abolition of the QUB constituency and the creation of four new seats:
   • Newtownabbey north of Belfast (from parts of the Carrick and Antrim town seats; the Antrim town seat also shed some territory to Bannside)
   • Larkfield to the southwest of Belfast (from parts of the old South Antrim and Mid Down seats)
   • Lagan Valley to the south of Belfast from the old Mid Down seat)
   • Bangor to cover the town of the same name (from the old North Down seat, which gained a bit in compensation from Mid Down)
2. the split in the Unionist Party over the reform programme of Prime Minister Terence O'Neill which meant that those Unionists elected came from three different categories:
   • official Unionist candidates backing O'Neill
   • official Unionist candidates opposed to O'Neill
   • unofficial Unionist candidates backing O'Neill in constituencies where the official Unionist candidate was opposed to O'Neill
3. the rise of the civil rights movement undermined the Nationalist party and boosted several independent candidates.

County Antrim: 8 seats, including the new seats of Larkfield and Newtownabbey, won by official Unionist supporters of O'Neill (including also O'Neill himself in Bannside). Larne won by an official Unionist opposed to O'Neill.

County Armagh: Armagh Central won by an official Unionist supporter of O'Neill; Mid and North Armagh won by official Unionists opposed to O'Neill; South Armagh won by a pro-civil rights Independent.

County Down: Ards, Iveagh, Mid Down, North Down, and the new Lagan Valley won by official Unionist supporters of O'Neill; East Down, West Down and Iveagh by official Unionists opposed to O'Neill; the new seat of Bangor by an unofficial Unionist backing O'Neill; and South Down and Mourne as usual by Nationalists. East Down was the seat of future Prime Minister and Chief Executive Brian Faulkner (later briefly Lord Faulkner).

Counties Fermanagh and Tyrone: North Tyrone won by an official Unionist supporter of O'Neill; Enniskillen, Lisnaskea and South Tyrone won by official Unionists opposed to O'Neill; the other four seats as usual won by Nationalists.

County Londonderry: South Londonderry won by O'Neill supporter (and immediate successor) James Chichester-Clark; City and North Londonderry won by official Unionists opposed to O'Neill; Foyle and Mid Londonderry won by pro-civil rights Independents (John Hume and Ivan Cooper).

Belfast: Official Unionist supporters of O'Neill won in Bloomfield, Pottinger (gain from NILP), Victoria, Duncairn, Ballynafeigh, Cromac, and Windsor; official Unionists opposed to O'Neill won in Shankill, St Anne's and Woodvale; unofficial Unionists backing O'Neill won in Clifton and Willowfield (effectively gained from official Unionists); NILP won in Oldpark and Falls (gained by Paddy Devlin from Rep Lab); Republican Labour held Dock with Gerry Fitt and gained Belfast Central from the NDP.

By-elections

General Election Results Table

• Ind Nats etc includes Republicans (2 in 1925, 1 in 1933), Fianna Fail (1933), National League (1933), Socialist Republican (1945 and 1949), Anti-Partition League (2 in 1953), New Democratic Party (1965) and pro-civil rights independents (3 in 1968).
• Ind Lab etc includes the Commonwealth Labour Party (1945)
• Ind/Oth includes Unbought Tenant (1925) and QUB independents

Unopposed seats in general elections:

• 1921: none
• 1925: 11 (9 Unionist, 1 Nationalist, 1 Republican)
• 1929: 22 (16 Unionist, 6 Nationalist)
• 1933: 33 (27 Unionist, 6 Nationalist)
• 1938: 21 (14 Unionist, 6 Nationalist, 1 NILP)
• 1945: 20 (13 Unionist, 1 Ind Unionist, 6 Nationalist)
• 1949: 19 (14 Unionist, 2 Ind Unionist, 2 Nationalist, 1 Soc Rep)
• 1953: 27 (23 Unionist, 3 Nationalist, 1 Anti-Partition)
• 1958: 26 (24 Unionist, 2 Nationalist)
• 1962: 24 (20 Unionist, 3 Nationalist, 1 Ind Lab)
• 1965: 22 (13 Unionist, 5 Nationalist, 1 NDP, 1 Rep Lab, 1 Liberal, 1 Independent)
• 1969: 4 (4 pro-O'Neill official Unionists)

See also: Westminster elections 1885-1910 | The 1918 election | Dáil elections since 1918 | Westminster elections since 1920 | Senate of Southern Ireland 1921 | Irish Senate elections in 1925 | Northern Ireland House of Commons | Northern Ireland Senate

Surveys of each recent election: 2004 European | 2003 Assembly | 2001 Westminster | 2001 local govt | 2000 S Antrim | 1999 European | 1998 Assembly | 1997 local govt | 1997 Westminster | 1996 Forum | 1995 N Down | 1994 European | 1993 local govt | 1992 Westminster | 1989 European | 1989 local govt | 1987 Westminster | 1986 by-elections | 1985 local govt | 1984 European | 1983 Westminster | 1982 Assembly | 1981 local govt | 1979 European | 1979 Westminster | 1977 local govt | 1975 Convention | Oct 1974 Westminster | Feb 1974 Westminster | 1973 Assembly | 1973 local govt | Summary of all Northern Ireland elections since 1973 | Brief summary of election results 1997-2003

Other sites based at ARK: ORB (Online Research Bank) | CAIN (Conflict Archive on the INternet) | Northern Ireland Life and Times Survey

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Nicholas Whyte, 9 June 2000; last modified 17 February 2002.