Down was a county constituency of the Parliament of Northern Ireland

Parliament of Northern Ireland

The Parliament of Northern Ireland was the home rule legislature of Northern Ireland, created under the Government of Ireland Act 1920, which sat from 7 June 1921 to 30 March 1972, when it was suspended...

 from 1921 - 1929. It returned eight MPs, using the single transferable vote

Single transferable vote

The single transferable vote is a voting system designed to achieve proportional representation through preferential voting. Under STV, an elector's vote is initially allocated to his or her most preferred candidate, and then, after candidates have been either elected or eliminated, any surplus or...

 method of proportional representation

Proportional representation

Proportional representation is a concept in voting systems used to elect an assembly or council. PR means that the number of seats won by a party or group of candidates is proportionate to the number of votes received. For example, under a PR voting system if 30% of voters support a particular...

.

Boundaries

Down consisted of the administrative

Administrative county

An administrative county was an administrative division in England and Wales and Ireland used for the purposes of local government. They are now abolished, although in Northern Ireland their former areas are used as the basis for lieutenancy....

 County Down

County Down

-Cities:*Belfast *Newry -Large towns:*Dundonald*Newtownards*Bangor-Medium towns:...

 (that is, excluding those parts of the historic county within the County Borough of Belfast). In 1929, the constituency was divided into the Ards

Ards (Northern Ireland Parliament constituency)

Ards was a constituency of the Parliament of Northern Ireland.-Boundaries:Ards was a county constituency comprising the town of Newtownards, the Ards peninsula and the town of Donaghadee. It was created in 1929 when the House of Commons Act 1929 introduced first past the post elections...

, East Down

East Down (Northern Ireland Parliament constituency)

East Down was a constituency of the Parliament of Northern Ireland.-Boundaries:East Down was a county constituency comprising the towns of Ardglass, Ballynahinch, Crossgar, Downpatrick, Dunmore, Killinchy, Killyleagh, Kilmore, Saintfield and Strangford, all in the current Down District Council...

, Iveagh

Iveagh (Northern Ireland Parliament constituency)

Iveagh was a constituency of the Parliament of Northern Ireland.-Boundaries:Iveagh was a county constituency comprising part of northern County Down, south west of Belfast. It was created when the House of Commons Act 1929 introduced first-past-the-post elections throughout Northern Ireland...

, Mid Down

Mid Down (Northern Ireland Parliament constituency)

Mid Down was a constituency of the Parliament of Northern Ireland.-Boundaries:Mid Down was a county constituency comprising part of northern County Down, immediately south east of Belfast. It was created when the House of Commons Act 1929 introduced first-past-the-post elections throughout...

, Mourne

Mourne (Northern Ireland Parliament constituency)

Mourne was a constituency of the Parliament of Northern Ireland.-Boundaries:Mourne was a county constituency comprising part of southern County Down, including the Mountains of Mourne. It was created when the House of Commons Act 1929 introduced first-past-the-post elections throughout Northern...

, North Down

North Down (Northern Ireland Parliament constituency)

North Down was a constituency of the Parliament of Northern Ireland.-Boundaries:North Down was a county constituency comprising part of northern County Down, immediately south east of Belfast. It was created when the House of Commons Act 1929 introduced first-past-the-post elections throughout...

, South Down

South Down (Northern Ireland Parliament constituency)

South Down was a constituency of the Parliament of Northern Ireland.-Boundaries:South Down was a county constituency comprising part of southern County Down. It was created when the House of Commons Act 1929 introduced first-past-the-post elections throughout Northern Ireland...

 and West Down

West Down (Northern Ireland Parliament constituency)

West Down was a constituency of the Parliament of Northern Ireland.-Boundaries:West Down was a county constituency comprising part of western County Down. It was created when the House of Commons Act 1929 introduced first-past-the-post elections throughout Northern Ireland...

 constituencies.

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.

Election results

External links

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