West Tyrone (Northern Ireland Parliament constituency)
Encyclopedia
West Tyrone was a constituency of the Parliament of Northern Ireland
.
. It was created when the House of Commons (Method of Voting and Redistribution of Seats) Act (Northern Ireland) 1929
introduced first-past-the-post
elections throughout Northern Ireland
. North Tyrone was created by the division of Fermanagh and Tyrone
into eight new constituencies, of which five were in County Tyrone. The constituency survived unchanged, returning one member of Parliament until the Parliament of Northern Ireland was temporarily suspended
in 1972, and then formally abolished
in 1973.
The seat was dominated by the town of Omagh
, and also included parts of the rural districts of Castlederg
and Omagh..
. Members of the Ulster Unionist Party
contested the seat on three occasions, twice winning more than 40% of the vote each time. The remaining elections were uncontested.
, 1933
, 1938
and 1945 Northern Ireland general elections, Alex Donnelly
was elected unopposed.
At the Northern Ireland general election, 1953
, Roderick O'Connor
was elected unopposed.
At the 1962
, 1965
and 1969 Northern Ireland general elections
, Roderick O'Connor
was elected unopposed.
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...
.
Boundaries
West Tyrone was a county constituency comprising the western part of County TyroneCounty Tyrone
Historically Tyrone stretched as far north as Lough Foyle, and comprised part of modern day County Londonderry east of the River Foyle. The majority of County Londonderry was carved out of Tyrone between 1610-1620 when that land went to the Guilds of London to set up profit making schemes based on...
. It was created when the House of Commons (Method of Voting and Redistribution of Seats) Act (Northern Ireland) 1929
House of Commons (Method of Voting and Redistribution of Seats) Act (Northern Ireland) 1929
The House of Commons Act 1929 was an Act of the Parliament of Northern Ireland; its major provision was to abolish proportional representation for all future elections in Northern Ireland....
introduced first-past-the-post
First-past-the-post
First-past-the-post voting refers to an election won by the candidate with the most votes. The winning potato candidate does not necessarily receive an absolute majority of all votes cast.-Overview:...
elections throughout Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
. North Tyrone was created by the division of Fermanagh and Tyrone
Fermanagh and Tyrone (Northern Ireland Parliament constituency)
Fermanagh and Tyrone was a county constituency of the Parliament of Northern Ireland from 1921 - 1929. It returned eight MPs, using the single transferable vote method of proportional representation.-Boundaries:...
into eight new constituencies, of which five were in County Tyrone. The constituency survived unchanged, returning one member of Parliament until the Parliament of Northern Ireland was temporarily suspended
Northern Ireland (Temporary Provisions) Act 1972
The Northern Ireland Act 1972 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that introduced direct rule in Northern Ireland with effect from 30 March 1972....
in 1972, and then formally abolished
Northern Ireland Constitution Act 1973
The Northern Ireland Constitution Act 1973 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which received the Royal Assent on 18 July 1973...
in 1973.
The seat was dominated by the town of Omagh
Omagh
Omagh is the county town of County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is situated where the rivers Drumragh and Camowen meet to form the Strule. The town, which is the largest in the county, had a population of 19,910 at the 2001 Census. Omagh also contains the headquarters of Omagh District Council and...
, and also included parts of the rural districts of Castlederg
Castlederg
Castlederg is a village in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It lies on the River Derg and is close to the border with County Donegal. The village has a ruined castle and two ancient tombs known as the Druid's Altar and Todd's Den...
and Omagh..
Politics
The constituency was consistently won by members of the Nationalist PartyNationalist Party (Northern Ireland)
The Nationalist Party† - was the continuation of the Irish Parliamentary Party, and was formed after partition, by the Northern Ireland-based members of the IPP....
. Members of the Ulster Unionist Party
Ulster Unionist Party
The Ulster Unionist Party – sometimes referred to as the Official Unionist Party or, in a historic sense, simply the Unionist Party – is the more moderate of the two main unionist political parties in Northern Ireland...
contested the seat on three occasions, twice winning more than 40% of the vote each time. The remaining elections were uncontested.
Members of Parliament
| Year | Member | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1929 Northern Ireland general election, 1929 -References:*... |
Alex Donnelly Alex Donnelly Alexander Ernest Donnelly, known as Alex Donnelly , was a nationalist politician and solicitor in Ireland.Donnelly studied at the Christian Brothers School in Omagh and the Royal University of Ireland. He was elected to Tyrone County Council in 1914, holding his seat until 1951, holding the post... |
Nationalist Party Nationalist Party (Northern Ireland) The Nationalist Party† - was the continuation of the Irish Parliamentary Party, and was formed after partition, by the Northern Ireland-based members of the IPP.... |
|
| 1949 Northern Ireland general election, 1949 -References:*-See also:*MPs elected in the Northern Ireland general election, 1949... |
Roderick O'Connor Roderick O'Connor (politician) Roderick O'Connor was a nationalist politician in Northern Ireland.O'Connor was a solicitor and a director of the Ulster Herald series of newspapers... |
Nationalist Party Nationalist Party (Northern Ireland) The Nationalist Party† - was the continuation of the Irish Parliamentary Party, and was formed after partition, by the Northern Ireland-based members of the IPP.... |
Election results
At the 1929Northern Ireland general election, 1929
-References:*...
, 1933
Northern Ireland general election, 1933
-References:*...
, 1938
Northern Ireland general election, 1938
-References:*...
and 1945 Northern Ireland general elections, Alex Donnelly
Alex Donnelly
Alexander Ernest Donnelly, known as Alex Donnelly , was a nationalist politician and solicitor in Ireland.Donnelly studied at the Christian Brothers School in Omagh and the Royal University of Ireland. He was elected to Tyrone County Council in 1914, holding his seat until 1951, holding the post...
was elected unopposed.
At the Northern Ireland general election, 1953
Northern Ireland general election, 1953
-References:*...
, Roderick O'Connor
Roderick O'Connor (politician)
Roderick O'Connor was a nationalist politician in Northern Ireland.O'Connor was a solicitor and a director of the Ulster Herald series of newspapers...
was elected unopposed.
At the 1962
Northern Ireland general election, 1962
-Seats summary:-References:*...
, 1965
Northern Ireland general election, 1965
-Seats summary:-References:*...
and 1969 Northern Ireland general elections
Northern Ireland general election, 1969
-References:*...
, Roderick O'Connor
Roderick O'Connor (politician)
Roderick O'Connor was a nationalist politician in Northern Ireland.O'Connor was a solicitor and a director of the Ulster Herald series of newspapers...
was elected unopposed.