Down South (Dáil Éireann constituency)

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For the modern UK Parliament constituency see South Down (UK Parliament constituency)
South Down
County constituency
Created: 1885
Abolished: 1922
Type: House of Commons

Down South, was a former United Kingdom Parliamentary constituency.

Contents

[edit] Boundaries and Boundary Changes

This county constituency comprised the southern 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 predominantly Nationalist area in 1918. The Unionists had significant but minority support. The Sinn Féin candidate polled poorly, probably due to the limited electoral pact to avoid seriously splitting the anti-unionist vote in seats the unionist candidate might have otherwise won.

[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 party: N Nationalist.

From To Name (Party) Born Died
1902 1922 Jeremiah MacVeagh (N) 1870 17 April 1932
This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

[edit] Elections

The 1918 election in this constituency took place using the first past the post electoral system.

General Election 14 December 1918: South Down
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Irish Parliamentary Jeremiah MacVeagh 8,756 N/A
Irish Unionist John Alexander Weir Johnston 5,573 N/A
Independent (politician) Alexander Fisher 436 N/A
Sinn Féin Eamon de Valera 33 N/A
Majority N/A
Turnout 18,708 N/A
Irish Parliamentary 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

[edit] See also


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