North Londonderry (UK Parliament constituency)

North Londonderry
North Londonderry
	Former County constituency; for the House of Commons
1885–1922
Number of members	One
Replaced by	Londonderry
Created from	Coleraine and Londonderry

North Londonderry was a United Kingdom Parliament constituency in Ireland.

Boundaries and boundary changes

This county constituency comprised the northern part of County Londonderry. Its official title was the North Londonderry division of county Londonderry.

It returned one Member of Parliament 1885–1922.

1885–1922: The baronies of Keenaught, North-East Liberties of Coleraine, North-West Liberties of Londonderry, and Tirkeeran, and that part of the barony of Coleraine consisting of the parishes of Dunboe, Formoyle, Killowen and Macosquin and the townlands of Ballinrees, Ballybritain, Ballycaghan, Ballyclough, Ballydevitt, Ballylintagh, Ballymenagh, Ballynacally Beg, Ballynacally More, Ballywillin, Clintagh, Collins, Craigmore, Crevolea, Craiglea Glebe, Crosscanley Glebe, Crossmakeever, Culdrum, Drumatemple, Glencurb, Keely, Killeague, Kiltest, Knockaduff, Lisnamuck, Managher, Mayboy, Meavemanougher, Meencraig, Moneybrannon, Mullan, Scalty and Shanlongford in the parish of Aghadowey.

Prior to the 1885 United Kingdom general election and after the dissolution of Parliament in 1922 the area was part of the Londonderry constituency.

Politics

The constituency was a predominantly unionist area. Sinn Féin was easily beaten in 1918 and 1919.

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 five-member Dáil constituency of Londonderry.

Members of Parliament

	Member	Party
1885	Henry Mulholland	Irish Unionist
1895	John Atkinson	Irish Unionist
1906	Hugh Barrie	Irish Unionist
1918	Hugh Anderson	Irish Unionist
1919	Hugh Barrie	Irish Unionist
1922	Malcolm Macnaghten	Ulster Unionist

Elections

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

Elections in the 1880s

General election 1885: North Londonderry[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Irish Conservative	Henry Mulholland	5,180	62.5	*N/A*
	Liberal	Samuel Walker	3,107	37.5	N/A
Majority			2,073	25.0	N/A
Turnout			8,287	74.1	N/A
Registered electors			11,189
	Irish Conservative win (new seat)

General election 1886: North Londonderry[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Irish Unionist	Henry Mulholland	Unopposed
	Irish Unionist hold

Elections in the 1890s

General election 1892: North Londonderry[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Irish Unionist	Henry Mulholland	5,490	70.5	*N/A*
	Liberal	Thomas Greer	2,300	29.5	New
Majority			3,190	41.0	N/A
Turnout			7,790	68.1	N/A
Registered electors			11,443
	Irish Unionist hold		Swing	N/A

General election 1895: North Londonderry[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Irish Unionist	John Atkinson	4,763	65.2	−5.3
	Liberal	Arthur Houston	2,538	34.8	+5.3
Majority			2,225	30.6	−10.6
Turnout			7,301	72.0	+3.9
Registered electors			10,139
	Irish Unionist hold		Swing	−5.3

Elections in the 1900s

General election 1900: North Londonderry[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Irish Unionist	John Atkinson	Unopposed
	Irish Unionist hold

General election 1906: North Londonderry[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Irish Unionist	Hugh T. Barrie	4,806	64.0	*N/A*
	Russellite Unionist	Arnold White	2,699	36.0	New
Majority			2,107	28.0	N/A
Turnout			7,505	79.3	N/A
Registered electors			9,462
	Irish Unionist hold		Swing	N/A

Elections in the 1910s

General election January 1910: North Londonderry[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Irish Unionist	Hugh T. Barrie	Unopposed
	Irish Unionist hold

General election December 1910: North Londonderry[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Irish Unionist	Hugh T. Barrie	4,960	69.1	*N/A*
	Liberal	William Herbert Brown	2,217	30.9	New
Majority			2,743	38.2	N/A
Turnout			7,177	76.8	N/A
Registered electors			9,349
	Irish Unionist hold		Swing	N/A

General election 1918: North Londonderry[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Irish Unionist	Hugh Anderson	10,530	72.7	+3.6
	Sinn Féin	Patrick McGilligan	3,951	27.3	New
Majority			6,579	45.4	+7.2
Turnout			14,481	68.0	−8.8
Registered electors			21,306
	Irish Unionist hold		Swing	+3.6

Anderson resigns, prompting a by-election.

By-election, 1919: North Londonderry[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Irish Unionist	Hugh T. Barrie	9,933	69.6	−3.1
	Sinn Féin	Patrick McGilligan	4,333	30.4	+3.1
Majority			5,600	39.2	−6.2
Turnout			14,266
	Irish Unionist hold		Swing	−3.1

Elections in the 1920s

Barrie dies, prompting a by-election.

By-election, 1922: North Londonderry[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	UUP	Malcolm Macnaghten	Unopposed
	UUP hold

References

Walker, B.M., ed. (1978). Parliamentary Election Results in Ireland, 1801-1922. Dublin: Royal Irish Academy. ISBN 0901714127.

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)
Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "L" (part 4)

External links

Dáil Éireann Members Database Houses of the Oireachtas
Dáil Debates - Díospóireachtaí Dála Houses of the Oireachtas