South Down (Northern Ireland Parliament constituency)

South Down was a constituency of the Parliament of Northern Ireland.

South Down
Former County Constituency
for the Parliament of Northern Ireland
Former constituency
Created1929
Abolished1972
Election methodFirst past the post

Boundaries

South Down was a county constituency comprising part of southern County Down. 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. South Armagh was created by the division of Down into eight new constituencies. 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 centred on the towns of Newry and Warrenpoint, and also included certain district electoral divisions of the rural districts of Kilkeel and Newry No. 1.[1][2]

Politics

The seat had a substantial nationalist majority, with nationalist candidates winning every election, excepting 1938, when no nationalist stood.[3]

Members of Parliament
Elected Party Name[3]
1929 Nationalist John Henry Collins
1933 Fianna Fáil Éamon de Valera
1938 Independent Unionist James Brown
1938 UUP
1945 Nationalist Peter Murnoy
1949 Nationalist Joe Connellan
1967 Nationalist Max Keogh

Election results
Northern Ireland 1921–1972
This article is part of a series on the
politics and government of
Northern Ireland 1921–1972
General Election 1929: South Down[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Nationalist John Henry Collins 5,637 77.6 N/A
Independent Labour W. F. Cunningham 1,626 22.4 N/A
Majority 4,011 55.2 N/A
Turnout 46.4 N/A
Nationalist hold Swing N/A
General Election 1933: South Down[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Fianna Fáil Éamon de Valera 7,404 92.3 N/A
Irish Republican T. G. McGrath 622 7.7 N/A
Majority 6,782 84.6 +29.4
Turnout 49.7 +3.3
Fianna Fáil gain from Nationalist Swing N/A
General Election 1938: South Down[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Independent Unionist James Brown 3,866 93.6 N/A
NI Labour J. Byrne 263 6.4 N/A
Majority 3,603 87.2 +2.2
Turnout 24.6 -25.1
Independent Unionist gain from Fianna Fáil Swing N/A
General Election 1945: South Down[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Nationalist Peter Murnoy 9,006 68.1 N/A
UUP C. H. Mullan 4,222 31.9 N/A
Majority 4,784 36.2 -51.0
Turnout 80.8 +56.2
Nationalist gain from Independent Unionist Swing N/A
General Election 1949: South Down[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Nationalist Joe Connellan 9,478 70.2 +2.1
UUP Robert Harcourt 4,032 29.8 -2.1
Majority 5,446 40.4 +4.2
Turnout 78.2 -2.6
Nationalist hold Swing N/A
General Election 1953: South Down[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Nationalist Joe Connellan 6,449 47.7 -22.5
UUP J. Y. Thompson 4,065 30.0 +0.2
Irish Labour T. J. Kelly 3,016 22.3 N/A
Majority 2,384 17.7 -22.7
Turnout 74.4 -3.8
Nationalist hold Swing N/A
General Election 1958: South Down[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Nationalist Joe Connellan 6,686 51.5 +3.8
UUP James Brown 3,978 30.7 +0.7
Irish Labour T. J. Kelly 2,316 17.8 -4.5
Majority 2,708 20.8 +3.1
Turnout 75.2 +0.8
Nationalist hold Swing N/A
At the 1962 Northern Ireland general election, Joe Connellan was elected unopposed.[3]
General Election 1965: South Down[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Nationalist Joe Connellan 6,907 68.2 N/A
UUP I. C. W. Hutchieson 3,227 31.8 N/A
Majority 3,680 36.4 N/A
Turnout 58.0 N/A
Nationalist hold Swing N/A
South Down by-election, 1967[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Nationalist Max Keogh 8,598 74.3 +6.1
UUP J. Fisher 2,971 25.7 -6.1
Majority 5,627 48.6 -12.2
Turnout 67.0 +9.0
Nationalist hold Swing N/A
General Election 1969: South Down[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Nationalist Max Keogh 4,830 51.2 -17.0
People's Democracy F. N. Woods 4,610 48.8 N/A
Majority 220 2.4 -34.0
Turnout 54.0 -4.0
Nationalist hold Swing N/A
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References
  1. Northern Ireland Parliamentary Election results: Constituency Boundaries
  2. A list of the townlands comprising each of those divisions is in the Belfast Gazette Publication date:22 June 1923 Issue:104 Page:260 (Newry No. 1 RD) and the Belfast Gazette Publication date:22 June 1923 Issue:104 Page:241 (Kilkeel RD)
  3. Northern Ireland Parliamentary Election Results: Counties: Down
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