Belfast Duncairn (UK Parliament constituency)
Encyclopedia
Duncairn, a division of Belfast, was a UK parliamentary constituency
in Ireland
. It returned one Member of Parliament
(MP) to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom from 1918 to 1922.
.
Prior to the 1918 UK general election
and after the dissolution of Parliament in 1922, the area was part of the Belfast North
constituency.
Carson was the Unionist leader in the House of Commons.
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 constituency, in republican theory, was incorporated in a four-member Dáil constituency of Belfast North
.
United Kingdom constituencies
In the United Kingdom , each of the electoral areas or divisions called constituencies elects one or more members to a parliament or assembly.Within the United Kingdom there are now five bodies with members elected by constituencies:...
in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. It returned one Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP) to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom from 1918 to 1922.
Boundaries and boundary changes
This constituency comprised the eastern half of North Belfast, based on the then Duncairn ward of Belfast City CouncilBelfast City Council
Belfast City Council is the local authority with responsibility for the city of Belfast, the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland. The Council serves an estimated population of , the largest of any district council in Northern Ireland, while also being the fourth smallest by area...
.
Prior to the 1918 UK general election
United Kingdom general election, 1918
The United Kingdom general election of 1918 was the first to be held after the Representation of the People Act 1918, which meant it was the first United Kingdom general election in which nearly all adult men and some women could vote. Polling was held on 14 December 1918, although the count did...
and after the dissolution of Parliament in 1922, the area was part of the Belfast North
Belfast North (UK Parliament constituency)
Belfast North is a Parliamentary Constituency in the United Kingdom House of Commons.-Boundaries:The seat was created in 1922 when, as part of the establishment of the devolved Stormont Parliament for Northern Ireland, the number of MPs in the Westminster Parliament was drastically cut...
constituency.
Politics
The constituency was a strongly unionist area. There was no real chance of a republican or nationalist candidate being elected.Carson was the Unionist leader in the House of Commons.
The First Dáil
Sinn FéinSinn Féin
Sinn Féin is a left wing, Irish republican political party in Ireland. The name is Irish for "ourselves" or "we ourselves", although it is frequently mistranslated as "ourselves alone". Originating in the Sinn Féin organisation founded in 1905 by Arthur Griffith, it took its current form in 1970...
contested the general election of 1918
Irish (UK) general election, 1918
The Irish general election of 1918 was that part of the 1918 United Kingdom general election that took place in Ireland. It is seen as a key moment in modern Irish history...
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
First Dáil
The First Dáil was Dáil Éireann as it convened from 1919–1921. In 1919 candidates who had been elected in the Westminster elections of 1918 refused to recognise the Parliament of the United Kingdom and instead assembled as a unicameral, revolutionary parliament called "Dáil Éireann"...
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
Second Dáil
The Second Dáil was Dáil Éireann as it convened from 16 August 1921 until 8 June 1922. From 1919–1922 Dáil Éireann was the revolutionary parliament of the self-proclaimed Irish Republic. The Second Dáil consisted of members elected in 1921...
. 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
Irish Republic
The Irish Republic was a revolutionary state that declared its independence from Great Britain in January 1919. It established a legislature , a government , a court system and a police force...
's Second Dáil. This constituency, in republican theory, was incorporated in a four-member Dáil constituency of Belfast North
Belfast North (Northern Ireland Parliament constituency)
Belfast North was a borough constituency of the Parliament of Northern Ireland from 1921 - 1929. It returned four MPs, using the single transferable vote method of proportional representation.-Boundaries:...
.
Members of Parliament
Key to parties: U Irish Unionist 1918 – April 1921 and Ulster Unionist May 1921–1922.| From | To | Name (Party) | Born | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1918 | 1921 | Rt. Hon. Sir Edward Henry Carson (U) | 9 February 1854 | 22 October 1935 |
| 1921 | 1922 | Thomas Edward McConnell Thomas Edward McConnell Thomas Edward McConnell was a unionist politician in Northern Ireland.McConnell studied at the Royal Belfast Academical Institution before becoming the managing director of a horse and cattle sales firm. He was elected to the Belfast Corporation as a councillor and then an alderman, for the... (U) |
7 April 1868 | 22 May 1938 |
Elections
The elections in this constituency took place using the first past the post electoral system.- Carson appointed a Lord of Appeal in OrdinaryLord of Appeal in OrdinaryLords of Appeal in Ordinary, commonly known as Law Lords, were appointed under the Appellate Jurisdiction Act 1876 to the House of Lords of the United Kingdom in order to exercise its judicial functions, which included acting as the highest court of appeal for most domestic matters...
and created Baron Carson
See also
- List of UK Parliament Constituencies in Ireland and Northern Ireland
- Redistribution of Seats (Ireland) Act 1918Redistribution of Seats (Ireland) Act 1918The Redistribution of Seats Act 1918 was an Act passed by the Parliament of the United Kingdom which redistributed the parliamentary constituencies in Ireland for the House of Commons...
- MPs elected in the UK general election, 1918
- List of Dáil Éireann constituencies in Ireland (historic)
- Members of the 1st DáilMembers of the 1st DáilThis is a list of the 105 MPs who were elected for Irish seats at the 1918 United Kingdom general election. Sinn Féin emerged as the largest party, but refused to attend the British House of Commons in Westminster...
External links
- The Irish General Election of 1918
- http://www.oireachtas.ie/members-hist/default.asp?housetype=0
- http://historical-debates.oireachtas.ie/en.toc.dail.html