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Belfast Central (Northern Ireland Parliament constituency)
Encyclopedia
Belfast Central was a constituency of the Parliament of Northern Ireland
.
. It was created in 1929, 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.
Belfast Central was created by the division of Belfast West
into four new constituencies. It 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 constituency consisted of inner city areas of Belfast equivalent to the modern areas of Unity, Brown Square, John Street and Lancaster Street. Residential redevelopment caused the electorate to fall sharply from 20,399 in 1929 to 6,384 in 1969. By the time of the dissolution of the Stormont Parliament, it had just over 2,500 voters.
The constituency is now part of Belfast North
and Belfast West
with most of the former seat now part of the New Lodge ward
.
members, then later by a variety of labour movement activists and members of smaller nationalist parties. In 1953, a split between three Labour candidates led to the Unionist candidate finishing just 576 votes behind the victor.
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
Belfast Central was a borough constituency comprising part of central BelfastBelfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
. It was created in 1929, 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.
Belfast Central was created by the division of Belfast West
Belfast West (Northern Ireland Parliament constituency)
Belfast West 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:...
into four new constituencies. It survived unchanged, returning one member of Parliament, until the Parliament of Northern Ireland
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...
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 constituency consisted of inner city areas of Belfast equivalent to the modern areas of Unity, Brown Square, John Street and Lancaster Street. Residential redevelopment caused the electorate to fall sharply from 20,399 in 1929 to 6,384 in 1969. By the time of the dissolution of the Stormont Parliament, it had just over 2,500 voters.
The constituency is now part of Belfast North
Belfast North (Assembly constituency)
Belfast North is a constituency in the Northern Ireland Assembly.The seat was first used for a Northern Ireland-only election for the Northern Ireland Assembly, 1973...
and Belfast West
Belfast West (Assembly constituency)
Belfast West is a constituency in the Northern Ireland Assembly.The seat was first used for a Northern Ireland-only election for the Northern Ireland Assembly, 1973...
with most of the former seat now part of the New Lodge ward
New Lodge, Belfast
The New Lodge is an urban, working-class Catholic community in Belfast, Northern Ireland, immediately to the north of city centre. The landscape is dominated by several large tower blocks. The area has a number of murals, mostly sited along the New Lodge Road...
.
Politics
The constituency was one of the most staunchly nationalist in Belfast. It was initially held by 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, then later by a variety of labour movement activists and members of smaller nationalist parties. In 1953, a split between three Labour candidates led to the Unionist candidate finishing just 576 votes behind the victor.
Members of Parliament
| Year | Name | Party |
|---|---|
| 1929 | Joseph Devlin Joseph Devlin Joseph Devlin, also known as Joe Devlin, was an Irish journalist and influential nationalist politician... |
| 1934 | Thomas Joseph Campbell Thomas Joseph Campbell Thomas Joseph Campbell , known as T. J. Campbell, was an Irish nationalist newspaper editor, politician and judge.Brought up as a Roman Catholic in Belfast, Campbell studied at St Malachy's College and the Royal University of Ireland. In 1895, he began editing the Irish News, a local nationalist... |
| 1946 | Frank Hanna Frank Hanna Francis Hanna , known as Frank Hanna, was an Irish politician.After studying at St. Mary's Christian Brothers Grammar School, Belfast and Queen's University, Belfast, Hanna became a solicitor, founding Francis Hanna and Co., specialising in personal injuries and trade union cases... |
| 1949 |
|
| 1949 |
|
| 1949 |
|
| 1958 |
|
| 1965 | John Joseph Brennan John Joseph Brennan John Joseph Brennan , usually known as John Brennan, was a British politician. He stood for the British House of Commons in Belfast West at the 1959 UK general election, representing the Independent Labour Group, receiving 37.6% of the vote.In 1962 he stood for the Belfast Falls constituency at the... |
| 1969 | Paddy Kennedy |