Belfast East (Dáil Éireann constituency)
Encyclopedia
Belfast East, was a former potential Dáil Éireann
Dáil Éireann
Dáil Éireann is the lower house, but principal chamber, of the Oireachtas , which also includes the President of Ireland and Seanad Éireann . It is directly elected at least once in every five years under the system of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote...

 parliamentary constituency. It was a Dáil constituency from 1921 to 1922.

Representation

The constituency was, in Irish republican theory, entitled to return four Teachtaí Dála
Teachta Dála
A Teachta Dála , usually abbreviated as TD in English, is a member of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas . It is the equivalent of terms such as "Member of Parliament" or "deputy" used in other states. The official translation of the term is "Deputy to the Dáil", though a more literal...

 (known in English as Deputies) in 1921 to serve in 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
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...

. None took their seat in the Dáil.

The 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"...

, passed a motion at its last meeting on 10 May 1921, the first three parts of which make explicit the republican view.
  • 1. That the Parliamentary elections which are to take place during the present month be regarded as elections to Dáil Éireann.
  • 2. That all deputies duly returned at these elections be regarded as members of Dáil Éireann and allowed to take their seats on subscribing to the proposed Oath of Allegiance.
  • 3. That the present Dáil dissolve automatically as soon as the new body has been summoned by the President and called to order.


Sinn Féin
Sinn 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...

 used the elections
Irish elections, 1921
Two elections in Ireland took place in 1921, as a result of the Government of Ireland Act 1920 to establish the House of Commons of Northern Ireland and the House of Commons of Southern Ireland. The election was used by Irish Republicans as the basis of membership of the Second Dáil...

 in 1921 to elect the Dáil. 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...

 first met on 16 August 1921. It last met on 8 June 1922.

From the Third Dáil
Third Dáil
The Third Dáil, also known as the Provisional Parliament or the Constituent Assembly, was:*the "provisional parliament" or "constituent assembly" of Southern Ireland from 9 August 1922 until 6 December 1922; and...

 onwards the Dáil represented only the twenty-six counties which formed the Irish Free State
Irish Free State
The Irish Free State was the state established as a Dominion on 6 December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty, signed by the British government and Irish representatives exactly twelve months beforehand...

.

Belfast East is also a United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 Parliament constituency. It has been represented by one member from 1922. The constituency sent four MPs to the Northern Ireland House of Commons 1921-1929.

Boundaries and Boundary Changes

Belfast East was a borough constituency comprising part of the county borough
County borough
County borough is a term introduced in 1889 in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland , to refer to a borough or a city independent of county council control. They were abolished by the Local Government Act 1972 in England and Wales, but continue in use for lieutenancy and shrievalty in...

 of Belfast
Belfast
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 included Dock, Pottinger and Victoria wards.

Between 1918-1921 the area was divided into two single-member constituencies, Belfast Pottinger and Belfast Victoria.

Politics of the constituency

Even in a proportional representation election the Unionists won all four seats. The Nationalist
Nationalist Party (Ireland)
The Nationalist Party was a term commonly used to describe a number of parliamentary political parties and constituency organisations supportive of Home Rule for Ireland from 1874 to 1922...

s and Sinn Féin
Sinn 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...

 combined could not accumulate a quota of more than one-fifth of the votes.

MPs

Key to parties: Ind Lab Independent Labour, N Nationalist
Nationalist Party (Ireland)
The Nationalist Party was a term commonly used to describe a number of parliamentary political parties and constituency organisations supportive of Home Rule for Ireland from 1874 to 1922...

, SF Sinn Féin
Sinn 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...

, U Ulster Unionist.

From To Name (Party) Born Died
1921 1922 Sir (Richard) Dawson Bates (U) 23 November 1876 10 June 1949
1921 1922 Herbert Dixon
Herbert Dixon, 1st Baron Glentoran
Herbert Dixon, 1st Baron Glentoran OBE PC was a Northern Ireland Unionist politician.He was born in Belfast, the fourth son of Sir Daniel Dixon, 1st Baronet, and educated at Harrow and Sandhurst, being commissioned into the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers, with which regiment he served in the Second...

 (U)
23 January 1880 20 July 1950
1921 1922 Thompson Donald
Thompson Donald
Thompson Donald was a Northern Irish Unionist politician.Donald was elected to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom in the 1918 general election for the Belfast Victoria constituency and served as MP until the constituency's abolition in 1922. Donald was elected as one of the so-called...

 (U)
1875 1944
1921 1922 James Augustine Duff
James Augustine Duff
James Augustine Duff was a Scottish-born Northern Irish businessman and Ulster Unionist Party politician....

 (U)
27 September 1872 4 March 1943

Elections

In 1921 parliamentary representatives of the constituency were elected using the single transferable vote
Single transferable vote
The single transferable vote is a voting system designed to achieve proportional representation through preferential voting. Under STV, an elector's vote is initially allocated to his or her most preferred candidate, and then, after candidates have been either elected or eliminated, any surplus or...

 method of proportional representation
Proportional representation
Proportional representation is a concept in voting systems used to elect an assembly or council. PR means that the number of seats won by a party or group of candidates is proportionate to the number of votes received. For example, under a PR voting system if 30% of voters support a particular...

.
  • 1921 (24 May) general election (4 seats)
  • 40,198 electors; 35,907 voted; turnout 89.3%; quota 7,182
  • First count
  • Sir R.D. Bates (U) 10,026 (elected)
  • H. Dixon (U) 8,849 (elected)
  • T. Donald (U) 6,856
  • J.A. Duff (U) 3,585
  • A. Savage (SF) 3,573
  • T.J. Campbell (N) 2,373
  • H.C. Midgley (Ind Lab) 645
  • Second count (distribution of Bates' surplus)
  • Sir R.D. Bates (U) (-2,844) 7,182 (elected)
  • H. Dixon (U) (..) 8,849 (elected)
  • T. Donald (U) (+2,406) 9,262 (elected)
  • J.A. Duff (U) (+371) 3,956
  • A. Savage (SF) (+2) 3,575
  • T.J. Campbell (N) (+62) 2,435
  • H.C. Midgley (Ind Lab) (+3) 648
  • Third count (distribution of Donalds' surplus)
  • Sir R.D. Bates (U) (..) 7,182 (elected)
  • H. Dixon (U) (..) 8,849 (elected)
  • T. Donald (U) (-2,080) 7,182 (elected)
  • J.A. Duff (U) (+2,071) 6,027
  • A. Savage (SF) (+1) 3,576
  • T.J. Campbell (N) (+4) 2,439
  • H.C. Midgley (Ind Lab) (+4) 652
  • Fourth count (distribution of Dixon's surplus)
  • Sir R.D. Bates (U) (..) 7,182 (elected)
  • H. Dixon (U) (-1,667) 7,182 (elected)
  • T. Donald (U) (..) 7,182 (elected)
  • J.A. Duff (U) (+1,635) 7,662 (elected)
  • A. Savage (SF) (+1) 3,577
  • T.J. Campbell (N) (+25) 2,464
  • H.C. Midgley (Ind Lab) (+6) 658

External links

  • http://www.oireachtas.ie/members-hist/default.asp?housetype=0
  • http://historical-debates.oireachtas.ie/en.toc.dail.html
  • http://www.election.demon.co.uk/stormont/stormont.html

See also

  • Belfast East (UK Parliament constituency)
    Belfast East (UK Parliament constituency)
    Belfast East is a Parliamentary Constituency in the United Kingdom House of Commons. The current MP is Naomi Long of the Alliance Party, elected in 2010...

  • Belfast (Northern Ireland Parliament constituencies)
    Belfast (Northern Ireland Parliament constituencies)
    Belfast is the largest city and capital of Northern Ireland. It is partly located in County Antrim and partly in County Down.Belfast was represented in the Northern Ireland House of Commons 1921-1973. This article deals with the Belfast borough constituencies...

  • List of Dáil Éireann constituencies in Ireland (historic)
  • Dáil Éireann (1919-1922)
    Dáil Éireann (1919-1922)
    Dáil Éireann was the revolutionary, unicameral parliament of the unilaterally declared Irish Republic from 1919–1922. The Dáil was first formed by 73 Sinn Féin MPs elected in the 1918 United Kingdom general election. Their manifesto refused to recognise the British parliament at Westminster and...

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