Belfast Falls (UK Parliament constituency)

UK former constituency infobox
Name = Belfast Falls
Type = Borough
Year = 1918
Abolition = 1922
members = one

Falls (Irish: Na Fáil; derived from the petty Irish kingdom of Tuath na bhFál; meaning "territory of the enclosures") a division of Belfast, was a UK parliamentary constituency in Ireland. It returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the British House of Commons 1918-1922.

Boundaries and Boundary Changes

This constituency comprised the central third of West Belfast, based on the then Falls ward of Belfast City Council.

Prior to the United Kingdom general election, 1918 and after the dissolution of Parliament in 1922 the area was part of the Belfast West constituency.

Politics

The constituency was a nationalist area. Joe Devlin defeated Sinn Féin by better than 2 to 1. The Unionists did not contest the seat.

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 constituency, in republican theory, was incorporated in a four-member Dáil constituency of Belfast West.

Members of Parliament

"Key to party: N Irish Nationalist."

Election

"The 1918 election in this constituency took place using the first past the post electoral system."

Election box begin
title=General Election 14 December 1918: Belfast FallsElection box candidate with party link
party = Irish Parliamentary Party
candidate = Joseph Devlin
votes = 8,488
percentage = 72.34
change = "N/A"Election box candidate with party link
party = Sinn Féin
candidate = Eamon de Valera
votes = 3,245
percentage = 27.66
change = "N/A"Election box majority
votes = 5,243
percentage = 44.69
change = "N/A"Election box turnout
votes = 15,756
percentage = 74.47
change = "N/A"Election box gain with party link
winner = Irish Parliamentary Party
loser = new seat
swing = "N/A"

References

*"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 III 1919-1945", edited by M. Stenton and S. Lees (The Harvester Press 1979)
*(Information about boundaries of the constituency derived from the map of Northern Ireland Parliament constituencies (in force from 1921) and the wards included in the Belfast UK Parliament seats (in force 1922) for which see "Northern Ireland Parliamentary Election Results 1921-1972", by Sydney Elliott {Political Reference Publications 1973) and "Boundaries of Parliamentary Constituencies 1885-1972", compiled and edited by F.W.S. Craig {Political Reference Publications 1972) respective

External links

* [http://www.ark.ac.uk/elections/h1918.htm 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

ee also

* List of UK Parliament Constituencies in Ireland and Northern Ireland
* Redistribution of Seats (Ireland) Act 1918
* MPs elected in the UK general election, 1918
* List of Dáil Éireann constituencies in Ireland (historic)
* Members of the 1st Dáil