Belfast East (Dáil Éireann constituency)

Coordinates: 54°35′49″N 5°52′34″W / 54.597°N 5.876°W / 54.597; -5.876 Belfast East, was a former potential Dáil Éireann parliamentary constituency located in Northern Ireland despite being outside the Dáil's jurisdiction. It was a Dáil constituency from 1921 to 1922.

Representation

The constituency was, in Irish republican theory, entitled to return four Teachtaí Dála (known in English as Deputies) in 1921 to serve in the Irish Republic's Second Dáil. None took their seat in the Dáil.

The First Dáil, 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 used the elections in 1921 to elect the Dáil. The Second Dáil first met on 16 August 1921. It last met on 8 June 1922.

From the Third Dáil onwards the Dáil represented only the twenty-six counties which formed the Irish Free State.

Belfast East is also a United Kingdom 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 of Belfast. 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 Nationalists and Sinn Féin combined could not accumulate a quota of more than one-fifth of the votes.

TDs

Election	Member (Party)		Member (Party)		Member (Party)		Member (Party)
TDs (1921)		Dawson Bates (Ulster Unionist Party)		Herbert Dixon (Ulster Unionist Party)		Thompson Donald (Ulster Unionist Party)		James Augustine Duff (Ulster Unionist Party)

Elections

In 1921 parliamentary representatives of the constituency were elected using the single transferable vote method of proportional representation.

24 May 1921 General Election: Belfast East (4 seats)
Party		Candidate	% 1st Pref	Count 1	Count 2	Count 3	Count 4
	UUP	Sir Dawson Bates	27.9	10,026
	UUP	Herbert Dixon	24.6	8,849
	UUP	Thompson Donald	19.1	6,856	9,262
	UUP	James Augustine Duff	10.0	3,585	3,956	6,027	7,662
	Sinn Féin	A. Savage	10.0	3,573	3,575	3,576	3,577
	Nationalist	Thomas Joseph Campbell	6.6	2,373	2,435	2,439	2,464
	Belfast Labour	Harry Midgley	1.8	645	648	652	658
Electorate: 40,198 Valid: 35,907 Quota: 7,182 Turnout: 89.3%

References

Northern Ireland Parliamentary Election Results 1921-1972, compiled and edited by Sydney Elliott (Political Reference Publications 1973)