North Londonderry (UK Parliament constituency)

North Londonderry
North Londonderry
Former county constituency ; for the House of Commons
1885–1922
Seats	1
Created from	Coleraine and Londonderry
Replaced by	Londonderry

Last updated August 25, 2025

North Londonderry was a United Kingdom Parliament constituency in Ireland.

Boundaries and boundary changes

North Londonderry was a county constituency, officially titled the North Derry division of County Londonderry. It comprised the northern part of County Londonderry, defined as follows:^[1]

four complete baronies, namely, Keenaght, the North East Liberties of Coleraine, the North West Liberties of Londonderry, and Tirkeeran;
and part of the barony of Coleraine, comprising
- four complete civil parishes, namely, Dunboe, Formoyle, Killowen and Macosquin;
- and part of the civil parish of Aghadowey; namely, the townlands of Ballinrees, Ballybritain, Ballycaghan, Ballyclough, Ballydevitt, Ballylintagh, Ballymenagh, Ballynacally Beg, Ballynacally More, Ballywillin, Clintagh, Collins, Craigmore, Crevolea, Craiglea Glebe, Crosscanley Glebe, Crossmakeever, Culdrum, Drumatemple, Glencurb, Keely, Killeague, Kiltest, Knockaduff, Lisnamuck, Managher, Mayboy, Meavemanougher, Meencraig, Moneybrannon, Mullan, Scalty and Shanlongford.

The constituency returned one Member of Parliament. It was not affected by the Redistribution of Seats (Ireland) Act 1918. Prior to the 1885 United Kingdom general election and after the dissolution of Parliament in 1922 the area was part of the Londonderry constituency.

Politics

The constituency was a predominantly unionist area. Sinn Féin was easily beaten in 1918 and 1919.

The First Dáil

Sinn Féin contested the 1918 general election 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 area, in republican theory, was incorporated in a five-member Dáil constituency of Londonderry.

Members of Parliament

	Member	Party
1885	Henry Mulholland	Irish Conservative
1895	John Atkinson	Irish Unionist
1906	Hugh Barrie	Irish Unionist
1918	Hugh Anderson	Irish Unionist
1919	Hugh Barrie	Irish Unionist
1922	Malcolm Macnaghten	Ulster Unionist

Elections

The elections in this constituency took place using the first past the post electoral system.

Elections in the 1880s

1885 general election: North Londonderry^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Irish Conservative	Henry Mulholland	5,180	62.5
	Liberal	Samuel Walker	3,017	37.5
Majority			2,073	25.0
Turnout			8,287	74.1
Registered electors			11,189
	Irish Conservative win (new seat)

1886 general election: North Londonderry^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Irish Conservative	Henry Mulholland	Unopposed
	Irish Conservative hold

Elections in the 1890s

1892 general election: North Londonderry^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Irish Unionist	Henry Mulholland	5,490	70.5	*N/A*
	Liberal	Thomas Greer	2,300	29.5	New
Majority			3,190	41.0	N/A
Turnout			7,790	68.1	N/A
Registered electors			11,443
	Irish Unionist hold		Swing	N/A

1895 general election: North Londonderry^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Irish Unionist	John Atkinson	4,763	65.2	−5.3
	Liberal	Arthur Houston	2,538	34.8	+5.3
Majority			2,225	30.6	−10.4
Turnout			7,301	72.0	+3.9
Registered electors			10,139
	Irish Unionist hold		Swing	−5.3

Elections in the 1900s

1900 general election: North Londonderry^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Irish Unionist	John Atkinson	Unopposed
	Irish Unionist hold

1906 general election: North Londonderry^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Irish Unionist	Hugh T. Barrie	4,806	64.0	*N/A*
	Russellite Unionist	Arnold White	2,699	36.0	New
Majority			2,107	28.0	N/A
Turnout			7,505	79.3	N/A
Registered electors			9,462
	Irish Unionist hold		Swing	N/A

Elections in the 1910s

January 1910 general election: North Londonderry^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Irish Unionist	Hugh T. Barrie	Unopposed
	Irish Unionist hold

December 1910 general election: North Londonderry^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Irish Unionist	Hugh T. Barrie	4,960	69.1	*N/A*
	Liberal	William Herbert Brown	2,217	30.9	New
Majority			2,743	38.2	N/A
Turnout			7,177	76.8	N/A
Registered electors			9,349
	Irish Unionist hold		Swing	N/A

1918 general election: North Londonderry^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Irish Unionist	Hugh Anderson	10,530	72.7	+3.6
	Sinn Féin	Patrick McGilligan	3,951	27.3	New
Majority			6,579	45.4	+7.2
Turnout			14,481	68.0	−8.8
Registered electors			21,306
	Irish Unionist hold		Swing	+3.6

Anderson resigns, prompting a by-election.

By-election, 1919: North Londonderry^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Irish Unionist	Hugh T. Barrie	9,933	69.6	−3.1
	Sinn Féin	Patrick McGilligan	4,333	30.4	+3.1
Majority			5,600	39.2	−6.2
Turnout			14,266
	Irish Unionist hold		Swing	−3.1

Elections in the 1920s

Barrie dies, prompting a by-election.

By-election, 1922: North Londonderry^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	UUP	Malcolm Macnaghten	Unopposed
	UUP hold

References

Citations

↑ Redistribution of Seats Act, Seventh Schedule - Part III - Ireland, County of Londonderry Redistribution of Seats Act, 1885 (from Internet Archive)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Walker, B.M., ed. (1978). Parliamentary Election Results in Ireland, 1801-1922. Dublin: Royal Irish Academy. pp. 362, 393. ISBN 0901714127.

Sources

Walker, Brian M., ed. (1978). Parliamentary Election Results in Ireland, 1801–1922. Dublin: Royal Irish Academy. ISBN 0901714127.
Stenton, M.; Lees, S., eds. (1978). Who's Who of British members of parliament: Volume II 1886–1918. The Harvester Press.
Stenton, M.; Lees, S., eds. (1979). 'Who's Who of British members of parliament: Volume III 1919–1945. The Harvester Press.
Redistribution of Seats Act, Seventh Schedule, Part III - Ireland, in The Public General Acts of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland passed in the forty-eighth and forty-ninth years of Her Majesty Queen Victoria
Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "L" (part 4)