South Tyrone (UK Parliament constituency)

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South Tyrone
Former county constituency
for the House of Commons
18851922
Seats1
Created from Dungannon and Tyrone
Replaced by Fermanagh and Tyrone

South Tyrone was a UK Parliament constituency in Ireland which returned one Member of Parliament from 1885 to 1922, using the first past the post electoral system.

Contents

Boundaries and Boundary Changes

This county constituency comprised the southern part of County Tyrone.

Prior to the 1885 redistribution the area was part of the Tyrone constituency. From 1922 it formed part of the Fermanagh and Tyrone constituency.

1885–1918: The baronies of Clogher and Dungannon Lower, and that part of the barony of Dungannon Middle consisting of the parishes of Clonfeacle and Donaghmore.

1918–1922: The rural district of Clogher, that part of the rural district of Cookstown consisting of the district electoral divisions of The Sandholes and Stewartstown, that part of the rural district of Dungannon not contained in the North East Tyrone constituency, that part of the rural district of Omagh consisting of the district electoral divisions of Carryglass, Derrybard, Dervaghroy, Draughton, Fallaghearn, Fintona, Seskinore and Tattymoyle, and the urban district of Dungannon.

Politics

The constituency was a majority unionist area. Sinn Féin and the Independent Nationalist candidate together polled about 2,500 votes less than the Unionist received in 1918.

The First Dáil

The constituencies in the 1918 Westminster election, including South Tyrone, also served as the constituencies of the First Dáil, established by Sinn Féin as the parliament of its self-proclaimed Irish Republic. While in theory all Irish Westminster MPs were entitled to sit in the Dáil, in practice only Sinn Féin members attended, and South Tyrone's William Coote was listed on the roll as "as láthair" [absent]. [1] The Second Dáil used the single transferable vote constituencies of the 1921 home rule elections, in which the territory previously in South Tyrone was part of the eight-member House of Commons of Northern Ireland constituency of Fermanagh and Tyrone.

Members of Parliament

ElectionMemberParty
1885 William O'Brien Nationalist
1886 Thomas Russell Liberal Unionist
1902 Russellite Unionist
1907 Liberal
Jan 1910 Andrew Horner Irish Unionist
1916 (b) William Coote Irish Unionist
May 1921 Ulster Unionist
1922 constituency abolished

Elections

Elections in the 1880s

General election 5 December 1885: Tyrone South [2]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Irish Parliamentary William O'Brien 3,435 50.4
Irish Conservative Somerset Henry Maxwell3,38249.6
Majority 530.8
Turnout 6,81788.2
Registered electors 7,725
Irish Parliamentary win (new seat)
General election 17 July 1886: Tyrone South [2]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal Unionist Thomas Russell 3,481 50.7 +1.1
Irish Parliamentary William O'Brien 3,38249.31.1
Majority 991.4N/A
Turnout 6,86388.8+0.6
Registered electors 7,725
Liberal Unionist gain from Irish Parliamentary Swing +1.1

Elections in the 1890s

General election 13 July 1892: Tyrone South [2]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal Unionist Thomas Russell 3,468 52.8 +2.1
Liberal Thomas Alexander Dickson 3,09647.2New
Majority 3725.6+4.2
Turnout 6,56492.8+4.0
Registered electors 7,070
Liberal Unionist hold Swing
General election 24 July 1895: Tyrone South [2]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal Unionist Thomas Russell 3,239 51.5 1.3
Ind. Nationalist Thomas Shillington 3,04648.5New
Majority 1933.02.6
Turnout 6,28593.4+0.6
Registered electors 6,730
Liberal Unionist hold Swing

Elections in the 1900s

General election 4 October 1900: Tyrone South [2]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal Unionist Thomas Russell 2,499 48.0 3.5
Ind. Nationalist Edward Charles Thompson2,40946.0−2.5
Ind. Unionist Robert James Howard3035.8New
Majority 902.01.0
Turnout 5,21183.89.6
Registered electors 6,220
Liberal Unionist hold Swing
General election 25 January 1906: Tyrone South [2]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Russellite Unionist Thomas Russell 2,954 52.5 +4.5
Irish Unionist Andrew Horner 2,67147.50.5
Majority 2835.0N/A
Turnout 5,62594.0+10.2
Registered electors 5,982
Russellite Unionist gain from Liberal Unionist Swing

Elections in the 1910s

General election 20 January 1910: Tyrone South [2]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Irish Unionist Andrew Horner 3,054 52.4 +4.9
Liberal Thomas Russell 2,77047.6−4.9
Majority 2844.8N/A
Turnout 5,82496.1+2.1
Registered electors 6,059
Irish Unionist gain from Russellite Unionist Swing
General election 8 December 1910: Tyrone South [2]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Irish Unionist Andrew Horner 2,962 52.7 +0.3
Liberal Robert Nathaniel Boyd2,66247.30.3
Majority 3005.4+0.6
Turnout 5,62492.83.3
Registered electors 6,059
Irish Unionist hold Swing +0.3
By-election 28 February 1916: Tyrone South [2]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Irish Unionist William Coote Unopposed
Registered electors 6,434
General Election 14 December 1918: South Tyrone
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Irish Unionist William Coote 10,616 56.9 +4.2
Sinn Féin Denis McCullough 5,43729.1New
Ind. Nationalist John Skeffington2,60213.9New
Majority 5,17927.8N/A
Turnout 18,65583.0−9.8
Irish Unionist hold Swing

See also

References

Sources

Citations

  1. "An Rolla [the roll]". First Dáil proceedings (in Irish). 21 January 1919. col.10. Retrieved 12 September 2016. Co. Thír Eoghain (theas)—Mr. Coote—as láthair
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Walker, B.M., ed. (1978). Parliamentary Election Results in Ireland, 1801-1922. Dublin: Royal Irish Academy. pp. 377–378, 397. ISBN   0901714127.