Belfast South (Northern Ireland Parliament constituency)

Belfast South was created by the Government of Ireland Act 1920 and contained the Cromac, Ormeau and Windsor wards of the County Borough of Belfast. The House of Commons (Method of Voting and Redistribution of Seats) Act (Northern Ireland) 1929 divided the constituency into four constituencies elected under first past the post: Belfast Ballynafeigh, Belfast Cromac, Belfast Willowfield and Belfast Windsor.{{Cite web |url=http://www.election.demon.co.uk/stormont/boundaries.html |title=Northern Ireland Parliamentary Election results: Constituency Boundaries |access-date=17 March 2007 |archive-date=25 December 2005 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051225172212/http://www.election.demon.co.uk/stormont/boundaries.html |url-status=dead }}

In May 1921, Dáil Éireann, the parliament of the self-declared Irish Republic run by Sinn Féin, passed a resolution declaring that elections to the House of Commons of Northern Ireland and the House of Commons of Southern Ireland would be used as the election for the Second Dáil.{{cite web|url=https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/dail/1921-05-10/26/|title=Dáil Éireann debate - Tuesday, 10 May 1921 - PRESIDENT'S STATEMENT. - ELECTIONS.|website=Houses of the Oireachtas|access-date=20 February 2019}} All those elected were on the roll of the Second Dáil, but as no Sinn Féin MP was elected for Belfast South, it was not represented there.{{cite web|url=https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/dail/1922-01-10/25/|title=APPENDIX 19 DÁIL ÉIREANN|website=Houses of the Oireachtas |date=16 August 1921|access-date=20 February 2019}}

Belfast South was a strongly Unionist area, returning four Unionists in 1921 and 3 Unionists and 1 Independent Unionist MP in 1925. Even following its abolition, Ballynafeigh, Cromac, and Windsor only ever elected Unionist MPs.

{{Politics of Northern Ireland 1921-72}}

{{STV Election box begin2

|title = 24 May 1921 General Election: Belfast South (4 seats)

|numcounts = 3

}}

{{STV Election box candidate2

|candidate = Thomas Moles

|party = Ulster Unionist Party

|percentage = 42.5

|count1 = 17,248

|count2 =  

|count3 =  

}}

{{STV Election box candidate2

|candidate = Hugh Pollock

|party = Ulster Unionist Party

|percentage = 15.6

|count1 = 6,334

|count2 = 11,866

|count3 =  

}}

{{STV Election box candidate2

|candidate =Crawford McCullagh

|party = Ulster Unionist Party

|percentage = 12.5

|count1 = 5,068

|count2 = 7,679

|count3 =  

}}

{{STV Election box candidate2

|candidate = Dermot Barnes

|party = Sinn Féin

|percentage = 6.7

|count1 = 2,719

|count2 = 2,720

|count3 = 2,721

}}

{{STV Election box candidate2

|candidate = Julia McMordie

|party = Ulster Unionist Party

|percentage = 5.9

|count1 = 2,372

|count2 = 4,197

|count3 = 8,784

}}

{{STV Election box candidate2

|candidate = B. McCoy

|party = Nationalist Party (Northern Ireland)

|percentage = 4.2

|count1 = 1,688

|count2 = 1,690

|count3 = 1,693

}}

{{STV Election box candidate2

|candidate = James Baird

|party = Belfast Labour Party

|percentage = 2.2

|count1 = 875

|count2 = 891

|count3 = 905

}}

{{STV Election box end2

|numcounts = 3

|electorate = 40,566

|valid = 36,304

|spoilt =

|quota = 7,261

|turnout = 89.5%

}}

{{STV Election box begin2

|title = 1925 General Election: Belfast South (4 seats)

|numcounts = 5

}}

{{STV Election box candidate2

|candidate = Philip James Woods

|party = Independent Unionist

|percentage = 20.5

|count1 = 8,814

|count2 =  

|count3 =  

|count4 =  

|count5 =  

}}

{{STV Election box candidate2

|candidate = Thomas Moles

|party = Ulster Unionist Party

|percentage = 18.0

|count1 = 7,756

|count2 =  

|count3 =  

|count4 =  

|count5 =  

}}

{{STV Election box candidate2

|candidate = Hugh Pollock

|party = Ulster Unionist Party

|percentage = 9.9

|count1 = 4,291

|count2 = 4,816

|count3 = 5,961

|count4 =  

|count5 =  

}}

{{STV Election box candidate without party link

|candidate = William Magill

|party = Town Tenants Association

|percentage = 7.7

|count1 = 3,320

|count2 = 5,382

|count3 = 5,436

|count4 = 5,442

|count5 = 5,573

}}

{{STV Election box candidate2

|candidate = Arthur Black

|party = Ulster Unionist Party

|percentage = 7.4

|count1 = 3,176

|count2 = 3,440

|count3 = 3,821

|count4 = 3,892

|count5 = 5,710

}}

{{STV Election box candidate2

|candidate = Crawford McCullagh

|party = Ulster Unionist Party

|percentage = 4.0

|count1 = 1,707

|count2 = 1,857

|count3 = 2,220

|count4 = 2,291

|count5 =  

}}

{{STV Election box end2

|numcounts = 5

|electorate = 43,164

|valid = 29,064

|spoilt =

|quota = 5,813

|turnout = 67.3%

}}

Woods declined the seat, having also been elected for Belfast West.

{{Election box begin | title=1925 Belfast South by-election}}

{{Election box candidate with party link|

|party = Ulster Unionist Party

|candidate = Anthony Babington

|votes = 18,857

|percentage = 68.0

|change =

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link|

|party = Northern Ireland Labour Party

|candidate = G. M. Donaldson

|votes = 8,856

|percentage = 32.0

|change =

}}

{{Election box majority|

|votes = 10,001

|percentage = 36.1

|change =

}}

{{Election box turnout|

|votes = 27,713

|percentage = 64.2

|change = -3.1

}}

{{Election box hold with party link|

|winner = Ulster Unionist Party

|swing =

}}

{{Election box end}}

{{reflist}}

{{Parliament of Northern Ireland}}

{{County Antrim constituencies}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Belfast South (Northern Ireland Parliament Constituency)}}

Category:Northern Ireland Parliament constituencies established in 1921

Category:Northern Ireland Parliament constituencies disestablished in 1929

Category:Constituencies of the Northern Ireland Parliament

Category:Constituencies of the Northern Ireland Parliament in Belfast

Category:Dáil constituencies in Northern Ireland (historic)