The 1922 United Kingdom general election in Northern Ireland was held on 15 November 1922. There were ten constituencies, seven single-seat constituencies with elected by FPTP and three two-seat constituencies with MPs elected by bloc voting. Only two of the constituencies had contested elections.
It was the first election held after the Government of Ireland Act 1920, which had reduced the number of seats in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom in the region designated as Northern Ireland from 30 to 13. It was also the first election held after the approval of the Anglo-Irish Treaty, whereby the Irish Free State separated from the United Kingdom with effect from 6 December 1922, a few weeks after the election was held.
The focus of politics in Northern Ireland had shifted to the Parliament of Northern Ireland, after the first general election to the House of Commons of Northern Ireland in May 1921. The party leaders of the three parties had been elected to seats in this parliament rather than at Westminster.
Candidates
Affiliation CandidatesUlster Unionist Party 13Nationalist Party 2Independent 1Sinn Féin 0Labour Unionist 0Total 16
Results
Voting only took place for 3 of 13 seats. The other 10 MPs (all Ulster Unionists) were unopposed.
Votes in constituencies using the bloc voting system are counted as 0.5 each, as each voter had one vote per seat.
Analysis
The Ulster Unionist Party was dominant in this election, and won the most seats at every election in Northern Ireland until the 2005 general election. They took the Conservative Party whip in the House of Commons.
The Nationalist Party was a successor to the Irish Parliamentary Party which had suffered a large defeat in the previous election, now continuing in the area of Northern Ireland.
In the previous election, Sinn Féin had won three of the seats in this region. The Irish Free State had been in midst of the Irish Civil War from June 1922, which divided Sinn Féin into Pro-Treaty and Anti-Treaty factions (soon to become separate parties), and it did not contest this election to Westminster.
In the election as a whole, the Conservatives led by Bonar Law won an absolute majority of 344 of the 615 seats.
MPs elected Constituency Party MPAntrimUlster UnionistCharles CraigUlster UnionistHugh O'NeillArmaghUlster UnionistWilliam AllenBelfast EastUlster UnionistHerbert DixonBelfast NorthUlster UnionistThomas McConnellBelfast SouthUlster UnionistThomas MolesBelfast WestUlster UnionistRobert LynnDownUlster UnionistDavid ReidUlster UnionistJohn SimmsFermanagh and TyroneNationalist PartyThomas HarbisonNationalist PartyCahir HealyLondonderryUlster UnionistMalcolm MacnaghtenQueen's University of BelfastUlster UnionistSir William Whitla
Changes since 1918 At the previous general election, the seats won in the area which would become Northern Ireland were: Party MPsUnionist20Nationalist4Sinn Féin3Labour Unionist3
The Sinn Féin members elected sat as TDs for the First Dáil, a revolutionary parliament for an Irish Republic.
The table below indicates the political career of each of those elected in 1918 after the 1922 general election:
1918 Constituency Party MP 1922 careerAntrim East Robert McCalmontResigned in 1919; succeeded by George Hanna, NI MP 1921–37Antrim Mid Hugh O'NeillUK MP for AntrimAntrim North Peter Kerr-SmileyRetiredAntrim South Charles Curtis CraigUK MP for AntrimArmagh Mid James LonsdaleDied in May 1921; succeeded by Henry Armstrong, NI Senator 1921–37Armagh North William AllenUK MP for ArmaghArmagh South Patrick DonnellyDid not contest, later unsuccessful in 1929 NI electionBelfast Cromac William Arthur LindsayRetiredBelfast Duncairn Edward CarsonAppointed as Law Lord in 1921; succeeded by Thomas McConnell, UK MP for Belfast North in 1922Belfast Falls Joseph DevlinNI MP for Belfast WestBelfast Ormeau Thomas MolesUK MP for Belfast SouthBelfast Pottinger Herbert DixonUK MP for Belfast EastBelfast St Anne's Thomas Henry BurnNI MP for Belfast West (UUP)Belfast Shankill Samuel McGuffinNI MP for Belfast North (UUP)Belfast Victoria Thompson DonaldNI MP for Belfast East (UUP)Belfast Woodvale Robert LynnNI MP for Belfast West and UK MP for Belfast WestDown East David ReidUK MP for DownDown Mid James CraigNI MP for Down and Prime Minister of Northern IrelandDown North Thomas Watters BrownAppointed judge of the High Court of Justice in Northern Ireland in 1922Down South Jeremiah McVeaghDid not contest. Later unsuccessfully sought election.Down West Daniel M. WilsonAppointed Recorder of Belfast in 1921; succeeded by Thomas Browne WallaceFermanagh North Edward ArchdaleNI MP for Fermanagh and TyroneFermanagh South Seán O'MahonyNI MP for Fermanagh and TyroneLondonderry City Eoin MacNeillTD for National University of Ireland for Cumann na nGaedhealLondonderry North Hugh AndersonResigned 1919; succeeded by Hugh T. Barrie, NI Senator in 1922Londonderry South Denis HenryAppointed Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland in 1921Tyrone North East Thomas HarbisonUK MP for Fermanagh and TyroneTyrone North West Arthur GriffithDied 12 August 1922Tyrone South William CooteNI MP for Fermanagh and Tyrone
See also 1922 United Kingdom general election in England 1922 United Kingdom general election in Scotland 1922 United Kingdom general election in Wales
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