Armagh (constituency)
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Armagh was a Parliamentary Constituency in the House of Commons and also a constituency in elections to various regional bodies. It was replaced in boundary changes in 1983.
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Boundaries
The seat was created in 1922 when as part of the establishment of the devolved Stormont Parliament for Northern Ireland, the number of MPs in the Westminster Parliament was drastically cut. The seat was focused on County Armagh. In 1983 most of it became part of the Newry & Armagh constituency, with part going to Upper Bann.
Westminster elections
MPs from 1922 until 1983
- 1922 - 1948 (death) Sir W.J. Allen Ulster Unionist Party
- 1948 by-election - 1954 James Richard Edwards Harden
- 1954 by-election - unknown C W Armstrong Ulster Unionist Party
- unknown - 1974 John Maginnis Ulster Unionist Party
- 1974 - 1983 Harold McCusker Ulster Unionist Party
Assemblies and Forum elections
In 1982 elections were held for an Assembly for Northern Ireland to hold the Secretary of State to account, in the hope that this would be the first step towards restoring devolution. Armagh elected 7 members as follows:
- David Calvert Democratic Unionist Party
- Seamus Mallon Social Democratic and Labour Party
- James McAllister Sinn Fein
- Harold McCusker Ulster Unionist Party
- Hugh News Social Democratic and Labour Party
- Jim Nicholson Ulster Unionist Party
- Mary Simpson Ulster Unionist Party
- Seamus Mallon of the SDLP was disqualified from the Assembly as he was a member of the Republic of Ireland's Senate. The resulting by-election on April 20 1983 was won by Jim Speers of the Ulster Unionist Party.
In 1975 elections were held to a Constitutional Convention which sought (unsuccessfully) to generate a consensus on the future of the province. The seven members elected from Armagh were:
- Michael Armstrong Ulster Unionist Party
- Alister Black Vanguard Progressive Unionist Party
- Thomas Carson Vanguard Progressive Unionist Party
- Douglas Hutchinson Democratic Unionist Party
- Seamus Mallon Social Democratic and Labour Party
- Hugh News Social Democratic and Labour Party
- Herbert Whitten Ulster Unionist Party
In 1973 elections were held to the Assembly set up under the Sunningdale Agreement. The seven members elected from Armagh were:
- Thomas Carson Vanguard Progressive Unionist Party
- Paddy O'Hanlon Social Democratic and Labour Party
- Douglas Hutchinson Democratic Unionist Party
- Seamus Mallon Social Democratic and Labour Party
- Hugh News Social Democratic and Labour Party
- James Stronge Ulster Unionist Party pro Sunningdale
- Herbert Whitten Ulster Unionist Party pro Sunningdale
Politics and History of the constituency
From its inception Armagh had a unionist majority, though by the 1970s the nationalist vote was in the mid 30s%.
In 1974 the Ulster Unionist Party repudiated the Sunningdale Agreement and so did not reselect the pro Sunningdale MP, John Maginnis. Instead they ran Harold McCusker, who held the seat until 1983. He was then elected for Upper Bann, which contained part of Armagh.
For the history of the area post 1983, please see Newry & Armagh (constituency) and Upper Bann (constituency).