Belfast North (Northern Ireland Parliament constituency)

Belfast North was created by the Government of Ireland Act 1920 and contained the Clifton, Duncairn and Shankill 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 Clifton, Belfast Duncairn, Belfast Oldpark and Belfast Shankill constituencies.^[1]

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.^[2] All those elected were on the roll of the Second Dáil, but as no Sinn Féin MP was elected for Belfast North, it was not represented there.^[3]

Belfast North was a predominantly Unionist area with considerable pockets of labour strength. It returned four Unionists in 1921, but in 1925, it returned only two official Unionists, plus one independent Unionist and a Labour member.