**Antrim (Northern Ireland Parliament constituency)**
**Definition:**
Antrim was a county constituency of the Parliament of Northern Ireland, established in 1921 and abolished in 1929. It elected multiple members using proportional representation before being divided into smaller single-member constituencies.
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## Antrim (Northern Ireland Parliament constituency)
### Introduction
Antrim was a parliamentary constituency in the Parliament of Northern Ireland from 1921 until 1929. It was one of the original constituencies created under the Government of Ireland Act 1920, which established the Parliament of Northern Ireland. The constituency covered the entirety of County Antrim, one of the six counties that formed Northern Ireland. It elected members using the single transferable vote (STV) system, a form of proportional representation, and returned multiple members to the Parliament. In 1929, the constituency was abolished and replaced by several single-member constituencies under the first-past-the-post electoral system.
### Historical Context
The Parliament of Northern Ireland was created as part of the Government of Ireland Act 1920, which partitioned Ireland into two self-governing entities: Northern Ireland and Southern Ireland. The new Parliament of Northern Ireland was established to govern the six counties of Northern Ireland, including Antrim. The electoral system initially adopted was proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote, designed to provide fair representation to both unionist and nationalist communities.
County Antrim, located in the northeast of the island of Ireland, was a significant political and demographic area. It included urban centers such as Antrim town and parts of Belfast’s outskirts, as well as rural areas. The constituency boundaries corresponded to the county boundaries, making it a large and diverse electoral area.
### Boundaries
The Antrim constituency encompassed the entire County Antrim, excluding the parts of the county that were within the Belfast parliamentary borough constituencies. This meant that the constituency covered a wide geographical area, including towns, villages, and rural districts. The boundaries were coterminous with the administrative county boundaries as they existed at the time.
### Electoral System
From 1921 to 1929, the Antrim constituency elected members to the Northern Ireland Parliament using the single transferable vote (STV) system. This system allowed voters to rank candidates in order of preference, and seats were allocated proportionally based on the votes cast. The use of STV was intended to ensure minority representation and reduce the dominance of any single political group.
Antrim was a multi-member constituency, returning seven members to the Parliament. This large number of seats reflected the size and population of the county.
### Political Representation
The political landscape of Antrim during this period was dominated by the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP), which supported the continued union of Northern Ireland with Great Britain. The UUP was the dominant political force in Northern Ireland and held a majority of seats in the Parliament throughout its existence.
Other political groups, including nationalist parties and independent candidates, also contested elections in Antrim, but the unionist majority was generally decisive. The proportional representation system allowed for some representation of minority views, but the political balance remained heavily in favor of unionism.
### Members of Parliament
Between 1921 and 1929, Antrim returned seven members to the Northern Ireland Parliament. The members were predominantly from the Ulster Unionist Party, reflecting the political leanings of the constituency. The exact list of members changed with each election, but the UUP maintained a strong presence.
### Elections
#### 1921 General Election
The first election for the Parliament of Northern Ireland was held in 1921. In Antrim, seven members were elected using STV. The Ulster Unionist Party won the majority of seats, with some representation from other groups.
#### 1925 General Election
The second election took place in 1925. The political composition remained largely unchanged, with the UUP retaining dominance. The proportional representation system continued to provide opportunities for minority representation, but unionists held the majority.
### Abolition and Successor Constituencies
In 1929, the Parliament of Northern Ireland passed the House of Commons (Method of Voting and Redistribution of Seats) Act (Northern Ireland) 1929, which abolished proportional representation and introduced the first-past-the-post electoral system. This change led to the division of large multi-member constituencies like Antrim into smaller single-member constituencies.
As a result, the Antrim constituency was divided into seven single-member constituencies: Antrim Borough, Bannside, Carrick, Larne, Mid Antrim, North Antrim, and South Antrim. These new constituencies were designed to provide more localized representation but tended to favor the dominant Ulster Unionist Party due to the electoral system change.
### Legacy
The Antrim constituency played a significant role in the early years of the Northern Ireland Parliament. Its use of proportional representation was part of an effort to create a more inclusive political system, though the unionist majority remained firmly in control. The abolition of the constituency and the move to single-member districts marked a shift toward a more majoritarian electoral system, which shaped Northern Ireland’s political landscape for decades.
The successor constituencies continued to represent the people of County Antrim in the Northern Ireland Parliament until the Parliament was suspended in 1972 and formally abolished in 1973.
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## See Also
– Parliament of Northern Ireland
– Government of Ireland Act 1920
– Ulster Unionist Party
– Single transferable vote
– County Antrim
– Northern Ireland constituencies (1929–1973)
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## References
*Note: This article is based on historical records and electoral data from the Parliament of Northern Ireland and related governmental archives.*
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**Meta Description:**
Antrim was a multi-member county constituency of the Northern Ireland Parliament from 1921 to 1929, using proportional representation before being divided into single-member constituencies. It was dominated by the Ulster Unionist Party during its existence.