Ards (Northern Ireland Parliament constituency)


Ards was a constituency of the Parliament of Northern Ireland.

Boundaries

Ards was a county constituency comprising the town of Newtownards, the Ards peninsula and the town of Donaghadee. It was created in 1929 when the House of Commons Act 1929 introduced first past the post elections throughout Northern Ireland. Ards was created by the division of Down into eight new constituencies. The constituency survived unchanged, returning one member of Parliament until the Parliament of Northern Ireland was temporarily suspended in 1972, and then formally abolished in 1973.

Politics

Ards had a unionist majority, and consistently elected Ulster Unionist Party members. It was sometimes contested by members of the Ulster Liberal Party, Northern Ireland Labour Party or Commonwealth Labour Party, who received between 19% and 42% of the votes cast.

Members of Parliament

Elections

At the 1933 and 1938 general elections, Henry Mulholland was elected unopposed.
At the 1949 Northern Ireland general election, William May was elected unopposed.
At the 1958 Northern Ireland general election, William May was elected unopposed.
At the 1969 Northern Ireland general election, William Long was elected unopposed.