# South Down (UK Parliament constituency)

South Down is a parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom House of Commons. The current MP is Chris Hazzard of Sinn Féin.

## Constituency profile

The seat covers the Mourne Mountains, and Downpatrick to the north. It has a short border with the Republic to the south. The area voted to Remain in the EU.

## Boundaries

The county constituency was first created in 1885 from the southern part of Down. It was defined as including 'The Baronies of – Iveagh Upper, Lower Half, Lordship of Newry, and Mourne, and so much of the Barony of Iveagh Upper, Upper Half, as comprises the Parishes of – Clonallan, Donaghmore, Drumgath, Kilbroney, and Warrenpoint.'. In 1918, it was redefined as including 'The rural district of Newry No. 1; the part of the rural district of Kilkeel which is not included in the East Down Division; and the urban districts of Newcastle, Newry and Warrenpoint.' From the dissolution of Parliament in 1922, it was merged back into Down. Maps showing the component units of the constituency can be seen here.
The seat was re-created in 1950 when the old Down two MP constituency was abolished as part of the final move to single member seats. Originally the seat consisted of most of the mid and southern parts of County Down, with the north included in North Down. It was defined as including '(i) The urban districts of Banbridge, Downpatrick, Dromore, Kilkeel, Newcastle, Newry and Warrenpoint; (ii) the rural districts of Banbridge, Downpatrick, Kilkeel, Moira and Newry No. 1.' Of the post 1973 districts, it contained all of Down and Banbridge, together with parts of Newry and Mourne, Ards and Craigavon.
In 1983 the seat was radically cut down as part of an expansion of Northern Ireland's constituencies from 12 to 17. Significant parts of the constituency were transferred to either Upper Bann or Newry and Armagh. The composition of the seat in 1983 was the entire district of Down, the Annaclone, Ballyoolymore, Croob, Dromore, Drumadonnell, Garran, Quilly and Skeagh, the electoral wards of Banbridge, and the Annalong, Ballycrossan, Binnian, Clonallan, Cranfield, Donaghmore, Drumgath, Kilkeel, Lisnacree, Rathfriland, Rostrevor, Seaview, and Spelga wards from Newry and Mourne.
In boundary changes proposed by a review in 1995, the seat was originally to be abolished and replaced by a new Mid Down constituency. This provoked a storm of protest and following a local enquiry minor changes were made with the seat losing one small section to Lagan Valley and another to Strangford. It still consists of parts of Down, Banbridge and Newry and Mourne districts.
In 2005, the Boundary Commission published provisional recommendations for modifying the boundaries of constituencies in Northern Ireland. For South Down, it originally proposed to add part of Newry from Newry and Armagh and the Loughbrickland part of Banbridge district from Upper Bann, while losing some more of Down to Strangford. These changes were challenged in a round of public consultations, with the result that revised recommendations were made. Under the new proposals, the Newry area remained in Newry and Armagh and Loughbrickland in Upper Bann. This meant that only 4 wards around the town of Ballynahinch were transferred to Strangford. These changes became the final recommendations and were given legal effect in 2008.

## History
### 1885–1922

The constituency was a predominantly Nationalist area in 1918. The Unionists had significant but minority support. The Sinn Féin candidate polled poorly, probably due to the limited electoral pact to avoid seriously splitting the anti-unionist vote in seats the unionist candidate might have otherwise won.

### The First Dáil

Sinn Féin contested the general election of 1918 on a platform that instead of taking up any seats they won in the United Kingdom Parliament, they would establish a revolutionary assembly in Dublin. In republican theory, every MP elected in Ireland was a potential Deputy to this assembly. In practice, only the Sinn Féin members accepted the offer and their candidate Éamon de Valera only received 0.2% of the votes in South Down, while being elected unopposed for East Clare and East Mayo; the nationalist Jeremiah McVeagh, elected as IPP MP for South Down, did not participate in the First Dáil.
In 1921, Sinn Féin decided to use the UK authorised elections for the Northern Ireland House of Commons and the House of Commons of Southern Ireland as a poll for the Irish Republic's Second Dáil. This area, in republican theory, was incorporated in a potential eight-member Dáil constituency of Down.

### 1950–present

When initially created, this seat had a clear unionist majority, albeit with a strong nationalist minority. However boundary changes, which have wrapped it closer around nationalist heartlands near Downpatrick and the Mournes, have transformed South Down into a safe nationalist seat.
The House of Commons seat was consistently held by the Ulster Unionist Party from its creation until 1987. In the October 1974 general election the former Conservative MP Enoch Powell defended the seat for the UUP, representing a coup for them as they gained the support of a high-profile English politician, offering them a spokesperson to the United Kingdom as a whole.
Powell advocated a policy of integration for Northern Ireland whereby all forms of devolution would be wound up and the province governed as an integral part of the United Kingdom. As part of this, he campaigned for the province to have the same ratio of MPs to population as in the rest of the United Kingdom, rather than fewer, which had previously been justified due to the existence of the devolved Stormont Parliament. Powell was successful in this, but a side effect was that in his own constituency; a significant block of unionist voters were removed, resulting in a nationalist majority. Powell managed to survive for two election cycles due to a split nationalist vote, but in 1987, he narrowly lost to Eddie McGrady of the Social Democratic and Labour Party, who held the seat until he retired in 2010.
Since then, the unionist vote has declined further due to boundary changes, which excluded mainly unionist Dromore and Saintfield, and a trend for many unionists to tactically vote for the SDLP at Westminster elections to avoid the seat falling to Sinn Féin. However, in 2017, Sinn Féin gained the constituency for the first time with Chris Hazzard defeating former leader of the SDLP Margaret Ritchie as part of the SDLP's parliamentary wipeout at that year's snap general election.
The winning vote share in 2019 was the smallest of the 650 nationwide; it was just under 1⁄3 of the total votes that were cast.

## Members of Parliament

The Member of Parliament since the 2017 general election has been Chris Hazzard of Sinn Féin. He succeeded SDLP MP Margaret Ritchie.
In this section by-elections are indicated by an asterisk after the date and italic type.
| Election | Election | Member | Party |
| 1885 | 1885 | Constituency created | Constituency created |
| | 1885 | John Francis Small | Irish Parliamentary Party |
| | 1886 | Michael McCartan | Irish Parliamentary Party |
| | 1892 | Michael McCartan | Irish National Federation |
| | 1895 | Michael McCartan | Irish National Federation |
| | 1900 | Michael McCartan | Irish Parliamentary Party |
| | 1902* | Jeremiah McVeagh | Irish Parliamentary Party |
| | 1906 | Jeremiah McVeagh | Irish Parliamentary Party |
| | 1910 (Jan) | Jeremiah McVeagh | Irish Parliamentary Party |
| | 1910 (Dec) | Jeremiah McVeagh | Irish Parliamentary Party |
| | 1918 | Jeremiah McVeagh | Irish Parliamentary Party |
| 1922 | 1922 | Constituency abolished – see Down | Constituency abolished – see Down |
| 1950 | 1950 | Constituency re-created from Down | Constituency re-created from Down |
| | 1950 | Lawrence Orr | Ulster Unionist Party |
| | 1951 | Lawrence Orr | Ulster Unionist Party |
| | 1955 | Lawrence Orr | Ulster Unionist Party |
| | 1959 | Lawrence Orr | Ulster Unionist Party |
| | 1964 | Lawrence Orr | Ulster Unionist Party |
| | 1966 | Lawrence Orr | Ulster Unionist Party |
| | 1970 | Lawrence Orr | Ulster Unionist Party |
| | 1974 (Feb) | Lawrence Orr | Ulster Unionist Party |
| | 1974 (Oct) | Enoch Powell | Ulster Unionist Party |
| | 1979 | Enoch Powell | Ulster Unionist Party |
| | 1983 | Enoch Powell | Ulster Unionist Party |
| | 1987 | Eddie McGrady | Social Democratic and Labour Party |
| | 1992 | Eddie McGrady | Social Democratic and Labour Party |
| | 1997 | Eddie McGrady | Social Democratic and Labour Party |
| | 2001 | Eddie McGrady | Social Democratic and Labour Party |
| | 2005 | Eddie McGrady | Social Democratic and Labour Party |
| | 2010 | Margaret Ritchie | Social Democratic and Labour Party |
| | 2015 | Margaret Ritchie | Social Democratic and Labour Party |
| | 2017 | Chris Hazzard | Sinn Féin |
| | 2019 | Chris Hazzard | Sinn Féin |
| | 2024 | Chris Hazzard | Sinn Féin |

## Elections
### Elections in the 2020s

General election 2024: South Down :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Sinn Féin | Chris Hazzard | 19,698 | 43.5 | +12.7 |
| | SDLP | Colin McGrath | 10,418 | 23.0 | −4.2 |
| | DUP | Diane Forsythe | 7,349 | 16.2 | −1.9 |
| | Alliance | Andrew McMurray | 3,187 | 7.0 | −6.8 |
| | TUV | Jim Wells | 1,893 | 4.2 | New |
| | UUP | Michael O'Loan | 1,411 | 3.1 | −4.6 |
| | Aontú | Rosemary McGlone | 797 | 1.8 | −0.6 |
| | Green (NI) | Declan Walsh | 444 | 1.0 | New |
| | NI Conservatives | Hannah Westropp | 46 | 0.1 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 9,280 | 20.5 | +17.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 45,243 | 59.0 | −3.4 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 76,248 | | |
| | Sinn Féin hold | Sinn Féin hold | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 2010s

General election 2019: South Down :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Sinn Féin | Chris Hazzard | 16,137 | 32.4 | ―7.5 |
| | SDLP | Michael Savage | 14,517 | 29.2 | ―5.9 |
| | DUP | Glyn Hanna | 7,619 | 15.3 | ―2.1 |
| | Alliance | Patrick Brown | 6,916 | 13.9 | +10.3 |
| | UUP | Jill Macauley | 3,307 | 6.6 | +2.7 |
| | Aontú | Paul Brady | 1,266 | 2.5 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,620 | 3.2 | ―1.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 49,762 | 62.9 | ―4.3 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 79,113 | | |
| | Sinn Féin hold | Sinn Féin hold | Swing | ―0.8 | |
This seat saw the largest decrease in vote share for the SDLP at the 2019 general election.
General election 2017: South Down :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Sinn Féin | Chris Hazzard | 20,328 | 39.9 | +11.4 |
| | SDLP | Margaret Ritchie | 17,882 | 35.1 | ―7.2 |
| | DUP | Diane Forsythe | 8,867 | 17.4 | +9.2 |
| | UUP | Harold McKee | 2,002 | 3.9 | ―5.4 |
| | Alliance | Andrew McMurray | 1,814 | 3.6 | ―0.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,446 | 4.8 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 50,893 | 67.2 | +10.4 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 75,685 | | |
| | Sinn Féin gain from SDLP | Sinn Féin gain from SDLP | Swing | ―9.3 | |
General election 2015: South Down :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | SDLP | Margaret Ritchie | 18,077 | 42.3 | ―6.2 |
| | Sinn Féin | Chris Hazzard | 12,186 | 28.5 | ―0.2 |
| | UUP | Harold McKee | 3,964 | 9.3 | +2.0 |
| | DUP | Jim Wells | 3,486 | 8.2 | ―0.4 |
| | UKIP | Henry Reilly | 3,044 | 7.1 | New |
| | Alliance | Martyn Todd | 1,622 | 3.8 | +2.5 |
| | NI Conservatives | Felicity Buchan | 318 | 0.7 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5,891 | 13.8 | ―6.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 42,697 | 56.8 | ―3.4 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 75,220 | | |
| | SDLP hold | SDLP hold | Swing | ―2.9 | |
General election 2010: South Down :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | SDLP | Margaret Ritchie | 20,648 | 48.5 | +1.6 |
| | Sinn Féin | Caitríona Ruane | 12,236 | 28.7 | +1.7 |
| | DUP | Jim Wells | 3,645 | 8.6 | ―7.6 |
| | UCU-NF | John McCallister | 3,093 | 7.3 | ―1.5 |
| | TUV | Ivor McConnell | 1,506 | 3.5 | New |
| | Green (NI) | Cadogan Enright | 901 | 2.1 | New |
| | Alliance | David Griffin | 560 | 1.3 | 0.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 8,412 | 19.8 | +0.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 42,589 | 60.2 | ―8.5 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 70,784 | | |
| | SDLP hold | SDLP hold | Swing | ―0.1 | |

### Elections in the 2000s

General election 2005: South Down :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | SDLP | Eddie McGrady | 21,557 | 44.7 | ―1.6 |
| | Sinn Féin | Caitríona Ruane | 12,417 | 25.8 | +6.1 |
| | DUP | Jim Wells | 8,815 | 18.3 | +3.3 |
| | UUP | Dermot Nesbitt | 4,775 | 9.9 | ―7.7 |
| | Alliance | Julian Crozier | 613 | 1.3 | ±0.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 9,140 | 18.9 | ―7.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 48,177 | 65.4 | ―5.4 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 73,175 | | |
| | SDLP hold | SDLP hold | Swing | ―3.8 | |
General election 2001: South Down :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | SDLP | Eddie McGrady | 24,136 | 46.3 | ―6.6 |
| | Sinn Féin | Mick Murphy | 10,278 | 19.7 | +9.3 |
| | UUP | Dermot Nesbitt | 9,173 | 17.6 | ―15.2 |
| | DUP | Jim Wells | 7,802 | 15.0 | New |
| | Alliance | Betty Campbell | 685 | 1.3 | ―2.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 13,858 | 26.6 | +6.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 52,074 | 70.8 | 0.0 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 73,519 | | |
| | SDLP hold | SDLP hold | Swing | ―8.0 | |

### Elections in the 1990s

General election 1997: South Down :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | SDLP | Eddie McGrady | 26,181 | 52.9 | +1.7 |
| | UUP | Dermot Nesbitt | 16,248 | 32.8 | −8.1 |
| | Sinn Féin | Mick Murphy | 5,127 | 10.4 | +7.4 |
| | Alliance | Julian Crozier | 1,711 | 3.5 | +1.0 |
| | Natural Law | Rosaleen McKeon | 219 | 0.4 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 9,933 | 20.1 | +9.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 49,486 | 70.8 | −10.1 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 69,977 | | |
| | SDLP hold | SDLP hold | Swing | −0.3 | |
General election 1992: South Down :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | SDLP | Eddie McGrady | 31,523 | 51.2 | +4.2 |
| | UUP | Drew Nelson | 25,181 | 40.9 | −4.8 |
| | Sinn Féin | Sean Fitzpatrick | 1,843 | 3.0 | −1.2 |
| | Alliance | Michael Healey | 1,542 | 2.5 | +0.6 |
| | NI Conservatives | Stephanie McKenzie-Hill | 1,488 | 2.4 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 6,342 | 10.3 | +9.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 61,577 | 80.9 | +1.5 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 76,186 | | |
| | SDLP hold | SDLP hold | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1980s

General election 1987: South Down :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | SDLP | Eddie McGrady | 26,579 | 47.0 | +7.7 |
| | UUP | Enoch Powell | 25,848 | 45.7 | +5.4 |
| | Sinn Féin | Geraldine Ritchie | 2,363 | 4.2 | −3.7 |
| | Alliance | Siobhan Laird | 1,069 | 1.9 | −1.7 |
| | Workers' Party | Des O'Hagan | 675 | 1.2 | −0.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 731 | 1.3 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 56,534 | 79.4 | +1.7 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 71,235 | | |
| | SDLP gain from UUP | SDLP gain from UUP | Swing | | |
By-election 1986: South Down :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | UUP | Enoch Powell | 24,963 | 48.4 | +8.1 |
| | SDLP | Eddie McGrady | 23,121 | 44.8 | +5.5 |
| | Sinn Féin | Hugh McDowell | 2,963 | 5.7 | −2.2 |
| | Workers' Party | Sean Magee | 522 | 1.0 | −0.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,842 | 3.6 | +2.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 51,569 | 73.8 | −3.9 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 69,843 | | |
| | UUP hold | UUP hold | Swing | | |
General election 1983: South Down :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | UUP | Enoch Powell | 20,693 | 40.3 | −9.7 |
| | SDLP | Eddie McGrady | 20,145 | 39.3 | +2.0 |
| | Sinn Féin | Patrick Fitzsimmons | 4,074 | 7.9 | New |
| | DUP | Cecil Harvey | 3,743 | 7.3 | New |
| | Alliance | Patrick Forde | 1,823 | 3.6 | −5.2 |
| | Workers' Party | Margaret Magee | 851 | 1.7 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 548 | 1.0 | −11.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 51,329 | 77.7 | +5.7 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 66,923 | | |
| | UUP hold | UUP hold | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1970s

General election 1979: South Down :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | UUP | Enoch Powell | 32,254 | 50.0 | −0.8 |
| | SDLP | Eddie McGrady | 24,033 | 37.3 | −8.1 |
| | Alliance | Patrick Forde | 4,407 | 6.8 | New |
| | Irish Independence | John Markey | 1,853 | 2.9 | New |
| | Republican Clubs | Des O'Hagan | 1,682 | 2.6 | −0.9 |
| | Inter-Dependence Party | Francis Rice | 216 | 0.3 | New |
| | Reform | Peter Courtney | 31 | 0.1 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 8,221 | 12.7 | +7.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 64,476 | 72.0 | −0.4 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 89,562 | | |
| | UUP hold | UUP hold | Swing | | |
General election October 1974: South Down :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | UUP | Enoch Powell | 33,614 | 50.8 | −1.3 |
| | SDLP | Sean Hollywood | 30,047 | 45.4 | +2.6 |
| | Republican Clubs | Gerard Oliver O'Hanlon | 2,327 | 3.5 | −1.6 |
| | Marxist–Leninist | David Vipond | 152 | 0.2 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,567 | 5.4 | −4.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 66,140 | 72.4 | +7.4 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 91,354 | | |
| | UUP hold | UUP hold | Swing | | |
General election February 1974: South Down :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | UUP | Lawrence Orr | 31,088 | 52.1 | −2.2 |
| | SDLP | Sean Hollywood | 25,486 | 42.8 | New |
| | Republican Clubs | Hugh Golding | 3,046 | 5.1 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5,602 | 9.4 | −11.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 59,620 | 65.0 | −9.0 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 91,792 | | |
| | UUP hold | UUP hold | Swing | | |
General election 1970: South Down :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | UUP | Lawrence Orr | 34,894 | 54.3 | −9.7 |
| | Unity | Hugh Golding | 21,676 | 33.7 | New |
| | Ulster Liberal | John Quinn | 7,747 | 12.1 | −6.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 13,218 | 20.6 | −24.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 64,317 | 74.0 | +8.2 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 87,079 | | |
| | UUP hold | UUP hold | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1960s

General election 1966: South Down :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | UUP | Lawrence Orr | 32,876 | 64.0 | +5.0 |
| | Ulster Liberal | John Quinn | 9,586 | 18.7 | +8.6 |
| | Ind. Republican | George Mussen | 8,917 | 17.4 | −2.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 23,290 | 45.3 | +6.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 51,379 | 65.8 | −6.3 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 78,096 | | |
| | UUP hold | UUP hold | Swing | | |
General election 1964: South Down :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | UUP | Lawrence Orr | 32,922 | 59.0 | −26.4 |
| | Ind. Republican | George Mussen | 11,031 | 19.8 | New |
| | NI Labour | Samuel Thompson | 6,260 | 11.2 | New |
| | Ulster Liberal | Hamilton Gooding | 5,610 | 10.1 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 21,891 | 39.2 | −31.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 55,823 | 72.1 | +16.5 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 77,391 | | |
| | UUP hold | UUP hold | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1950s

General election 1959: South Down :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | UUP | Lawrence Orr | 36,875 | 85.4 | +19.5 |
| | Sinn Féin | Kevin O'Rourke | 6,298 | 14.6 | −19.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 30,577 | 70.8 | +39.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 43,173 | 55.6 | −18.3 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 77,627 | | |
| | UUP hold | UUP hold | Swing | | |
General election 1955: South Down :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | UUP | Lawrence Orr | 37,921 | 65.9 | +7.5 |
| | Sinn Féin | Kevin O'Rourke | 19,624 | 34.1 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 18,297 | 31.8 | +15.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 57,545 | 73.9 | −8.1 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 77,832 | | |
| | UUP hold | UUP hold | Swing | | |
General election 1951: South Down :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | UUP | Lawrence Orr | 37,789 | 58.4 | −5.1 |
| | Ind. Republican | Gerald Annesley | 26,976 | 41.6 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 10,813 | 16.8 | −10.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 64,765 | 82.0 | +5.3 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 79,001 | | |
| | UUP hold | UUP hold | Swing | | |
General election 1950: South Down :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | UUP | Lawrence Orr | 38,508 | 63.5 | N/A |
| | Irish Labour | Jack MacGougan | 22,176 | 36.5 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 16,332 | 27.0 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 60,684 | 76.7 | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 79,125 | | |
| | UUP win (new seat) | UUP win (new seat) | UUP win (new seat) | UUP win (new seat) | UUP win (new seat) |

### Elections in the 1910s

1918 general election: South Down :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Irish Parliamentary | Jeremiah McVeagh | 8,756 | 54.7 | 0.0 |
| | Irish Unionist | John Alexander Weir Johnston | 5,573 | 45.3 | 0.0 |
| | Independent | Alexander Fisher | 436 | 2.9 | New |
| | Sinn Féin | Éamon de Valera | 33 | 0.2 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,183 | 21.4 | +12.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 14,798 | 86.5 | 0.0 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 18,708 | | |
| | Irish Parliamentary hold | Irish Parliamentary hold | Swing | +6.1 | |
December 1910 general election: South Down :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Irish Parliamentary | Jeremiah McVeagh | 3,668 | 54.7 | +0.2 |
| | Irish Unionist | John Alexander Weir Johnston | 3,040 | 45.3 | −0.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 635 | 9.4 | +0.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 6,708 | 86.5 | −3.7 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 7,753 | | |
| | Irish Parliamentary hold | Irish Parliamentary hold | Swing | +0.2 | |
January 1910 general election: South Down :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Irish Parliamentary | Jeremiah McVeagh | 3,815 | 54.5 | 0.0 |
| | Irish Unionist | Lynden Macassey | 3,180 | 45.5 | 0.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 635 | 9.0 | 0.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 6,995 | 90.2 | +1.0 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 7,753 | | |
| | Irish Parliamentary hold | Irish Parliamentary hold | Swing | 0.0 | |

### Elections in the 1900s

1906 general election: South Down :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Irish Parliamentary | Jeremiah McVeagh | 3,910 | 54.5 | N/A |
| | Irish Unionist | Peter Kerr-Smiley | 3,262 | 45.5 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 648 | 9.0 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 7,172 | 89.2 | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 8,036 | | |
| | Irish Parliamentary hold | Irish Parliamentary hold | Swing | N/A | |
1902 South Down by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Irish Parliamentary | Jeremiah McVeagh | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | | | |
| | Irish Parliamentary hold | Irish Parliamentary hold | Irish Parliamentary hold | Irish Parliamentary hold | Irish Parliamentary hold |
1900 general election: South Down :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Irish Parliamentary | Michael McCartan | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | | | |
| | Irish Parliamentary hold | Irish Parliamentary hold | Irish Parliamentary hold | Irish Parliamentary hold | Irish Parliamentary hold |

### Elections in the 1890s

1895 general election: South Down :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Irish National Federation | Michael McCartan | 4,057 | 54.6 | +1.2 |
| | Liberal Unionist | Thomas Rowan | 3,378 | 45.4 | −0.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 679 | 9.2 | +1.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 7,435 | 85.3 | +0.9 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 8,715 | | |
| | Irish National Federation hold | Irish National Federation hold | Swing | +1.0 | |
1892 general election: South Down :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Irish National Federation | Michael McCartan | 4,207 | 53.4 | −2.2 |
| | Liberal Unionist | John Walker Craig | 3,636 | 46.1 | +1.7 |
| | Irish National League | Eiver Magenis | 42 | 0.5 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 571 | 7.3 | −3.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 7,885 | 84.4 | +1.2 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 9,342 | | |
| | Irish National Federation gain from Irish Parliamentary | Irish National Federation gain from Irish Parliamentary | Swing | -2.0 | |

### Elections in the 1880s

1886 general election: South Down :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Irish Parliamentary | Michael McCartan | 4,786 | 55.6 | −1.6 |
| | Liberal Unionist | Robert Swan Corbitt | 3,816 | 44.4 | +1.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 970 | 11.2 | −3.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 8,602 | 83.2 | −1.3 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 10,335 | | |
| | Irish Parliamentary hold | Irish Parliamentary hold | Swing | -1.6 | |
1885 general election: South Down :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Irish Parliamentary | John Francis Small | 4,995 | 57.2 | |
| | Irish Conservative | William Henry Kisbey | 3,743 | 42.8 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,252 | 14.4 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 8,738 | 84.5 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 10,335 | | |
| | Irish Parliamentary win (new seat) | Irish Parliamentary win (new seat) | Irish Parliamentary win (new seat) | Irish Parliamentary win (new seat) | Irish Parliamentary win (new seat) |