title: Northern Ireland (European Parliament constituency)
text: # Northern Ireland (European Parliament constituency)
  
  Northern Ireland (Irish: Tuaisceart Éireann (listen); Ulster-Scots: Norlin Airlann) was a constituency of the European Parliament from 1979 until the UK exit from the European Union on 31 January 2020. It elected three MEPs using the single transferable vote, making it the only constituency in the United Kingdom which did not use first-past-the-post or party-list proportional representation.
  
  ## Boundaries
  
  The constituency covered the entirety of Northern Ireland, a constituent country of the United Kingdom. It was the only constituency in the United Kingdom the boundaries of which remained unchanged from the first direct election in 1979 until the UK left the European Union in 2020.
  
  ## Members of the European Parliament
  
  | Year | Member | Party | Member | Party | Member | Party |
  | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
  | 1979 | Ian Paisley | Democratic Unionist | John Hume | SDLP | John Taylor | Ulster Unionist |
  | 1984 | Ian Paisley | Democratic Unionist | John Hume | SDLP | John Taylor | Ulster Unionist |
  | 1989 | Ian Paisley | Democratic Unionist | John Hume | SDLP | Jim Nicholson | Ulster Unionist |
  | 1994 | Ian Paisley | Democratic Unionist | John Hume | SDLP | Jim Nicholson | Ulster Unionist |
  | 1999 | Ian Paisley | Democratic Unionist | John Hume | SDLP | Jim Nicholson | Ulster Unionist |
  | 2004 | Jim Allister | Democratic Unionist | Bairbre de Brún | Sinn Féin | Jim Nicholson | Ulster Unionist |
  | 2007 | Jim Allister | Traditional Unionist Voice | Bairbre de Brún | Sinn Féin | Jim Nicholson | Ulster Unionist |
  | 2009 | Diane Dodds | Democratic Unionist | Bairbre de Brún | Sinn Féin | Jim Nicholson | Conservatives and Unionists |
  | 2012 | Diane Dodds | Democratic Unionist | Martina Anderson | Sinn Féin | Jim Nicholson | Ulster Unionist |
  | 2014 | Diane Dodds | Democratic Unionist | Martina Anderson | Sinn Féin | Jim Nicholson | Ulster Unionist |
  | 2019 | Diane Dodds | Democratic Unionist | Martina Anderson | Sinn Féin | Naomi Long | Alliance |
  
  Note: The columns in this table are used only for presentational purposes, and no significance should be attached to the order of columns. For details of the order in which seats were won at each election, see the detailed results of that election.
  
  ## Elections
  
  ### 2014
  
  Ten candidates stood in the election.
  
  ### 2004
  
  Gilliland's candidacy was supported by Alliance, Workers' Party, Labour and others.
  
  ### 1994
  
  * Note 1: Campion's candidacy, with the ballot paper description 'Peace Coalition', was supported by Democratic Left, the Greens and some Labour groups.
  * Note 2: Kerr appeared on the ballot paper with the description Independence for Ulster.
  * Note 3: Mooney appeared on the ballot paper with the description Constitutional Independent Northern Ireland.
  
  ### 1989
  
  Langhammer appeared on the ballot as the 'Labour Representation' candidate – the Campaign for Labour Representation aimed to persuade the British Labour Party to organise in Northern Ireland.
  
  Caul appeared on the ballot as the candidate of Labour '87, a merger of the Labour Party of Northern Ireland, Northern Ireland Labour Party, Ulster Liberal Party and United Labour Party.
  
  ### 1979
  
  Bleakley appeared on the ballot paper with the description 'United Community'.
  
  