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The urban districts and rural districts of Northern Ireland had their origin in 1899, when the Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898 came into effect. They were based on the system of district councils introduced in England and Wales four years earlier.
With the creation of Northern Ireland in 1921, it received six of Ireland's thirty-three administrative counties, each subdivided into a number of urban and rural districts, plus the county boroughs of Belfast and Londonderry which were administered outside the counties.
In 1921 the number of rural districts was reduced by amalgamation.
Each district was divided into a number of District Electoral Divisions.
See List of Irish Local Government Areas 1900 - 1921 for a historic list of districts in all of Ireland.

Contents

Boroughs

Local government reform

Urban and Rural Districts in Northern Ireland, 1973

Sources

Boroughs

Urban District Councils could petition for a charter of incorporation, designating the urban district a Borough. The first of these was Bangor in 1927, followed by Coleraine in 1928, Ballymena and Newtownards in 1937, Larne in 1938, Portadown in 1947, Carrickfergus, Enniskillen and Lurgan in 1949, with Lisburn being the last in 1964.
Outside of this system were the Belfast and Londonderry county boroughs.

Local government reform

The Local Government Act (Northern Ireland) 1972 replaced the existing system of county boroughs, administrative counties, urban districts and rural districts with 26 local government districts. The new system came into effect on 1st October 1973.

Urban and Rural Districts in Northern Ireland, 1973

===County Antrim===

District	Successor
Antrim Rural District	Antrim, Belfast City Council, Newtownabbey
Ballycastle Rural District	Moyle
Ballycastle Urban District	Moyle
Ballyclare Urban District	Newtownabbey
Ballymena Borough	Ballymena
Ballymena Rural District	Antrim, Ballymena
Ballymoney Urban District	Ballymoney
Ballymoney Rural District	Ballymoney, Coleraine, Moyle
Carrickfergus Borough	Carrickfergus
Larne Borough	Larne
Larne Rural District	Belfast, Carrickfergus, Larne, Newtownabbey
Lisburn Borough	Lisburn
Lisburn Rural District	Lisburn
Portrush Urban District	Coleraine
Newtownabbey Urban District	Belfast, Newtownabbey
Whitehead Urban District	Carrickfergus

===County Armagh===

District	Successor
Armagh Rural District	Armagh, Dungannon
Armagh Urban District	Armagh
Keady Urban District	Armagh
Lurgan Borough	Craigavon
Lurgan Rural District	Armagh, Craigavon
Newry No. 2 Rural District	Armagh, Newry and Mourne
Portadown Borough	Craigavon
Tandragee Rural District	Armagh
Tandragee Urban District	Armagh

===County Down===

District	Successor
Banbridge Rural District	Banbridge
Banbridge Urban District	Banbridge
Bangor Borough	North Down
Castlereagh Rural District	Belfast, Castlereagh
Donaghdee Urban District	Ards
Downpatrick Urban District	Down
Dromore Urban District	Banbridge
East Down Rural District	Ards, Down
Hillsborough Rural District	Castlereagh, Lisburn
Holywood Urban District	Belfast, North Down
Kilkeel Urban District	Newry and Mourne
Moira Rural District	Craigavon, Lisburn
Newcastle Urban District	Down
Newry Urban District	Newry and Mourne
Newry No. 1 Rural District	Newry and Mourne
Newtownards Borough	Ards
North Down Rural District	Castlereagh, North Down
South Down Rural District	Down
Warrenpoint Urban District	Newry and Mourne

===County Fermanagh===

District	Successor
Enniskillen Borough †	Fermanagh
Enniskillen Rural District †	Fermanagh
Irvinestown Rural District †	Fermanagh
Lisnakea Rural District †	Fermanagh

† All district councils in Fermanagh were abolished in 1968, creating a unitary county council.
===County Londonderry===

District	Successor
Coleraine Borough	Coleraine
Coleraine Rural District	Coleraine
Limavady Rural District	Limavady
Limavady Urban District	Limavady
Londonderry Rural District‡	Derry†
Magherafelt Rural District	Cookstown, Magherafelt
Portstewart Urban District	Coleraine

‡ The Rural District Council was abolished in 1969, with the Londonderry Development Commission taking over municipal functions.
† The District was known as Londonderry until 1984.
===County Tyrone===

District	Successor
Castlederg Rural District	Strabane
Clogher Rural District	Dungannon, Omagh
Cookstown Rural District	Cookstown
Cookstown Urban District	Cookstown
Dungannon Rural District	Dungannon
Dungannon Urban District	Dungannon
Omagh Rural District	Omagh, Strabane
Omagh Urban District	Omagh
Strabane Rural District	Strabane
Strabane Urban District	Strabane

Sources

★ Local Government (Boundaries) Act (Northern Ireland) 1971, (Eliz II 19 & 20 c.9)

★ Local Government Act (Northern Ireland) 1972 (Eliz II 20 & 21 c.9)

★ Local Government (Boundaries) Order (Northern Ireland) 1972 (S.R. & O. 1972, No. 131).

★ The Belfast Gazette

★ Larne Borough Guide, undated

★ Omagh District Guide, undated

★ Strabane District Official Guide, c 1989

★ Northern Ireland census