North Fermanagh (UK Parliament constituency)
| North Fermanagh | |
|---|---|
|
Former County constituency for the House of Commons | |
| 1885–1922 | |
| Number of members | One |
| Replaced by | Enniskillen and Fermanagh and Tyrone |
| Created from | Fermanagh |
North Fermanagh was a UK Parliament constituency in Ireland which returned one Member of Parliament from 1885 to 1922, using the first past the post electoral system.
Boundaries and Boundary Changes
This county constituency comprised the northern part of County Fermanagh. The seat was defined under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 as comprising the baronies of Lurg, Magheraboy, and Tirkenny. The seat was unchanged under the Redistribution of Seats (Ireland) Act 1918.
Prior to the United Kingdom general election, 1885 the area was part of the Fermanagh constituency. After the dissolution of Parliament in 1922 the constituency was incorporated in the new seat of Fermanagh and Tyrone
Politics
The constituency was a marginal one compared to many other seats in Northern Ireland. The Unionist candidate won in 1918, but Sinn Féin only polled 532 less votes.
The First Dáil
Sinn Féin contested the general election of 1918 on the 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.
The revolutionary First Dáil assembled on 21 January 1919 and last met on 10 May 1921. The First Dáil, according to a resolution passed on 10 May 1921, was formally dissolved on the assembling of the Second Dáil. This took place on 16 August 1921.
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 an eight-member Dáil constituency of Fermanagh and Tyrone.
Members of Parliament
| Election | Member | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1885 | William Hoey Kearney Redmond | Nationalist | |
| 1892 | Richard Martin Dane | Irish Unionist | |
| 1898(b) | Edward Archdale | Irish Unionist | |
| 1903(b) | Edward Mitchell | Russellite Unionist | |
| 1906 | Godfrey Fetherstonhaugh | Irish Unionist | |
| 1916(b) | Edward Archdale | Irish Unionist | |
| 1921 | Ulster Unionist | ||
| 1922 | constituency abolished | ||
Elections
| General Election 14 December 1918: North Fermanagh | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Irish Unionist | Edward Archdale | 6,768 | 52.0 | N/A | |
| Sinn Féin | Kevin Roantree O'Shiel | 6,236 | 47.9 | N/A | |
| Majority | 532 | 4.1 | N/A | ||
| Turnout | 13,004 | 89.7 | N/A | ||
| Irish Unionist hold | Swing | N/A | |||
- This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.
References
- Parliamentary Election Results in Ireland, 1801–1922, edited by B.M. Walker (Royal Irish Academy 1978)
- Debrett's Guide to the House of Commons and Judicial Bench, 1918
- Who's Who of British Members of Parliament: Volume II 1886–1918, edited by M. Stenton and S. Lees (The Harvester Press 1978)
- Who's Who of British Members of Parliament: Volume III 1919–1945, edited by M. Stenton and S. Lees (The Harvester Press 1979)
- Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "F"
External links
- http://www.oireachtas.ie/members-hist/default.asp?housetype=0
- http://historical-debates.oireachtas.ie/en.toc.dail.html
See also
- List of UK Parliament Constituencies in Ireland and Northern Ireland
- Redistribution of Seats (Ireland) Act 1918
- MPs elected in the UK general election, 1918
- List of Dáil Éireann constituencies in Ireland (historic)
- Members of the 1st Dáil