United Kingdom general election, 1885 (Ireland)

Irish (UK) general election, 1885
(part of United Kingdom general election, 1885)

24 November–18 December 1885

101 of the 670 seats to the House of Commons Turnout 75.0% (In contested seats)   First party Second party Third party   Leader Charles Stewart Parnell Lord Salisbury William Ewart Gladstone Party Irish Parliamentary Conservative Liberal Leader since 17 October 1882 April 1881 April 1880 Leader's seat Cork City Marquess of Salisbury Midlothian Last election 63 23 15 Seats won 85 16 0 Seat change 22 7 15 Popular vote 307,119 111,503 30,022 Percentage 67.8 24.8 6.8 Swing 30.3 15 15.9

Results of the 1885 election in Ireland.

The 1885 general election in Ireland was the first election following the Representation of the People Act 1884 and the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, which redrew the Irish electoral landscape.

The election saw the Irish Parliamentary Party secure their place as the dominant party in Irish politics, winning the vast majority of available seats. In comparison, the Liberals were wiped out in Ireland, whilst the Conservatives were reduced to 16 seats.

Changes to the Irish Electorate

The Irish electorate in 1885 was radically different to that in 1880. The Representation of the People Act 1884 equalized the county and borough franchises and made all householders and lodgers in the counties eligible to vote,^[1] thereby bringing Irish electoral law into line with that in Great Britain. The result of this reform was massive, and saw the Irish electorate more than triple, increasing from 229,204 in 1880 to 737,965 in 1885.^[2] In spite of this, however, the Irish electorate was still comparatively smaller than the electorates of the other nations of the United Kingdom; whilst 2 in 3 adults males had the vote in England and Wales, or 3 in 5 in Scotland, in Ireland only 1 in 2 adult males could vote.^[3]

Results

Not included in the totals are the two Dublin University seats, which were uncontested and were retained by the Conservatives.

Party		Leader	Seats			Votes
			# of Seats	% of Seats	Seat Change	# of Votes	% of Votes	Vote Change
	Irish Parliamentary	Charles Stewart Parnell	85	87.1	24	307,119	67.8	30.3
	Irish Conservative	Lord Salisbury	16	15.8	7	111,503	24.8	15
	Liberal	William Ewart Gladstone	0	0	15	30,022	6.8	15.9
Totals			101	100		451,466	100
Sources: Rallings & Thrasher[4]

References

1. Keenan, Desmond (2006). Post-Famine Ireland: Social Structure: Ireland As It Really Was. Xlibris Corporation. p. 162.
2. Rallings, Colin; Thrasher, Michael (2012). British Electoral Facts: 1832-2012. Biteback Publishing Ltd. p. 89. ISBN 978-184954-134-3.
3. Cook, Chris (2005). The Routledge Companion to Britain in the Nineteenth Century, 1815-1914. Routledge. p. 68. ISBN 978-0-415-35970-2.
4. Rallings, Colin; Thrasher, Michael (2012). British Electoral Facts: 1832-2012. Biteback Publishing Ltd. p. 12. ISBN 978-184954-134-3.