South Armagh (UK Parliament constituency)

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South Armagh
Former County constituency
for the House of Commons
18851922
Number of members One
Replaced by Armagh
Created from Armagh

South Armagh 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 constituency comprised the southern part of County Armagh.

From 1885 to 1918 the constituency was bounded to the north and north-west by Mid Armagh, to the south-west by South Monaghan, to the south by North Louth, to the south-east by the Borough of Newry and to the east by South Down. Between 1918 and 1922 the neighbouring seats were the same except that Louth was an undivided county constituency and Newry had been absorbed into South Down.

Prior to the United Kingdom general election, 1885 and from the dissolution of Parliament in 1922 the area was part of the Armagh constituency.

Politics

The constituency was a predominantly Nationalist area. In 1918 the Nationalists heavily defeated Sinn Féin.

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 constituency, in republican theory, was incorporated in a four-member Dáil constituency of Armagh.

Members of Parliament

Election Member Party
1885 Alexander Blane Nationalist
1891 Parnellite Nationalist
1892 Edward McHugh Anti-Parnellite Nationalist
1900 John Campbell Healyite Nationalist
1906 William McKillop Nationalist
1909 Dr Charles O'Neill (1849-1918) Nationalist
1918 Patrick Donnelly Nationalist
1922 constituency abolished

Elections

General Election 27 November 1885: South Armagh
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Irish Nationalist Alexander Blaine Unopposed N/A N/A
Irish Nationalist gain from new seat Swing N/A
General Election 7 July 1886: South Armagh
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Irish Nationalist Alexander Blaine Unopposed N/A N/A
Irish Nationalist hold Swing N/A
General Election 8 July 1892: South Armagh
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Irish National Federation Edward McHugh 3,439 59.91 N/A
Irish Unionist Caesar Litton Falkiner 2,242 39.06 N/A
Parnellite Nationalist Alexander Blaine 59 1.03 N/A
Majority 1,197 20.85 N/A
Turnout 7,523 76.30 N/A
Irish National Federation gain from Parnellite Nationalist Swing N/A
General Election 25 July 1895: South Armagh
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Irish National Federation Edward McHugh 3,378 62.87 +2.96
Irish Unionist Walter McMurrough Kavanagh 1,995 37.13 -1.93
Majority 1,383 25.74 +4.89
Turnout 7,254 74.07 -2.23
Irish National Federation hold Swing +2.49
  • Butler Swing from Irish Unionist to Anti-Parnellite Nationalist
  • Seat vacant on dissolution due to the death of McHugh
General Election 9 October 1900: South Armagh
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Healyite Nationalist John Campbell 1,646 56.62 +56.62
Irish Nationalist Dr Charles O'Neill 1,261 43.38 +43.38
Majority 385 13.24 N/A
Turnout 7,152 40.65 -33.42
Healyite Nationalist gain from Irish National Federation Swing N/A
General Election 19 January 1906: South Armagh
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Irish Nationalist William McKillop Unopposed N/A N/A
Irish Nationalist gain from Healyite Nationalist Swing N/A
  • Death of McKillop
By-Election 5 November 1909: South Armagh
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Irish Nationalist Dr Charles O'Neill 3,160 66.00 N/A
Irish Unionist Richard B. Best 1,628 34.00 N/A
Majority 1,532 32.00 N/A
Turnout 7,024 68.17 N/A
Irish Nationalist hold Swing N/A
General Election 22 January 1910: South Armagh
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Irish Nationalist Dr Charles O'Neill Unopposed N/A N/A
Irish Nationalist hold Swing N/A
General Election 6 December 1910: South Armagh
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Irish Nationalist Dr Charles O'Neill 2,890 74.24 N/A
All-for-Ireland Stephen Hugh Moynagh 1,003 25.76 N/A
Majority 1,887 48.47 N/A
Turnout 6,810 57.17 N/A
Irish Nationalist hold Swing N/A
  • Death of O'Neill
By-Election 2 February 1918: South Armagh
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Irish Nationalist Patrick Donnelly 2,324 63.34 -10.90
Sinn Féin Patrick McCartan 1,305 35.57 +35.57
Independent Unionist Thomas Wakefield Richardson 40 1.09 +1.09
Majority 1,019 27.77 -20.70
Turnout 6,345 57.83 +0.66
Irish Nationalist hold Swing N/A
General Election 14 December 1918: South Armagh
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Irish Nationalist Patrick Donnelly 4,345 98.21 +34.87
Sinn Féin Dr James Thomas McKee 79 1.79 -33.78
Majority 4,266 96.43 +68.66
Turnout 15,905 27.82 -30.01
Irish Nationalist hold Swing +34.33
  • Butler Swing from Sinn Féin to Irish Nationalist

References

External links

See also