South Armagh (UK Parliament constituency)

UK former constituency infobox
Name = South Armagh
Type = County
Year = 1885
Abolition = 1922
members = One

South Armagh was a former UK Parliament constituency in Ireland.

Boundaries and Boundary Changes

This constituency comprised the southern part of County Armagh.

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

It returned one Member of Parliament 1885-1922.

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

"Key to parties: APN Anti-Parnellite Nationalist, HN Healyite Nationalist, N Nationalist."

"Notes: Blaine became a Parnellite Nationalist in 1891."

Elections

"The elections in this constituency took place using the first past the post electoral system."

Election box begin
title=General Election 27 November 1885: South ArmaghElection box candidate with party link
party = Irish Parliamentary Party
candidate = Alexander Blaine
votes = Unopposed
percentage = "N/A"
change = "N/A"Election box gain with party link
winner = Irish Parliamentary Party
loser = new seat
swing = "N/A"

Election box begin
title=General Election 7 July 1886: South ArmaghElection box candidate with party link
party = Irish Parliamentary Party
candidate = Alexander Blaine
votes = Unopposed
percentage = "N/A"
change = "N/A"Election box hold with party link
winner = Irish Parliamentary Party
swing = "N/A"

Election box endElection box begin
title=General Election 8 July 1892: South ArmaghElection box candidate with party link
party = Irish National Federation
candidate = Edward McHugh
votes = 3,439
percentage = 59.91
change = "N/A"Election box candidate with party link
party = Irish Unionist Party
candidate = Caesar Litton Falkiner
votes = 2,242
percentage = 39.06
change = "N/A"Election box candidate with party link
party = National League (Ireland, 1882)
candidate = Alexander Blaine
votes = 59
percentage = 1.03
change = "N/A"Election box majority
votes = 1,197
percentage = 20.85
change = "N/A"Election box turnout
votes = 7,523
percentage = 76.30
change = "N/A"Election box gain with party link
winner = Irish National Federation
loser = National League (Ireland, 1882)
swing = "N/A"

Election box begin
title=General Election 25 July 1895: South ArmaghElection box candidate with party link
party = Irish National Federation
candidate = Edward McHugh
votes = 3,378
percentage = 62.87
change = +2.96Election box candidate with party link
party = Irish Unionist Party
candidate = Walter McMurrough Kavanagh
votes = 1,995
percentage = 37.13
change = -1.93Election box majority
votes = 1,383
percentage = 25.74
change = +4.89Election box turnout
votes = 7,254
percentage = 74.07
change = -2.23Election box hold with party link
winner = Irish National Federation
swing = +2.49Election box end

*"Butler Swing from Irish Unionist to Anti-Parnellite Nationalist"

*"Seat vacant on dissolution due to the death of McHugh"

Election box begin
title=General Election 9 October 1900: South ArmaghElection box candidate with party link
party = Healyite Nationalist
candidate = John Campbell
votes = 1,646
percentage = 56.62
change = +56.62Election box candidate with party link
party = Irish Parliamentary Party
candidate = Dr Charles O'Neill
votes = 1,261
percentage = 43.38
change = +43.38Election box majority
votes = 385
percentage = 13.24
change = "N/A"Election box turnout
votes = 7,152
percentage = 40.65
change = -33.42Election box gain with party link
winner = Healyite Nationalist
loser = Irish National Federation
swing = "N/A"

Election box begin
title=General Election 19 January 1906: South ArmaghElection box candidate with party link
party = Irish Parliamentary Party
candidate = William McKillop
votes = Unopposed
percentage = "N/A"
change = "N/A"Election box gain with party link
winner = Irish Parliamentary Party
loser = Healyite Nationalist
swing = "N/A"

*"Death of McKillop"

Election box begin
title=By-Election 5 November 1909: South ArmaghElection box candidate with party link
party = Irish Parliamentary Party
candidate = Dr Charles O'Neill
votes = 3,160
percentage = 66.00
change = "N/A"Election box candidate with party link
party = Irish Unionist Party
candidate = Richard B. Best
votes = 1,628
percentage = 34.00
change = "N/A"Election box majority
votes = 1,532
percentage = 32.00
change = "N/A"Election box turnout
votes = 7,024
percentage = 68.17
change = "N/A"Election box hold with party link
winner = Irish Parliamentary Party
swing = "N/A"

Election box begin
title=General Election 22 January 1910: South ArmaghElection box candidate with party link
party = Irish Parliamentary Party
candidate = Dr Charles O'Neill
votes = Unopposed
percentage = "N/A"
change = "N/A"Election box hold with party link
winner = Irish Parliamentary Party
swing = "N/A"

Election box begin
title=General Election 6 December 1910: South ArmaghElection box candidate with party link
party = Irish Parliamentary Party
candidate = Dr Charles O'Neill
votes = 2,890
percentage = 74.24
change = "N/A"Election box candidate with party link
party = All-for-Ireland League
candidate = Stephen Hugh Moynagh
votes = 1,003
percentage = 25.76
change = "N/A"Election box majority
votes = 1,887
percentage = 48.47
change = "N/A"Election box turnout
votes = 6,810
percentage = 57.17
change = "N/A"Election box hold with party link
winner = Irish Parliamentary Party
swing = "N/A"

*"Death of O'Neill"

Election box begin
title=By-Election 2 February 1918: South ArmaghElection box candidate with party link
party = Irish Parliamentary Party
candidate = Patrick Donnelly
votes = 2,324
percentage = 63.34
change = -10.90Election box candidate with party link
party = Sinn Féin
candidate = Patrick McCartan
votes = 1,305
percentage = 35.57
change = +35.57Election box candidate with party link
party = Independent Unionist
candidate = Thomas Wakefield Richardson
votes = 40
percentage = 1.09
change = +1.09Election box majority
votes = 1,019
percentage = 27.77
change = -20.70Election box turnout
votes = 6,345
percentage = 57.83
change = +0.66Election box hold with party link
winner = Irish Parliamentary Party
swing = "N/A"

Election box begin
title=General Election 14 December 1918: South ArmaghElection box candidate with party link
party = Irish Parliamentary Party
candidate = Patrick Donnelly
votes = 4,345
percentage = 98.21
change = +34.87Election box candidate with party link
party = Sinn Féin
candidate = Dr James Thomas McKee
votes = 79
percentage = 1.79
change = -33.78Election box majority
votes = 4,266
percentage = 96.43
change = +68.66Election box turnout
votes = 15,905
percentage = 27.82
change = -30.01Election box hold with party link
winner = Irish Parliamentary Party
swing = +34.33

*"Butler Swing from Sinn Féin to Irish Nationalist"

References

*"Parliamentary Election Results in Ireland, 1801-1922", edited by B.M. Walker (Royal Irish Academy 1978)
*"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)

External links

* http://www.oireachtas.ie/members-hist/default.asp?housetype=0
* http://historical-debates.oireachtas.ie/en.toc.dail.html

ee 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