North Fermanagh (UK Parliament constituency)

North Fermanagh
Former County constituency
for the House of Commons
1885 (1885)–1922 (1922)
Number of members	One
Replaced by	Enniskillen and Fermanagh and Tyrone
Created from	Fermanagh

North Fermanagh was a UK Parliament constituency in Ireland.

Boundaries and Boundary Changes

This county constituency comprised the northern part of County Fermanagh.

It returned one Member of Parliament 1885–1922.

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

Key to parties: N Nationalist; U Irish Unionist 1886–1921 and Ulster Unionist 1921–1922.

From	To	Name (Party)	Born	Died
1885	1892	William Hoey Kearney Redmond (N)
1892	1898	Richard Martin Dane (U)
1898	1903	Edward Archdale (U)
1903	1906	Edward Mitchell (Russellite Unionist)
1906	1916	Godfrey Fetherstonhaugh (U)
1916	1922	Edward Archdale (U)	1853	2 November 1943

Elections

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

General Election 14 December 1918: North Fermanagh
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Irish Unionist	Edward Archdale	6,768		N/A
	Sinn Féin	Kevin Roantree O'Shiel	6,236		N/A
Majority			532		N/A
Turnout			14,496		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)
• 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