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1920 Cork Corporation election

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Elections to the Cork Corporation took place on Thursday 15 January 1920 as part of that year's Irish local elections.[1]

Campaign

The Labour vote was split between the Cork and District Labour Council and the more militant Irish Transport and General Workers' Union (ITGWU); the latter formed an electoral alliance with Sinn Féin, whose MPs elected in December 1918 had proclaimed an Irish Republic in January 1919. Polling day was marred by scenes of violence between supporters of Sinn Féin and ex-servicemen.[2]

Results by party

Party Candidates Seats ± First Pref. votes FPv% ±%
Sinn Féin–ITGWU[3] 54 30 Increase
Irish Nationalist 33 14 Decrease
Cork Ratepayers' Association 22 4
Cork and District Labour Council 12 3 Increase
Ex-Soldiers & Sailors 2
Independent 37 3
Totals 160 56 100%

Results by electoral area

The Local Government (Ireland) Act 1919 introduced the single transferable vote, so the seven wards used in previous council elections were revised into seven borough electoral areas (BEAs). Four inner wards were merged into one BEA, two outer wards were split into two and three BEAs, and one was retained as a BEA.[4] The first two candidates elected in each area would be styled "alderman", the rest "councillor".[5]

Central

37 candidates. Wards: Centre, North Centre, South Centre, and West.

Central: 10 seats[6]
Party Candidate FPv% Count
1
Sinn Féin J. J. Walsh MP[n 1]
Ratepayers Richard Beamish[n 2]
Irish Nationalist Daniel Gamble[n 3]
Sinn Féin Terence MacSwiney MP
Sinn Féin Prof Alfred O'Rahilly
Irish Nationalist Thomas Stack[n 2]
Ratepayers William Desmond[n 3][n 4]
Labour Council Jeremiah Kelleher[n 5]
Sinn Féin John Fitzpatrick
Irish Nationalist William F. O'Connor[n 6][n 4]
Irish Nationalist R. H. Tilson[n 3]
Irish Nationalist Cornelius Desmond[n 3]
Irish Nationalist John Dunlea[n 3]
Irish Nationalist Denis Cullinane[n 3]
Irish Nationalist Denis Buckley[n 3][n 4]
Irish Nationalist John Murphy[n 3]
Sinn Féin Richard Hawkins
Sinn Féin John Jennings
Sinn Féin Francis Keogh
Sinn Féin Cornelius O'Donovan[n 7]
Sinn Féin Timothy Francis O'Leary
Sinn Féin Denis O'Neill
Ratepayers Daniel Williams[n 3][n 8]
Ratepayers T. H. G. Wallis
Ratepayers Daniel Humphreys
Labour Council John Hurley[n 9]
Independent William Hart[n 3]
Independent Jeremiah Lane[n 3]
Independent Patrick J. Bradley[n 3]
Independent Eugene Buckley
Independent John Callanan[n 3]
Independent Cornelius Curtin[n 10]
Independent John Hurley[n 9]
Independent John Hoare
Independent Mortimer Kelleher[n 11]
Independent Cornelius O'Donovan[n 7]
Independent Robert Joseph Warren
Quota:  

North-East

26 candidates

North-East: 10 seats[6]
Party Candidate FPv% Count
1
Sinn Féin William Stockley
Irish Nationalist James Daly
Sinn Féin Anne Sutton
Irish Nationalist Daniel Horgan[n 3][n 12]
Irish Nationalist Michael Joseph O'Riordan
Sinn Féin Robert Day
Ratepayers Sir John Scott
Ratepayers James Thomas Mulligan
Sinn Féin Seán O'Leary
Sinn Féin Seán French
Irish Nationalist Matthew Kenneally[n 3]
Irish Nationalist Cornelius Mullanny[n 2]
Sinn Féin Ed. Goggin
Sinn Féin Stephen Heffernan
Sinn Féin Paul O'Flynn
Ratepayers A. M. Cole, JP
Ratepayers Simon Spiro, JP
Ratepayers John Ronan
Ratepayers Clarence de Foubert
Ratepayers Daniel Williams[n 3][n 8]
Independent Patrick Clarke
Independent William Dalton
Independent Denis Mack[n 13]
Independent Maurice O'Carroll
Independent Robert Edwin Roberts
Independent Edward E. Whitaker
Quota:  

North-West No.1

23 candidates; covering Sunday's Well area

North-West No.1: 7 seats[7]
Party Candidate FPv% Count
1
Sinn Féin Frederick J. Murray
Sinn Féin Tadhg Barry[n 14]
Labour Council Patrick J. Murphy
Irish Nationalist William F. O'Connor[n 6][n 4]
Sinn Féin James Allen
Sinn Féin Thomas Daly
Independent Michael Joseph O'Callaghan
Irish Nationalist John Joseph Doherty
Irish Nationalist Patrick Keane
Irish Nationalist Patrick F. O'Sullivan[n 3][n 15]
Sinn Féin Patrick O'Sullivan[n 15]
Sinn Féin James Purcell
Sinn Féin James Walsh[n 1]
Ratepayers Thomas Andrews
Ratepayers R. A. Atkins
Ratepayers Henry Dawson
Labour Council John O'Connor
Independent Cornelius Curtin[n 10]
Independent Mortimer Kelleher[n 11]
Independent Daniel Lynch
Independent Laurence Prior
Independent John Roche
Independent James Walsh[n 1]
Quota: 306  

North-West No.2

13 candidates; covering Shandon area.

North-West No.2: 6 seats[7]
Party Candidate FPv% Count
1
Sinn Féin Edmond Coughlan
Sinn Féin Patrick Higgins
Irish Nationalist John Francis O'Sullivan[n 16]
Irish Nationalist Patrick F. O'Sullivan[n 3][n 15]
Sinn Féin Simon Daly
Ex-Soldiers & Sailors Timothy O'Neill
Irish Nationalist Daniel Horgan[n 3][n 12]
Irish Nationalist Patrick Stack[n 3]
Sinn Féin John Kelleher
Sinn Féin Henry Lorton
Sinn Féin John O'Keeffe
Ratepayers Michael D. Spillane[n 17]
Independent John Flynn
Independent Joseph Leonard
Quota: 306[9]  

North-West No.3

18 candidates; covering Blackpool area

North-West No. 3: 6 seats[6]
Party Candidate FPv% Count
1
Sinn Féin Tomás Mac Curtain
Sinn Féin Denis Lucey
Ex-Soldiers & Sailors Gerald Byrne[n 18]
Sinn Féin Mícheál Ó Cuill (Michael O'Quill)
Sinn Féin Thomas Patrick Forde
Labour Council Michael Egan[n 3]
Irish Nationalist Edward A. Lyons
Irish Nationalist Charles Whelan
Sinn Féin Timothy Gearan
Sinn Féin Bartholomew Quinlan
Ratepayers Michael D. Spillane[n 17]
Labour Council Cornelius Hobart
Labour Council Thomas Walsh
Independent Mortimer Kelleher[n 11]
Independent Denis Mack[n 13]
Independent John McAuley[n 3]
Independent Daniel O'Leary
Independent Michael O'Connell
Quota: 306[9]  

South No.1

30 candidates

South No. 1: 11 seats[7]
Party Candidate FPv% Count
1
Sinn Féin Charles Coughlan
Sinn Féin Seán O'Sullivan[n 16]
Ind. Nationalist John (Seán) Cronin[n 2][n 19]
Sinn Féin John (Seán) Good
Irish Nationalist John Horgan[n 3]
Sinn Féin Jeremiah Kelleher[n 5]
Irish Nationalist Simon Mahony[n 3]
Irish Nationalist William F. O'Connor[n 6][n 4]
Sinn Féin Liam (William) Russell[n 20]
Sinn Féin John F. Sheehan[n 21]
Sinn Féin Maurice Walsh
Irish Nationalist Jeremiah Ahern
Irish Nationalist David Murphy
Irish Nationalist Simon Mahony
Irish Nationalist James O'Connell[n 3]
Sinn Féin William Kenneally
Sinn Féin Michael Landy
Sinn Féin Michael Murphy
Sinn Féin Frank O'Neill
Ratepayers Robert Pulvertaft
Labour Council James Harty
Labour Council William Waldrock
Labour Council John Donovan
Independent Thomas Donovan
Independent Fred Howe
Independent Dr. E. Magner
Independent John O'Sullivan[n 16]
Independent William James Russell[n 20]
Independent John Sheehan[n 21]
Independent Daniel Sheehan
Quota: 306[9]  

South No.2

18 candidates

South No.2: 6 seats[7][10]
Party Candidate FPv% Count
1
Sinn Féin Liam de Róiste MP 697
Ind. Nationalist Sir Edward Fitzgerald, 1st baronet[n 2] 474
Sinn Féin Daniel Barry
Sinn Féin Stephen John O'Riordan
Irish Nationalist John Desmond
Irish Nationalist William Ellis[n 3]
Irish Nationalist John McCarthy
Sinn Féin Stephen Harrington
Sinn Féin Denis Hegarty
Sinn Féin P. Austin O'Riordan
Ratepayers Thomas Farrington
Ratepayers Thomas A. Callanan
Labour Council William Byrne
Labour Council Martin Hawkins
Ex-Soldiers & Sailors Gerald Byrne[n 18]
Ind. Nationalist John (Seán) Cronin[n 2][n 19]
Independent Joseph O'Brien
Independent Joseph Parfrey
Quota: 306[9]  

Subsequent changes

William F. O'Connor, having been returned in three BEAs, chose to represent North-West No.1, triggering by-elections in the other two BEAs on 10 March, both won by Sinn Féin candidates: Barry Egan defeated Jeremiah Lane in the Central ward, while Donal O'Callaghan was returned unopposed in South No.1. Ten subsequent by-elections returned: Joseph Hennessy, Madeline Hegarty, William Kenneally, Michael Moroney, Cornelius Neenan, Seán Nolan, Michael O'Donovan, Paul O'Flynn, James O'Riordan, and Jeremiah Walsh. Among the vacancies filled were several deaths related to the Irish War of Independence: Tomás Mac Curtain (assassinated by Royal Irish Constabulary members on 20 March 1920), his successor as Lord Mayor Terence MacSwiney (died on hunger strike on 25 October 1920), and Tadhg Barry (shot in Ballykinlar Camp, 15 November 1921).[11]

In 1924 the Cumann na nGaedheal government dissolved the city council for misgovernment, after which the corporation was administered by an unelected commissioner. The next Free State local elections, originally scheduled for 1923, were repeatedly postponed until 1925. The city council was excluded from the 1925 and 1928 local elections and not restored until 1929, reduced to 21 councillors, with the entire county borough forming a single 21-seat electoral area.[12]

References

Footnotes

  1. ^ a b c The two candidates in North-West No.1 BEA named James Walsh and the James Joseph Walsh in Central BEA were three different people.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Outgoing alderman
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z Outgoing councillor
  4. ^ a b c d e The following Nationalists in Centre BEA were also endorse by the Ratepayers: Denis Buckley, William F. O'Connor, and William Desmond.
  5. ^ a b Two different men named Jeremiah Kelleher were elected: a Labour candidate and outgoing alderman from Gillabbey Terrace in Central BEA, and a Sinn Féin candidate from Lough Road in South No.1 BEA.
  6. ^ a b c William F. O'Connor, the incumbent Lord Mayor, was returned in three electoral areas.
  7. ^ a b There were two candidates named Cornelius O'Donovan in Central BEA.
  8. ^ a b Daniel Williams ran in Central and North-East BEAs.
  9. ^ a b Two men named John Hurley ran in Central BEA.
  10. ^ a b Cornelius Curtin ran in Central and North-West No.1 BEAs.
  11. ^ a b c Mortimer Kelleher ran in Central, North-West No.1 and North-West No.3 BEAs.
  12. ^ a b Daniel Horgan ran in North-East and North-West No.2 BEAs.
  13. ^ a b Denis Mack ran in both North-East and North-West No.3 BEAs.
  14. ^ Tadhg Barry was a union official representing the ITGWU portion of the join ITGWU–Sinn Fein ticket.[8]
  15. ^ a b c Patrick F. O'Sullivan of Dominick Street ran in North-West No.1 and No.2 BEAs; Patrick O'Sullivan of St. Mary's Terrace, Fair Hill, ran in North-West No.1 BEA.
  16. ^ a b c Seán O'Sullivan, John Francis O'Sullivan and John O'Sullivan were different people.
  17. ^ a b Michael D. Spillane ran in North-West No.2 and No.3 BEAs.
  18. ^ a b Gerald Byrne ran in both North-West No.3 and South No.2 BEAs.
  19. ^ a b John (Seán) Cronin ran in South No.1 and No.2 BEAs.
  20. ^ a b William (Liam) Russell and William James Russell were different people.
  21. ^ a b John F. Sheehan and John Sheehan were different people.

Sources

  • McCabe, Conor (2010). "The Irish Labour Party and the 1920 local elections". Saothar. 35: 7–20. ISSN 0332-1169. JSTOR 23200073.
  • McCarthy, Kieran (2 January 2020). "Our City, Our Town: Remembering 1920: Preparing for local elections". Cork Independent. Archived from the original on 3 February 2020. Retrieved 3 February 2020.
  • McCarthy, Kieran (16 January 2020). "Our City, Our Town: Remembering 1920: The Newly Elected Corporation". Cork Independent. Archived from the original on 3 February 2020. Retrieved 3 February 2020.
  • Quinlivan, Aodh (26 January 2020). "Cork City Council Centenary: When Tomás MacCurtain was elected Lord Mayor of Cork". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
  • "Cork Municipal Elections: Candidates nominated". Cork Examiner. 6–7 January 1920. Retrieved 3 February 2020 – via Cork Genealogy.

Citations

  1. ^ "Municipal elections: Dublin Townships". Dublin Evening Telegraph. Dublin. 19 January 1920. pp. 1–3 – via britishnewspaperarchive.
  2. ^ "Municipal elections — Sinn Féin and Labour perform strongly as unionists falter". Century Ireland. RTÉ. 14 January 2020. Retrieved 3 February 2020.
  3. ^ McCabe 2010 p.12
  4. ^ "Table 6" (PDF). Census of Ireland 1926. Vol. I. p. 12.
  5. ^ Local Government Board for Ireland (1921). "Local Government (Ireland) Act, 1919: Elections". Annual report for the year ended 31st March 1920. Command papers. Vol. Cmd.1432. Dublin: HMSO. pp. i–xi, Appendix p.1.
  6. ^ a b c "Dublin Evening Telegraph". britishnewspaperarchive. Dublin. 19 January 1920.[page needed]
  7. ^ a b c d "Dublin Evening Telegraph". britishnewspaperarchive. Dublin. 17 January 1920.[page needed]
  8. ^ McCabe 2010 p.20 fn.57
  9. ^ a b c d Mulcahy, Richard (28 June 1928). "Cork City Management Bill, 1928—Second Stage". Dáil Éireann (6th Dáil) debates. Houses of the Oireachtas. Retrieved 3 February 2020. In the 1920 election 46 out of the 56 members were elected with a quota of 306—that is, 46 of the 56 members required only 306 votes to elect them.
  10. ^ "Irish Independent". britishnewspaperarchive. Dublin. 17 January 1920.[page needed]
  11. ^ Ó Drisceoil, Donal (January 2008). "Labour lives: Tadgh Barry (1885-1921)". Saothar: Journal of Irish Labour History. 33: 89–92. hdl:10468/3035.
  12. ^ Moran, John (1972). "Local Elections in Cork City (1929-1967)". Journal of the Cork Historical and Archaeological Society: 124–125. Retrieved 15 September 2018.