East Kerry (UK Parliament constituency)
| East Kerry | |
|---|---|
| Former county constituency for the House of Commons | |
| 1885–1922 | |
| Seats | One |
| Created from | County Kerry |
East Kerry was a UK Parliament constituency in Ireland, returning one Member of Parliament 1885–1922.
Prior to the United Kingdom general election, 1885 the area was part of the Kerry constituency. Following the Anglo-Irish Treaty and the formation of the Irish Free State in 1922, the area was no longer represented in the UK Parliament, as it was no longer part of the UK. The successor constituency in the new Dáil Éireann was Kerry–Limerick West first established under the Government of Ireland Act 1920 to elect members to the House of Commons of Southern Ireland in 1921.
Boundaries
This constituency comprised the eastern part of County Kerry.
Members of Parliament
Notes
- ^ a b At the 1895 general election, Michael Davitt was also elected for South Mayo, and chose to sit for that seat. The East Kerry seat remained vacant until a by-election was held on 27 March 1896
- ^ Eugene O'Sullivan was elected as an Independent Nationalist but two days after beating the IPP John Murphy, he announced that he would join the IPP.[2]
- ^ After the general election in January 1910, John Murphy launched an election petition, alleging intimidation and irregularities at the election. The petition was heard in June 1910, at Killarney before Mr. Justices Madden and Kenny. After 7 days of hearings the judges found for Murphy, and O'Sullivan was unseated.[3] However, the Irish Parliamentary Party failed to move the writ for a by-election, and the seat remained vacant until the December 1910 general election.[4]
Elections
1885
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | C H de G Robertson | 30 | 1.0 | ||
| Irish Parliamentary | Jeremiah Daniel Sheehan | 3,069 | 99.0 | ||
| Majority | 3,039 | 98.1 | |||
| Turnout | |||||
| Irish Parliamentary hold | Swing | ||||
This remains the largest majority by percentage of the vote in any contested UK Parliamentary election.
1886
Sheehan (Nationalist) was returned unopposed.
1892
Sheehan was returned again with a large majority over his opponent, Captain John McGillycuddy:
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Irish National Federation | Jeremiah Daniel Sheehan | 2,600 | 91.1 | −7.0 | |
| Irish Unionist | Capt John McGillycuddy | 253 | 8.8 | 7.8 | |
| Majority | 2,347 | 82.2 | −15.9 | ||
| Turnout | |||||
| Irish National Federation hold | Swing | ||||
1895
Michael Davitt (Irish National Federation) was returned unopposed, but he also stood unopposed in South Mayo. He took up the South Mayo seat and Kerry East remained vacant until the by-election the following year.
1896
James Roche (Irish National Federation) was returned but with fewer votes than his Nationalist predecessors. It was thought he lost some support because as a divorced man he was less popular with the Catholic vote.[5]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Irish National Federation | The Hon James Roche, 3rd Baron Fermoy | 1,961 | 74.3 | −16.8 | |
| Irish Unionist | Capt John McGillycuddy | 680 | 25.7 | 16.9 | |
| Majority | 1,281 | 48.5 | −33.7 | ||
| Turnout | |||||
| Irish National Federation hold | Swing | ||||
1900
John Murphy (Irish Parliamentary Party) was returned unopposed.
1906
In a closely fought contest between two nationalist factions, Murphy was returned by a narrow margin:
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ind. Nationalist | Eugene O'Sullivan | 2,131 | 49.4 | 49.4 | |
| Irish Parliamentary | John Murphy | 2,185 | 50.6 | −49.4 | |
| Majority | 54 | 1.3 | −47.2 | ||
| Turnout | |||||
| Irish Parliamentary hold | Swing | ||||
January 1910
The incumbent Murphy (Official Nationalist) was beaten by Independent candidate, Eugene O'Sullivan, who was a follower of William O'Brien's All-for-Ireland League. Shortly after being elected, O'Sullivan re-joined the official Nationalists, but Murphy petitioned the courts claiming that the vote had been rigged and that O'Sullivan had only won through violence and intimidation. The court cleared O'Sullivan of vote rigging but found him guilty of intimidation.[7] The election was declared void, unseating O'Sullivan and creating a vacancy.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ind. Nationalist | Eugene O'Sullivan | 2,643 | 55.1 | 5.7 | |
| Irish Parliamentary | John Murphy | 2,154 | 44.9 | −5.7 | |
| Majority | 489 | 10.2 | 8.9 | ||
| Turnout | |||||
| Ind. Nationalist gain from Irish Parliamentary | Swing | ||||
December 1910
Eugene O'Sullivan's cousin, Timothy O'Sullivan, stood for the Nationalists. The Independent Nationalist All-for-Ireland candidate, Patrick Guiney, contested both this seat and North Cork. Although he lost in East Kerry, he was elected unopposed in North Cork, so both candidates became Members of Parliament, albeit for different constituencies. As earlier in the year, the election was marred by election violence, which included a riot at Castleisland.[8]
- O'Sullivan (Official Nationalist)
- Guiney (Independent Nationalist)
-Majority: 1253
1918
Beasley (Sinn Féin) was returned unopposed. In accordance with his party's policy, he declined to take his seat in the British House of Commons, sitting instead in the Irish revolutionary assembly, Dáil Éireann.
References
- ^ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "K" (part 1)
- ^ The Times (London), Friday, January 28, 1910 p. 7 col. E
- ^ The Times, 30 June, 1910
- ^ The Times, 21 November, 1910
- ^ The Times (London) Friday, 27 March 1896, p. 7 col. F
- ^ The Constitutional Year Book, 1904, published by Conservative Central Office, page 190 (214 in web page)
- ^ The Times (London), Wednesday 22 June 1910, p. 10 col. B
- ^ The Times (London), Thursday, 15 December 1910; p. 6 col. D