West Cork, a division of County Cork, was a parliamentary constituency in Ireland, represented in the Parliament of the United Kingdom. From 1885 to 1922 it returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.
| West Cork | |
|---|---|
| Former county constituency for the House of Commons | |
| 1885–1922 | |
| Seats | 1 |
| Created from | County Cork |
| Replaced by | Cork Mid, North, South, South East and West |
Until the 1885 general election the area was part of the County Cork constituency. From 1922, on the establishment of the Irish Free State, it was not represented in the Parliament of the United Kingdom.
Boundaries
editThis constituency comprised the baronies of Bantry, Bear and West Carbery (West Division) and that part of the barony of West Carbery (East Division) consisting of the parishes of Aghadown, Clear Island, Creagh (except the townlands of Gortnaclohy and Smorane), and Tullagh.[1]
Members of Parliament
edit| Election | Member | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1885 | James Gilhooly | Irish Parliamentary Party | |
| 1891 | Irish National Federation | ||
| 1900 | Irish Parliamentary Party | ||
| 1910 | All-for-Ireland League | ||
| 1916 by-election | Daniel O'Leary | Irish Parliamentary Party | |
| 1918 | Seán Hayes | Sinn Féin | |
| 1922 | Constituency abolished | ||
Elections
editElections in the 1880s
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Irish Parliamentary | James Gilhooly | 3,920 | 91.3 | ||
| Irish Conservative | John Warren Payne | 373 | 8.7 | ||
| Majority | 3,547 | 82.6 | |||
| Turnout | 4,293 | 70.1 | |||
| Registered electors | 6,124 | ||||
| Irish Parliamentary win (new seat) | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Irish Parliamentary | James Gilhooly | Unopposed | |||
| Irish Parliamentary hold | |||||
Elections in the 1890s
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Irish National Federation | James Gilhooly | 3,155 | 90.6 | N/A | |
| Irish Unionist | Somers Payne | 329 | 9.4 | New | |
| Majority | 2,826 | 81.2 | N/A | ||
| Turnout | 3,484 | 59.5 | N/A | ||
| Registered electors | 5,854 | ||||
| Irish National Federation gain from Irish Parliamentary | Swing | N/A | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Irish National Federation | James Gilhooly | Unopposed | |||
| Irish National Federation hold | |||||
Elections in the 1900s
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Irish Parliamentary | James Gilhooly | Unopposed | |||
| Irish Parliamentary hold | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Irish Parliamentary | James Gilhooly | Unopposed | |||
| Irish Parliamentary hold | |||||
Elections in the 1910s
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All-for-Ireland | James Gilhooly | 2,155 | 60.9 | N/A | |
| Irish Parliamentary | Daniel O'Leary | 1,382 | 39.1 | N/A | |
| Majority | 773 | 21.8 | N/A | ||
| Turnout | 3,537 | 61.8 | N/A | ||
| Registered electors | 5,727 | ||||
| All-for-Ireland gain from Irish Parliamentary | Swing | N/A | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All-for-Ireland | James Gilhooly | 2,218 | 53.1 | −7.8 | |
| Irish Parliamentary | Daniel O'Leary | 1,959 | 46.9 | +7.8 | |
| Majority | 259 | 6.2 | −15.6 | ||
| Turnout | 4,177 | 72.9 | +11.1 | ||
| Registered electors | 5,727 | ||||
| All-for-Ireland hold | Swing | −7.8 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Irish Parliamentary | Daniel O'Leary[a] | 1,866 | 46.8 | −0.1 | |
| All-for-Ireland | Frank Healy[b] | 1,750 | 43.9 | −9.2 | |
| Independent All-for-Ireland League | Michael Birchmans Slipsey[c] | 370 | 9.3 | N/A | |
| Majority | 116 | 2.9 | N/A | ||
| Turnout | 3,986 | 71.4 | −1.5 | ||
| Registered electors | 5,582 | ||||
| Irish Parliamentary gain from All-for-Ireland | Swing | +4.6 | |||
- Notes
- ^ O'Leary had pledged to join the Irish Parliamentary Party and was a supporter of John Redmond. However, the United Irish League had withheld approval of his candidacy.
- ^ Healy was imprisoned in Frongoch internment camp for supposedly being associated with Sinn Féin, but Sinn Féin repudiated his candidacy for not revoking to take his seat at Westminster, instead he had been supported by William O'Brien, who was leader of the All-for-Ireland League.
- ^ Slipsey was a local member of the All-for-Ireland League who stood in protest against William O'Brien's adoption of an unofficial candidate.[3]
The 1916 by-election, which contrasted so obviously with Gilhooly's long tenure of the seat, was viewed as a farce by Unionist opinion.[4]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sinn Féin | Séan Hayes | Unopposed | |||
| Sinn Féin gain from All-for-Ireland | |||||
Notes
edit- ^ "Debrett's House of Commons". 1867.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Walker, B.M., ed. (1978). Parliamentary Election Results in Ireland, 1801-1922. Dublin: Royal Irish Academy. pp. 338, 386. ISBN 0901714127.
- ^ A bitter by-election in 1916: West Cork pivotal point in transition to new era; Southern Star Centenary Edition – 1889–1989
Article pp 89–90 by George D. Kelleher, Inniscarra, co. Cork - ^ West Cork Election. Candidates And Sinn Féin Prisoners. In: The Times (London), Tuesday, November 14, 1916 p. 5 col. C
Sources
edit- Tony Williams, House of Commons Information Office
- Walker, Brian M., ed. (1978). Parliamentary Election Results in Ireland, 1801–1922. Royal Irish Academy.
- Michael Stenton and Stephen Lees, Who's Who in British Members of Parliament 1919-1945 p. 156 (Hayes)
- Michael Stenton and Stephen Lees, Who's Who in British Members of Parliament 1886-1918 p. 136 (Gilhooley), p. 273 (O'Leary)
- Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "C" (part 5)