North Fermanagh (UK Parliament constituency)

North Fermanagh
North Fermanagh
Former county constituency ; for the House of Commons
1885–1922
Seats	1
Created from	Fermanagh
Replaced by	Enniskillen and Fermanagh and Tyrone

Last updated March 11, 2024

North Fermanagh was a UK Parliament constituency in Ireland which returned one Member of Parliament from 1885 to 1922, using the first past the post electoral system.

Boundaries and Boundary Changes

This county constituency comprised the northern part of County Fermanagh. The seat was defined under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 as comprising the baronies of Lurg, Magheraboy, and Tirkenny. The seat was unchanged under the Redistribution of Seats (Ireland) Act 1918.

Prior to the 1885 United Kingdom general election 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 fewer 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

Election		Member	Party
	1885	Willie Redmond	Nationalist
	1892	Richard Dane	Irish Unionist
	1898(b)	Edward Archdale	Irish Unionist
	1903(b)	Edward Mitchell	Russellite Unionist
	1906	Godfrey Fetherstonhaugh	Irish Unionist
	1916(b)	Edward Archdale	Irish Unionist
	1921	Edward Archdale	Ulster Unionist
1922		constituency abolished

Elections

Elections in the 1880s

1885 general election: North Fermanagh^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Irish Parliamentary	Willie Redmond	3,255	53.6
	Irish Conservative	John Caldwell Bloomfield	2,822	46.4
Majority			433	7.2
Turnout			6,077	90.9
Registered electors			6,687
	Irish Parliamentary win (new seat)

1886 general election: North Fermanagh^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Irish Parliamentary	Willie Redmond	3,128	52.2	−1.4
	Irish Conservative	William Humphrys Archdale	2,862	47.8	+1.4
Majority			266	4.4	−2.8
Turnout			5,990	89.6	−1.3
Registered electors			6,687
	Irish Parliamentary hold		Swing	−1.4

Elections in the 1890s

1892 general election: North Fermanagh^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Irish Unionist	Richard Dane	2,879	52.9	+5.1
	Irish National Federation	Jeremiah Jordan	2,562	47.1	−5.1
Majority			317	5.8	N/A
Turnout			5,441	91.6	+2.0
Registered electors			5,937
	Irish Unionist gain from Irish Parliamentary		Swing	+5.1

1895 general election: North Fermanagh^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Irish Unionist	Richard Dane	2,782	53.6	+0.7
	Independent Liberal	George Reginald Leeper	2,406	46.4	New
Majority			376	7.2	+1.4
Turnout			5,188	92.1	+0.5
Registered electors			5,632
	Irish Unionist hold		Swing

By-election, 1898: North Fermanagh^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Irish Unionist	Edward Archdale	2,568	55.1	+1.5
	Ind. Unionist	Edward Charles Thompson	2,091	44.9	New
Majority			477	10.2	+3.0
Turnout			4,659	81.2	−10.9
Registered electors			5,735
	Irish Unionist hold		Swing

Elections in the 1900s

1900 general election: North Fermanagh^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Irish Unionist	Edward Archdale	Unopposed
	Irish Unionist hold

By-election, 1903: North Fermanagh^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Russellite Unionist	Edward Mitchell	2,407	51.6	*New*
	Irish Unionist	James Craig	2,255	48.4	N/A
Majority			152	3.2	N/A
Turnout			4,662	89.4	N/A
Registered electors			5,213
	Russellite Unionist gain from Irish Unionist		Swing	N/A

1906 general election: North Fermanagh^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Irish Unionist	Godfrey Fetherstonhaugh	2,419	50.9	*N/A*
	Russellite Unionist	Edward Mitchell	2,331	49.1	N/A
Majority			88	1.8	N/A
Turnout			4,750	93.4	N/A
Registered electors			5,083
	Irish Unionist gain from Russellite Unionist		Swing	N/A

Elections in the 1910s

January 1910 general election: North Fermanagh^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Irish Unionist	Godfrey Fetherstonhaugh	2,474	53.8	+2.9
	Liberal	Samuel Peter Kerr	2,124	46.2	New
Majority			350	7.6	+5.8
Turnout			4,598	93.9	+0.5
Registered electors			4,895
	Irish Unionist hold		Swing

December 1910 general election: North Fermanagh^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Irish Unionist	Godfrey Fetherstonhaugh	2,402	53.9	+0.1
	Liberal	Arthur Percival Tod Collum	2,055	46.1	−0.1
Majority			347	7.8	+0.2
Turnout			4,457	91.1	−2.8
Registered electors			4,895
	Irish Unionist hold		Swing	+0.1

By-election, 1916: North Fermanagh^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Irish Unionist	Edward Archdale	Unopposed
	Irish Unionist hold

General Election 14 December 1918: North Fermanagh
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Irish Unionist	Edward Archdale	6,768	52.0	−1.9
	Sinn Féin	Kevin O'Shiel	6,236	47.9	New
Majority			532	4.1	−3.7
Turnout			13,004	89.7	−1.4
Registered electors			14,496
	Irish Unionist hold		Swing

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References

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Walker, B.M., ed. (1978). Parliamentary Election Results in Ireland, 1801-1922. Dublin: Royal Irish Academy. pp. 349, 390. ISBN 0901714127.

Walker, Brian M., ed. (1978). Parliamentary Election Results in Ireland, 1801–1922. Dublin: Royal Irish Academy. ISBN 0901714127.
Debrett's Guide to the House of Commons and Judicial Bench, 1918
Stenton, M.; Lees, S., eds. (1978). Who's Who of British members of parliament: Volume II 1886–1918. The Harvester Press.
Stenton, M.; Lees, S., eds. (1979). 'Who's Who of British members of parliament: Volume III 1919–1945. The Harvester Press.
Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "F"

External links

https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/members/