South Fermanagh (UK Parliament constituency)

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South Fermanagh
Former county constituency
for the House of Commons
County County Fermanagh
18851922
Seats1
Created from County Fermanagh
Replaced by Fermanagh and Tyrone

South Fermanagh was a parliament constituency in Ireland which returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom on the electoral system of first past the post from 1885 to 1922.

Contents

Politics

The constituency was a nationalist inclined one, but with a significant unionist minority. The Irish Parliamentary Party held the seat from 1885 to 1918.

At the 1918 general election, Sinn Féin had a limited electoral pact in Ulster with the Nationalists to avoid splitting the vote in seats Unionists might win. In South Monaghan, Sinn Féin benefited from the pact, as nationalists were advised to vote for Seán O'Mahony rather than their own candidate (the incumbent MP). [1] O'Mahony was a prisoner interned in Lincoln Jail at the time of the election. He was the only Sinn Féin candidate elected in the six counties that became Northern Ireland who was not also returned for a seat in the rest of Ireland. After his release in 1919, he served in the Dáil Éireann.

History and boundaries

From 1801 to 1885, County Fermanagh returned two MPs to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom sitting at the Palace of Westminster, with separate representation for the parliamentary borough of Enniskillen. Under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, the parliamentary county was divided into the divisions of North Fermanagh and South Fermanagh. Enniskillen ceased to exist as a parliamentary borough. [2]

South Fermanagh was defined as: [3]

In County Fermanagh, the baronies of Clanawley, Clankelly, Coole, Knockninny, and Magherastephana.

It was not affected by the Redistribution of Seats (Ireland) Act 1918. [4] At the 1918 general election, Sinn Féin contested on an election manifesto with an abstentionist pledge that instead of taking its seats at Westminster, it would establish an assembly in Dublin. All MPs elected to Irish seats were invited to participate in the First Dáil convened in January 1919, but no members outside of Sinn Féin did so. [5]

The Government of Ireland Act 1920 established the Parliament of Northern Ireland, which came into operation in 1921. The representation of Northern Ireland at Westminster was reduced from 30 MPs to 13 MPs, taking effect at the 1922 United Kingdom general election. At Westminster, North Fermanagh, South Fermanagh, North-East Tyrone, North-West Tyrone and South Tyrone were combined to form the two-seat county constituency of Fermanagh and Tyrone. [6] An eight-seat constituency of Fermanagh and Tyrone was created for the House of Commons of Northern Ireland, which formed the basis in republican theory for representation in the Second Dáil. [7] [8]

Members of Parliament

ElectionMPParty
1885 Henry Campbell [a] Irish National League
1886
1892 Patrick McGilligan Irish National Federation
1895 Jeremiah Jordan Irish National Federation
1900 Irish Parliamentary
1906
Jan 1910
Dec 1910 Patrick Crumley Irish Parliamentary
1918 Seán O'Mahony Sinn Féin
1922 Constituency abolished; see Fermanagh and Tyrone
  1. Campbell remained with the Parnellite Irish National League on the split of the Irish Parliamentary Party in 1891. He retired at the 1892 election.

Elections

Elections in the 1880s

1885 general election: South Fermanagh [9]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Irish Parliamentary Henry Campbell 3,574 62.1
Irish Conservative Frank Brooke2,18137.9
Majority 1,39324.2
Turnout 5,75584.0
Registered electors 6,855
Irish Parliamentary win (new seat)
1886 general election: South Fermanagh [9]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Irish Parliamentary Henry Campbell 3,553 60.5 1.6
Irish Conservative Frank Brooke2,32039.5+1.6
Majority 1,23321.03.2
Turnout 5,87385.7+1.7
Registered electors 6,855
Irish Parliamentary hold Swing 1.6

Elections in the 1890s

1892 general election: South Fermanagh [9]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Irish National Federation Patrick McGilligan 2,941 55.9 4.6
Liberal Unionist Arthur St George Patton2,32044.1+4.6
Majority 62111.89.2
Turnout 5,26190.9+5.2
Registered electors 5,788
Irish National Federation gain from Irish Parliamentary Swing 4.6
1895 general election: South Fermanagh [9]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Irish National Federation Jeremiah Jordan 2,792 57.1 +1.2
Irish Unionist Arthur Douglas Brooke2,09642.91.2
Majority 69614.2+2.4
Turnout 4,88888.62.3
Registered electors 5,519
Irish National Federation hold Swing +1.2

Elections in the 1900s

1900 general election: South Fermanagh [9]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Irish Parliamentary Jeremiah Jordan 2,753 58.1 +1.0
Irish Unionist Thomas Stephenson Francis Battersby1,98241.91.0
Majority 77116.2+2.0
Turnout 4,73584.24.4
Registered electors 5,622
Irish Parliamentary hold Swing +1.0
1906 general election: South Fermanagh [9]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Irish Parliamentary Jeremiah Jordan Unopposed
Irish Parliamentary hold

Elections in the 1910s

January 1910 general election: South Fermanagh [9]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Irish Parliamentary Jeremiah Jordan 2,693 56.2 N/A
Irish Unionist Thomas Stephenson Francis Battersby2,09843.8New
Majority 59512.4N/A
Turnout 4,79190.1N/A
Registered electors 5,317
Irish Parliamentary hold Swing
December 1910 general election: South Fermanagh [9]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Irish Parliamentary Patrick Crumley Unopposed
Irish Parliamentary hold
1918 general election (14 December 1918): South Fermanagh [9]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Sinn Féin Seán O'Mahony 6,673 58.9 New
Irish Unionist James Cooper4,52439.9New
Irish Parliamentary Patrick Crumley1321.2N/A
Majority 2,14919.0N/A
Turnout 11,32981.1N/A
Registered electors 13,962
Sinn Féin gain from Irish Parliamentary Swing N/A

Sources

References

  1. Whyte, Nicholas (25 March 2006) [19 December 2000]. "The Irish General Election of 1918". ARK. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
  2. "Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 (48 & 49 Vict. c. 23), s. 2 and First Schedule" (PDF). legislation.gov.uk .
  3. "Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 (48 & 49 Vict. c. 23), s. 8 and Seventh Schedule, Part III" (PDF). legislation.gov.uk .
  4. "Redistribution of Seats (Ireland) Act 1918 (7 & 8 Geo. 5. c. 65)" (PDF). legislation.gov.uk .
  5. "3. An Rolla". Dáil Debates (in Irish). F (1). Houses of the Oireachtas. 21 January 1919. Retrieved 6 September 2025.
  6. "Government of Ireland Act 1920: Fifth Schedule, Part II: Constituencies in Northern Ireland" (PDF). legislation.gov.uk . The National Archives.
  7. "President's Statement. - Elections". Dáil Debates. F (21). Houses of the Oireachtas. 10 May 1921.
  8. "Appendix 19: Dáil Éireann: Extract from Minutes of Meeting on 16th August 1921: Copy of Roll". Dáil Debates. T (17). Houses of the Oireachtas.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Walker, B.M., ed. (1978). Parliamentary Election Results in Ireland, 1801-1922. Dublin: Royal Irish Academy. pp. 350, 390. ISBN   0901714127.