South Fermanagh (UK Parliament constituency)

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

Last updated February 09, 2023

South Fermanagh was a UK Parliament constituency in Ireland.

Boundaries and Boundary Changes

This county constituency comprised the southern part of County Fermanagh. The seat was defined under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 as comprising the baronies of Clanawley, Clankelly, Coole, Knockninny, and Magherastephana. The seat was unchanged under the Redistribution of Seats (Ireland) Act 1918.

It returned one Member of Parliament 1885–1922.

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

In 1918 Sinn Féin had a limited electoral pact with the Nationalists to avoid seriously splitting the vote in seats Unionists might win. In this constituency Sinn Féin benefited from the pact, as nationalists were advised to vote for John O'Mahoney (otherwise known as Seán O'Mahony) rather than their own candidate (the incumbent MP).

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 being released in 1919 he did not take his seat in the UK Parliament but served in the First Dáil instead.

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

	Member	Party
1885	Henry Campbell	Irish Parliamentary
1892	Patrick McGilligan	Irish National Federation
1895	Jeremiah Jordan	Irish National Federation
1900	Jeremiah Jordan	Irish Parliamentary
1910, December	Patrick Crumley	Irish Parliamentary
1918	Seán O'Mahony	Sinn Féin

Elections

The elections in this constituency took place using the first past the post electoral system.

Elections in the 1880s

1885 general election: South Fermanagh^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Irish Parliamentary	Henry Campbell	3,574	62.1
	Conservative	Frank Brooke	2,181	37.9
Majority			1,393	24.2
Turnout			5,755	84.0
Registered electors			6,855
	Irish Parliamentary win (new seat)

1886 general election: South Fermanagh^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Irish Parliamentary	Henry Campbell	3,553	60.5	−1.6
	Conservative	Frank Brooke	2,320	39.5	+1.6
Majority			1,233	21.0	−3.2
Turnout			5,873	85.7	+1.7
Registered electors			6,855
	Irish Parliamentary hold		Swing	−1.6

Elections in the 1890s

1892 general election: South Fermanagh^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Irish National Federation	Patrick McGilligan	2,941	55.9	−4.6
	Liberal Unionist	Arthur St George Patton	2,320	44.1	+4.6
Majority			621	11.8	−9.2
Turnout			5,261	90.9	+5.2
Registered electors			5,788
	Irish National Federation gain from Irish Parliamentary		Swing	−4.6

1895 general election: South Fermanagh^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Irish National Federation	Jeremiah Jordan	2,792	57.1	+1.2
	Irish Unionist	Arthur Douglas Brooke	2,096	42.9	−1.2
Majority			696	14.2	+2.4
Turnout			4,888	88.6	−2.3
Registered electors			5,519
	Irish National Federation hold		Swing	+1.2

Elections in the 1900s

1900 general election: South Fermanagh^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Irish Parliamentary	Jeremiah Jordan	2,753	58.1	+1.0
	Irish Unionist	Thomas Stephenson Francis Battersby	1,982	41.9	−1.0
Majority			771	16.2	+2.0
Turnout			4,735	84.2	−4.4
Registered electors			5,622
	Irish Parliamentary hold		Swing	+1.0

1906 general election: South Fermanagh^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Irish Parliamentary	Jeremiah Jordan	Unopposed
	Irish Parliamentary hold

Elections in the 1910s

January 1910 general election: South Fermanagh^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Irish Parliamentary	Jeremiah Jordan	2,693	56.2	*N/A*
	Irish Unionist	Thomas Stephenson Francis Battersby	2,098	43.8	New
Majority			595	12.4	N/A
Turnout			4,791	90.1	N/A
Registered electors			5,317
	Irish Parliamentary hold		Swing

December 1910 general election: South Fermanagh^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Irish Parliamentary	Patrick Crumley	Unopposed
	Irish Parliamentary hold

General Election 14 December 1918: South Fermanagh^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Sinn Féin	Seán O'Mahony	6,673	58.9	*New*
	Irish Unionist	James Cooper	4,524	39.9	New
	Irish Parliamentary	Patrick Crumley	132	1.2	N/A
Majority			2,149	19.0	N/A
Turnout			11,329	81.1	N/A
Registered electors			13,962
	Sinn Féin gain from Irish Parliamentary		Swing	N/A

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References

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. 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/