Clare (UK Parliament constituency)
UK parliamentary constituency in Ireland, 1801–1885
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County Clare was a parliamentary constituency in Ireland, represented in the Parliament of the United Kingdom. From 1801 to 1885 it returned two Members of Parliament (MPs) to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.
| County Clare | |
|---|---|
| Former county constituency for the House of Commons | |
County Clare within Ireland | |
| County | County Clare |
| 1801–1885 | |
| Seats | 2 |
| Created from | County Clare |
| Replaced by | |
At the 1885 general election, County Clare was split into two divisions: East Clare and West Clare.
Boundaries
This constituency comprised the whole of County Clare, except for the borough of Ennis.
Members of Parliament
Elections
Elections in the 1820s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Radical | Daniel O'Connell | 2,057 | 67.69 | ||
| Tory | William Vesey Fitzgerald | 982 | 32.31 | ||
| Majority | 1,075 | 35.38 | |||
| Turnout | 3.039 | ||||
| Radical gain from Tory | Swing | ||||
Elections in the 1830s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Repeal | William Nugent Macnamara | 664 | 39.9 | ||
| Whig | James Patrick Mahon | 571 | 34.3 | ||
| Tory | Lucius O'Brien | 399 | 24.0 | ||
| Whig | William Richard Mahon | 18 | 1.1 | ||
| Whig | Burton Binden | 12 | 0.7 | ||
| Turnout | c. 832 | c. 51.9 | |||
| Registered electors | 1,604 | ||||
| Majority | 265 | 15.9 | |||
| Repeal gain from Tory | |||||
| Majority | 172 | 10.3 | |||
| Whig gain from Tory | |||||
On petition, Mahon was unseated and a by-election was called.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Repeal | Maurice O'Connell | 325 | 64.7 | +24.8 | |
| Whig | Edward O'Brien | 177 | 35.3 | −0.8 | |
| Majority | 148 | 29.4 | N/A | ||
| Turnout | 502 | c. 33.2 | c. −18.7 | ||
| Registered electors | c. 1,514 | ||||
| Repeal gain from Whig | Swing | +12.8 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Repeal | William Nugent Macnamara | 883 | 44.7 | +4.8 | |
| Repeal | Maurice O'Connell | 597 | 30.2 | N/A | |
| Whig | James Patrick Mahon | 493 | 25.0 | −9.3 | |
| Whig | William Richard Mahon | 1 | 0.1 | N/A | |
| Majority | 104 | 5.2 | −10.7 | ||
| Turnout | c. 987 | c. 65.2 | c. +13.3 | ||
| Registered electors | 1,514 | ||||
| Repeal hold | Swing | +4.8 | |||
| Repeal gain from Whig | Swing | N/A | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Repeal | William Nugent Macnamara | 920 | 32.5 | −12.2 | |
| Repeal | Cornelius O'Brien | 897 | 31.6 | +1.4 | |
| Tory | John Macdonnell | 701 | 24.7 | New | |
| Tory | Augustine Butler | 317 | 11.2 | New | |
| Majority | 196 | 6.9 | +1.7 | ||
| Turnout | 1,557 | 61.8 | c. −3.4 | ||
| Registered electors | 2,518 | ||||
| Repeal hold | Swing | −12.2 | |||
| Repeal hold | Swing | +1.4 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Repeal (Whig) | William Nugent Macnamara | 686 | 50.0 | +17.5 | |
| Repeal (Whig) | Cornelius O'Brien | 686 | 50.0 | +18.4 | |
| Conservative | Lucius O'Brien | 0 | 0.0 | −24.7 | |
| Conservative | Crofton Moore Vandeleur | 0 | 0.0 | −11.2 | |
| Majority | 686 | 50.0 | +43.1 | ||
| Turnout | 686 | 25.7 | −36.1 | ||
| Registered electors | 2,671 | ||||
| Repeal hold | Swing | +17.8 | |||
| Repeal hold | Swing | +18.2 | |||
- Lucius O'Brien and Vandeleur declined the contest
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Repeal (Whig) | William Nugent Macnamara | Unopposed | |||
| Repeal (Whig) | Cornelius O'Brien | Unopposed | |||
| Registered electors | 3,141 | ||||
| Repeal hold | |||||
| Repeal hold | |||||
Elections in the 1840s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Repeal | William Nugent Macnamara | 1,079 | 44.6 | N/A | |
| Repeal | Cornelius O'Brien | 1,072 | 44.3 | N/A | |
| Conservative | Crofton Moore Vandeleur | 222 | 9.2 | New | |
| Conservative | James Molony | 47 | 1.9 | New | |
| Majority | 850 | 35.1 | N/A | ||
| Turnout | 1,338 | 72.4 | N/A | ||
| Registered electors | 1,848 | ||||
| Repeal hold | Swing | N/A | |||
| Repeal hold | Swing | N/A | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Lucius O'Brien | 809 | 32.2 | +23.0 | |
| Repeal | William Nugent Macnamara | 723 | 28.8 | −15.8 | |
| Repeal | Cornelius O'Brien | 584 | 23.3 | −21.0 | |
| Conservative | William Fitzgerald | 395 | 15.7 | +13.8 | |
| Turnout | 1,256 (est) | 56.7 (est) | −15.7 | ||
| Registered electors | 2,216 | ||||
| Majority | 225 | 8.9 | N/A | ||
| Conservative gain from Repeal | Swing | +20.7 | |||
| Majority | 139 | 5.5 | −29.6 | ||
| Repeal hold | Swing | −17.1 | |||
Elections in the 1850s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whig | John Forster FitzGerald | 1,152 | 33.0 | New | |
| Independent Irish | Cornelius O'Brien | 1,141 | 32.7 | +9.4 | |
| Conservative | Crofton Moore Vandeleur | 1,139 | 32.6 | +0.4 | |
| Conservative | William Stackpoole | 60 | 1.7 | −14.0 | |
| Turnout | 2,286 (est) | 88.6 (est) | +31.9 | ||
| Registered electors | 2,581 | ||||
| Majority | 11 | 0.3 | N/A | ||
| Whig gain from Repeal | Swing | N/A | |||
| Majority | 2 | 0.1 | N/A | ||
| Independent Irish gain from Conservative | Swing | +8.1 | |||
On petition, Fitzgerald and O'Brien were unseated, due to a "system of intimidation" being present at the 1852 election, and a writ was moved for a by-election.[11]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent Irish | Cornelius O'Brien | 1,376 | 34.2 | +1.5 | |
| Whig | John Forster FitzGerald | 1,351 | 33.5 | +0.5 | |
| Conservative | Crofton Moore Vandeleur | 1,299 | 32.2 | −2.1 | |
| Independent | Henry Stuart Burton | 3 | 0.0 | New | |
| Turnout | 2,663 (est) | 84.7 (est) | −3.9 | ||
| Registered electors | 3,144 | ||||
| Majority | 25 | 0.7 | +0.6 | ||
| Independent Irish hold | Swing | +1.3 | |||
| Majority | 52 | 1.3 | +1.0 | ||
| Whig hold | Swing | +0.8 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent Irish | Francis Conyngham | 2,894 | 52.3 | N/A | |
| Independent Irish | Francis Macnamara Calcutt | 1,390 | 25.1 | N/A | |
| Whig | John Forster Fitzgerald | 1,249 | 22.6 | −10.4 | |
| Independent Irish | Luke White[12] | 1 | 0.0 | N/A | |
| Majority | 141 | 2.5 | +2.4 | ||
| Turnout | 2,767 (est) | 73.9 (est) | −14.7 | ||
| Registered electors | 3,745 | ||||
| Independent Irish hold | Swing | N/A | |||
| Independent Irish gain from Whig | Swing | N/A | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Crofton Moore Vandeleur | 3,829 | 47.5 | New | |
| Liberal | Luke White | 2,234 | 27.7 | +27.7 | |
| Liberal | Francis Macnamara Calcutt | 1,997 | 24.8 | −0.3 | |
| Majority | 1,595 | 19.8 | N/A | ||
| Turnout | 4,030 (est) | 73.2 (est) | −0.7 | ||
| Registered electors | 5,509 | ||||
| Conservative gain from Independent Irish | Swing | N/A | |||
| Liberal hold | Swing | N/A | |||
Elections in the 1860s
On petition, White was unseated, causing a by-election.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal | Francis Macnamara Calcutt | 2,993 | 72.3 | +47.5 | |
| Liberal | Charles White | 1,149 | 27.7 | N/A | |
| Majority | 1,844 | 44.6 | N/A | ||
| Turnout | 4,142 | 75.2 | +2.0 | ||
| Registered electors | 5,509 | ||||
| Liberal hold | Swing | N/A | |||
Calcutt died, causing a by-election.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal | Colman O'Loghlen | Unopposed | |||
| Registered electors | 5,563 | ||||
| Liberal hold | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal | Colman O'Loghlen | Unopposed | |||
| Conservative | Crofton Moore Vandeleur | Unopposed | |||
| Registered electors | 5,465 | ||||
| Liberal hold | |||||
| Conservative hold | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal | Colman O'Loghlen | Unopposed | |||
| Conservative | Crofton Moore Vandeleur | Unopposed | |||
| Registered electors | 5,649 | ||||
| Liberal hold | |||||
| Conservative hold | |||||
O'Loghlen was appointed Judge Advocate General of the Armed Forces, requiring a by-election.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal | Colman O'Loghlen | Unopposed | |||
| Registered electors | 5,649 | ||||
| Liberal hold | |||||
Elections in the 1870s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home Rule | Colman O'Loghlen | 3,095 | 44.9 | New | |
| Home Rule | Francis Conyngham | 2,565 | 37.2 | New | |
| Conservative | Crofton Moore Vandeleur | 1,240 | 18.0 | N/A | |
| Majority | 1,325 | 19.2 | N/A | ||
| Turnout | 4,070 (est) | 74.5 (est) | N/A | ||
| Registered electors | 5,460 | ||||
| Home Rule gain from Conservative | Swing | N/A | |||
| Home Rule gain from Liberal | Swing | N/A | |||
O'Loghlen's death caused a by-election.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home Rule | Bryan O'Loghlen | 1,721 | 47.2 | −34.9 | |
| Home Rule | James Patrick Mahon | 1,149 | 31.5 | N/A | |
| Conservative | Robert William Cary Reeves | 764 | 20.9 | +2.9 | |
| Liberal-Conservative | Francis Nathaniel Burton | 15 | 0.4 | N/A | |
| Majority | 572 | 15.7 | −3.5 | ||
| Turnout | 3,649 | 67.2 | −7.3 | ||
| Registered electors | 5,427 | ||||
| Home Rule hold | Swing | −18.9 | |||
- O'Loghlen was a Liberal home rule supporter, while The O'Gorman Mahon was a Nationalist home rule supporter. Burton also supported home rule.[13]
O'Loghlen was declared to have resigned after accepting office as Attorney General of Victoria, Australia, causing a by-election.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home Rule | James Patrick Mahon | 1,661 | 41.5 | −40.6 | |
| Conservative | Hector Stewart Vandeleur | 1,531 | 38.3 | +20.3 | |
| Liberal | Peter O'Brien | 807 | 20.2 | New | |
| Majority | 130 | 3.2 | −16.0 | ||
| Turnout | 3,999 | 73.6 | −0.9 | ||
| Registered electors | 5,430 | ||||
| Home Rule hold | Swing | −30.5 | |||
Elections in the 1880s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Parnellite Home Rule League | James Patrick Mahon | 3,283 | 44.8 | −0.1 | |
| Parnellite Home Rule League | William O'Shea | 3,133 | 42.8 | +5.6 | |
| Conservative | Hector Stewart Vandeleur | 912 | 12.4 | −5.6 | |
| Majority | 2,221 | 30.4 | +11.2 | ||
| Turnout | 4,195 (est) | 74.3 (est) | −0.2 | ||
| Registered electors | 5,643 | ||||
| Home Rule hold | Swing | +1.4 | |||
| Home Rule hold | Swing | +2.8 | |||
There was a notorious riot at Sixmilebridge on polling day in 1852, in which soldiers shot dead seven protesters.
The 1828 County Clare by-election was notable as this was the first time since the Reformation that an openly Catholic candidate was elected as an MP, Daniel O'Connell.