History Callan was a constituency represented in the Irish House of Commons until 1800. Based on Callan, County Kilkenny, it was established by royal charter in 1585, apparently at the request of Thomas Butler, 10th Earl of Ormond. He was a cousin of Elizabeth I on her mother's side, and one of the few Irish leaders in whom she had complete trust. It functioned largely as a Butler controlled borough, with parliamentary seats dominated by families such as the Comerfords, who were closely aligned with the Butlers.
In the Patriot Parliament of 1689 summoned by James II, Callan was represented with two members.
Members of Parliament, 1585–1801 1585 Gerald Comerford and Edward Brennan 1613–1615 Pierce Hayden and William Rothe (died and replaced by Richard Forrestal) 1634–1635 Edward Comerford and Lord Maltravers 1639–1649 Edward Comerford and Sir Thomas Wharton (resigned and replaced 1640 by Richard Bellings (expelled 1642)) 1661–1666 John Campbell and Henry Baker (Baker died and replaced 1662 by Matthew Harrison)
1689–1801 ElectionFirst MPSecond MP 1689 Walter Butler Thady Meagher 1692 Samuel Booth Sir Henry Wemys 1703 Francis FloodExpelled in June 1705 Silvester Crosse 1705 John Pacey 1713 Francis Flood 1715 James Agar 1727 Warden Flood Henry Wemys 1751 James Wemys 1761 James AgarDeclared not duly elected in 1761 Patrick Wemys 1762 Henry FloodDeclared not duly elected in 1776 Irish Patriot Party James Wemys 1765 Jocelyn Flood 1767 John Flood 1776 Hercules Langrishe June 1776 Pierce Butler George Agar 1783 John Bourke O'Flaherty 1790 William Meeke Nathaniel Warren March 1796 Hon. Francis James Mathew November 1796 Charles Kendal Bushe 1798 Patrick Welch 1799 James Savage 1801 Disenfranchised
Notes
References
Bibliography