County Carlow was a parliamentary constituency in Ireland represented in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1922. It returned two Members of Parliament (MPs) from 1801 to 1885 and one MP from 1885 to 1922.

History and representation County Carlow had been represented by two seats in the Irish House of Commons. Under the Acts of Union 1800, it continued to be represented by two MPs, now in the United Kingdom House of Commons, sitting at the Palace of Westminster. It comprised the whole of County Carlow, except for the borough of Carlow, which was separately represented from 1801 to 1885. The borough of Old Leighlin was disfranchised under the Acts of Union 1800.

Under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, the borough of Carlow was disfranchised and the county was reduced to one seat. It was the only Irish county not divided in the 1885 redistribution. It was thus the only Irish county constituency to exist at every general election from the union with Great Britain to the establishment of the Irish Free State.

It was not affected by the Redistribution of Seats (Ireland) Act 1918. The 1918 general election was used by Sinn Féin as the first election to Dáil Éireann. James Lennon sat as a member of the First Dáil, abstaining from Westminster.

Under the Government of Ireland Act 1920, it was combined with the constituencies of North Kilkenny and South Kilkenny to form Carlow–Kilkenny as a 4-seat constituency for the new Southern Ireland House of Commons and a one-seat constituency at Westminster. Sinn Féin treated the 1921 election for the Southern Ireland House of Commons, in which all seats were uncontested, as part of the election to the Second Dáil. James Lennon was one of four returned to represent Carlow–Kilkenny for Sinn Féin.

The Anglo-Irish Treaty, signed 6 December 1921, provided for the establishment of the Irish Free State. Under the Irish Free State (Agreement) Act 1922, no writ was to be issued "for a constituency in Ireland other than a constituency in Northern Ireland". Therefore, following a dissolution on 26 October 1922, no vote was held in Carlow–Kilkenny at the 1922 United Kingdom general election on 15 November 1922. The Irish Free State left the United Kingdom on 6 December 1922.

Members of Parliament Notable MPs for County Carlow included Nicholas Aylward Vigors, a zoologist, John Ball, a naturalist and Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies, Arthur MacMurrough Kavanagh, and James Patrick Mahon.

MPs 1801–1885 Election1st Member1st Party2nd Member2nd Party 1801 William Henry Burton Sir Richard Butler, Bt Jul. 1802 David Latouche Whig Walter Bagenal Whig Oct. 1812 Henry Bruen Tory 18 Apr 1816 Robert Anthony Latouche Whig Jun 1818 Sir Ulysses Burgh Tory Jun 1826 Thomas Kavanagh Tory May 1831 Walter Blackney Whig Sir John Milley Doyle Whig Dec 1832 Repeal Association Thomas Wallace Whig Jan. 1835 Henry Bruen Conservative Thomas Kavanagh Conservative 15 Jun 1835 Nicholas Aylward Vigors Repeal Association Alexander Raphael Whig 19 Aug 1835 Henry Bruen Conservative Thomas Kavanagh Conservative 18 Feb 1837 Nicholas Aylward Vigors Whig Aug 1837 John Ashton Yates Whig 5 Dec 1840 Henry Bruen Conservative Jul 1841 Thomas Bunbury Conservative 1 Jul 1846 William McClintock-Bunbury Conservative Jul 1852 John Ball Independent Irish Party 25 Apr 1853 William McClintock-Bunbury Conservative Apr 1857 Henry Bruen (younger) Conservative 7 Aug 1862 Denis Pack-Beresford Conservative Nov 1868 Arthur MacMurrough Kavanagh Conservative Apr 1880 Edmund Dwyer Gray Home Rule League Donald Horne Macfarlane Home Rule League 1885 representation reduced to one member

Notes

MPs 1885–1922 From To NameParty18851886Edmund Dwyer GrayNationalist18861887John Aloysius BlakeNationalist18871891James Patrick MahonNationalist18911892John HammondNationalist18921900Irish National Federation19001908Nationalist19081910Walter MacMurrough KavanaghNationalist19101918Michael MolloyNationalist19181922James LennonSinn Féin

Elections

Elections in the 1830s

On petition, Bruen and Kavanagh were unseated and a by-election was called.

After a further petition, the poll was amended and 105 votes for Vigors and Raphael were struck off. Kavanagh and Bruen were declared elected.

Kavanagh's death caused a by-election.

Elections in the 1840s Vigors' death caused a by-election.

Bunbury's death caused a by-election.

Elections in the 1850s

Bruen's death caused a by-election.

Elections in the 1860s McClintock Bunbury resigned, causing a by-election.

Elections in the 1870s

Elections in the 1880s

Gray elects to sit for Dublin St Stephen's Green

Death of Blake

Elections in the 1890s

Death of the O’Gorman Mahon

Elections in the 1900s

Hammond's death causes a by-election.

Elections in the 1910s

See also List of United Kingdom Parliament constituencies in Ireland and Northern Ireland Historic Dáil constituencies

References Citations

Sources

The Parliaments of England by Henry Stooks Smith (1st edition published in three volumes 1844–50), 2nd edition edited (in one volume) by F.W.S. Craig (Political Reference Publications 1973)