West Donegal (UK Parliament constituency)

West Donegal
Former county constituency
for the House of Commons
18851922
Seats1
Created fromDonegal
Replaced byDonegal

West Donegal was a UK Parliament constituency in Ireland, returning one Member of Parliament from 1885 to 1922.

Prior to the 1885 United Kingdom general election the area was part of the Donegal constituency. From 1922, on the establishment of the Irish Free State, it was not represented in the UK Parliament.

Boundaries

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This constituency comprised the western part of County Donegal, consisting of the barony of Boylagh and that part of the barony of Kilmacrenan contained within the parishes of Clondahorky, Gartan, Kilmacrenan, Mevagh, Raymunterdoney and Tullaghobegly and the townlands of Ballybolander, Boheolan, Cabra Brook, Cabra Glebe, Carnatreantagh, Carrick, Carrickyscanlan, Cloncarney, Dromore, Drumcavany, Keeloges, Maghernagran, Pollans, Roshin, Stackarnagh, Temple Douglas, Treanbeg and Tullanascreen in the parish of Conwal.

Members of Parliament

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Election Member [1] Party Note
1885, December 1 Patrick O'Hea Irish Parliamentary Resigned
1890, May 30 James Joseph Dalton Irish Parliamentary Party split
1890, December 1 Irish National League
1892, July 11 Timothy Daniel Sullivan Irish National Federation
1900, October 3 James Boyle Irish Parliamentary Resigned
1902, April 25 Hugh Alexander Law Irish Parliamentary
1918, December 14 2 Joseph Sweeney Sinn Féin Did not take his seat at Westminster
1922, October 26 UK constituency abolished

Note:-

  • 1 Not an election, but the date of a party change. The Irish Parliamentary Party had been created in 1882, on the initiative of Charles Stewart Parnell's Irish National League. Both the IPP and the INL split into Parnellite and Anti-Parnellite factions, in December 1890. The Parnellites remained members of the Irish National League after the split and the Anti-Parnellites organised the Irish National Federation in March 1891. The two organisations and the United Irish League merged in 1900, to re-create the Irish Parliamentary Party.
  • 2 Date of polling day. The result was declared on 28 December 1918, to allow time for votes cast by members of the armed forces to be included in the count.

Elections

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Elections in the 1880s

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General election 1 December 1885: Donegal West[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Irish Parliamentary Patrick O'Hea Unopposed
Registered electors 7,377
Irish Parliamentary win (new seat)
General election 6 July 1886: Donegal West[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Irish Parliamentary Patrick O'Hea Unopposed
Registered electors 7,377
Irish Parliamentary hold

Elections in the 1890s

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By-election 30 May 1890: Donegal West[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Irish Parliamentary J. J. Dalton Unopposed
Registered electors 5,536
Irish Parliamentary hold
General election 11 July 1892: Donegal West[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Irish National Federation Timothy Daniel Sullivan Unopposed
Registered electors 5,279
Irish National Federation gain from Irish Parliamentary
General election 18 July 1895: Donegal West[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Irish National Federation Timothy Daniel Sullivan Unopposed
Registered electors 6,254
Irish National Federation hold

Elections in the 1900s

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General election 3 October 1900: Donegal West[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Irish Parliamentary James Boyle Unopposed
Registered electors 9,475
Irish Parliamentary hold
By-election 25 April 1902: Donegal West[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Irish Parliamentary Hugh Law Unopposed
Registered electors 7,303
Irish Parliamentary hold
General election 20 January 1906: Donegal West[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Irish Parliamentary Hugh Law Unopposed
Registered electors 6,958
Irish Parliamentary hold

Elections in the 1910s

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General election 22 January 1910: Donegal West
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Irish Parliamentary Hugh Law Unopposed
Registered electors 6,642
Irish Parliamentary hold
General election 10 December 1910: Donegal West[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Irish Parliamentary Hugh Law Unopposed
Registered electors 6,642
Irish Parliamentary hold
General Election 14 December 1918: Donegal West[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Sinn Féin Joseph Sweeney 6,712 62.0 New
Irish Parliamentary Daniel McMenamin 4,116 38.0 N/A
Majority 2,596 24.0 N/A
Turnout 10,828 56.1 N/A
Registered electors 19,296
Sinn Féin hold Swing N/A

References

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  1. ^ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "D" (part 2)
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Walker, B.M., ed. (1978). Parliamentary Election Results in Ireland, 1801-1922. Dublin: Royal Irish Academy. pp. 340, 387. ISBN 0901714127.

Sources

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  • Walker, Brian M., ed. (1978). Parliamentary Election Results in Ireland, 1801–1922. Dublin: Royal Irish Academy. ISBN 0901714127.