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.
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 YearFirst memberFirst partySecond memberSecond party 1801 Francis Nathaniel Burton Hugh Massey 1802 Sir Edward O'Brien, 4th Baronet Whig 1808 Augustine FitzGerald Tory 1818 William Vesey-FitzGerald Tory 1826 Lucius O'Brien Tory 1828 Daniel O'Connell Radical 1830 William Nugent Macnamara Repeal Association James Patrick Mahon Whig 1831 Maurice O'Connell Repeal Association 1832 Cornelius O'Brien Repeal Association 1847 Sir Lucius O'Brien, 5th Baronet Conservative 1852 Sir John Forster Fitzgerald Whig Cornelius O'Brien Ind. Irish 1857 Lord Francis Conyngham Ind. Irish Francis Macnamara Calcutt Ind. Irish 1859 Crofton Moore Vandeleur Conservative Luke White Liberal 1860 Francis Macnamara Calcutt Liberal 1863 Sir Colman O'Loghlen, 2nd Baronet Liberal 1874 Lord Francis Conyngham Irish Nationalist Irish Nationalist 1877 Sir Bryan O'Loghlen, 3rd Baronet Irish Nationalist 1879 James Patrick Mahon Irish Nationalist 1880 William O'Shea Independent Nationalist 1885 Constituency divided into East Clare and West Clare
Elections
Elections in the 1820s
Elections in the 1830s
On petition, Mahon was unseated and a by-election was called.
Lucius O'Brien and Vandeleur declined the contest
Elections in the 1840s
Elections in the 1850s
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.
Elections in the 1860s On petition, White was unseated, causing a by-election.
Calcutt died, causing a by-election.
O'Loghlen was appointed Judge Advocate General of the Armed Forces, requiring a by-election.
Elections in the 1870s
O'Loghlen's death caused a by-election.
O'Loghlen was a Liberal home rule supporter, while The O'Gorman Mahon was a Nationalist home rule supporter. Burton also supported home rule.
O'Loghlen was declared to have resigned after accepting office as Attorney General of Victoria, Australia, causing a by-election.
Elections in the 1880s
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.
References
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)