County Cork 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.

Area This constituency comprised County Cork, except for the city of Cork and the boroughs of Bandon, Kinsale, Mallow and Youghal, which were separately represented. The boroughs of Baltimore, Castlemartyr, Charleville, Clonakilty, Doneraile, Midleton and Rathcormack were disfranchised by the Acts of Union 1800.

Under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, the borough constituencies in the county other than Cork City were abolished and the county constituency was replaced by the constituencies of East Cork, Mid Cork, North Cork, North East Cork, South Cork, South East Cork and West Cork, each electing one MP. These constituencies were first used at the 1885 general election.

Members of Parliament YearFirst memberFirst partySecond memberSecond party 1801, 1 January Viscount Boyle Robert Uniacke Fitzgerald 1806, 17 November Whig Hon. George Ponsonby Whig 1807, 16 May Viscount Bernard Tory 1812, 23 October Viscount Ennismore Tory 1818, 29 June Viscount Kingsborough Whig 1826, 21 June Robert King Whig 1827, 4 December John Boyle Whig 1830, 12 August Viscount Boyle Whig 1832, 29 December Feargus O'ConnorO'Connor was re-elected in 1835 but unseated on petition in favour of Richard Longfield on 5 June 1835, on the grounds that O'Connor failed the property qualification required of Members of Parliament. Repeal Association Garrett Standish Barry Repeal Association 1835, 5 June Richard Longfield Conservative 1837, 18 August Edmond Roche Repeal Association 1841, 15 July Daniel O'Connell Repeal Association 1847, 2 July Maurice Power Repeal Association 1852, 22 March Whig Vincent Scully Ind. Irish 1855, 23 April Rickard Deasy Whig 1857, 10 April Alexander McCarthy Ind. Irish 1859, 10 May Liberal Vincent Scully Liberal 1861, 28 February Nicholas Leader Conservative 1865, 29 July George Richard Barry Liberal 1867, 3 February Arthur Smith-Barry Liberal 1868, 30 November McCarthy Downing Liberal 1874, 9 February Home Rule William Shaw Home Rule 1879, 20 February David la Touche Colthurst Home Rule 1885 Constituency divided: see East Cork, Mid Cork, North Cork, North East Cork, South Cork, South East Cork and West Cork

Elections

1801 (co-option), (1) Henry Boyle, Viscount Boyle, later Earl of Shannon (to 1807), b. 8 August 1771, d. 22 April 1842 aged 70; (2) Robert Uniacke Fitzgerald, b. 17 March 1751, d. 20 December 1814 aged 63 1806 17 November, George Ponsonby (to 1812), b. 1773, d. 5 June 1863 aged 90 1807 16 May, James Bernard, Viscount Bernard, later Earl of Bandon (to 1818), b. 14 June 1785, d. 31 October 1856 aged 71 1812 23 October, Richard Hare, Viscount Ennismore (to 1827), b. 20 March 1773, d. 24 September 1827 aged 54 1818 29 June, Edward King, Viscount Kingsborough,(Whig), b. 16 November 1795, d. 27 February 1837 aged 41 1826, 21 June, Robert Henry King, after Earl of Kingston (to 1832), (Whig), b. 4 October 1796, d. 21 January 1867 aged 70 1827, 4 December, John Boyle, b. 13 March 1803, d. 6 December 1874 aged 71

Elections in the 1830s

On petition, O'Connor was declared not qualified and unseated in favour of Longfield

Elections in the 1840s

O'Connell's death caused a by-election.

Elections in the 1850s

Power was appointed Lieutenant-Governor of Saint Lucia, resigning and causing a by-election.

Roche was elevated to the peerage, becoming 1st Baron Fermoy and causing a by-election.

Deasy was appointed Solicitor-General for Ireland, requiring a by-election.

Elections in the 1860s Deasy was appointed Attorney-General for Ireland, requiring a by-election.

Deasy resigned after being appointed a Baron of the Exchequer, causing a by-election.

Barry's death caused a by-election.

Elections in the 1870s

Downing's death caused a by-election.

Elections in the 1880s

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) , Leigh Rayment, David Dickson Old World Colony Corl and South Munster 1630-1830 Cork University Press 2005, Famine in West Cork Fr. Patrick Hickey Mercier Press 2002