County Louth is a former parliamentary constituency in Ireland, which was represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It returned two Members of Parliament (MPs) from 1801 to 1885, and one MP from 1918 to 1922.
History From 1801 to 1885, the constituency comprised County Louth, except for the parliamentary boroughs of Drogheda and Dundalk. It succeeded the constituency of County Louth in the Irish House of Commons. Between 1885 and 1918 the county was divided into the county divisions of North Louth and South Louth. In 1918, the reunited constituency covered the entire county of Louth plus a small part of County Meath near Drogheda.
At the 1918 general election, Sinn Féin won by 255 votes, its narrowest margin of victory in that election. John J. O'Kelly, a native of County Kerry, resident in Glasnevin, Dublin, was Louth's first TD. The constituency was merged with Meath to form the 5-seat Louth–Meath constituency for the 2nd and 3rd Dála.
Members of Parliament MPs 1801–85 Election1st Member1st Party2nd Member2nd Party 1801, 1 January John Foster William Fortescue 1806, 18 November Tory Richard Jocelyn Tory 1807, 19 May John Jocelyn 1810, 10 February Richard Jocelyn Tory 1820, 10 August John Jocelyn 1821, 27 September Thomas Skeffington 1824, 21 February John Leslie Foster Tory 1826, 21 June Alexander Dawson Radical 1830, 13 August John McClintock Tory 1831, 18 May Richard Lalor Sheil Repeal Association 1831, 28 September Sir Patrick Bellew, Bt Whig 1832, 21 December Thomas FitzGerald Repeal Association Richard Bellew Repeal Association 1834, 24 December Sir Patrick Bellew, Bt Whig 1837, 5 August Henry Chester Whig 1840, 31 July Thomas Fortescue Whig 1841, 15 July Thomas Vesey Dawson Whig Whig 1847, 10 August Chichester Fortescue Whig 1852, 22 July Tristram Kennedy Ind. Irish 1857, 10 April John McClintock Conservative 1859, 16 May Liberal Richard Bellew Liberal 1865, 15 April Tristram Kennedy Liberal 1868, 24 November Matthew Dease Liberal 1874, 14 February Alexander Martin Sullivan Home Rule League Philip Callan Home Rule League 1874, 9 April George Kirk Home Rule League 1880, 9 April Philip Callan Home Rule League 1880, 31 May Henry Bellingham Home Rule League 1885 Constituency divided: see North Louth and South Louth
MPs 1918–22 ElectionMemberParty 1918 John J. O'Kelly Sinn Féin 1922Constituency abolished
Elections
Elections in the 1830s
Dawson's death caused a by-election.
FitzGerald's death caused a by-election.
Elections in the 1840s Chester resigned by accepting the office of Steward of the Chiltern Hundreds, causing a by-election.
Elections in the 1850s
Fortescue was appointed a Lord Commissioner of the Treasury, requiring a by-election.
Elections in the 1860s Bellew resigned after he was appointed a law commissioner, causing a by-election.
Parkinson-Fortescue was appointed Chief Secretary for Ireland, requiring a by-election.
Parkinson-Fortescue was appointed Chief Secretary for Ireland, requiring a by-election.
Elections in the 1870s
Callan was also elected MP for Dundalk and opted to sit there.
Elections in the 1880s
Sullivan declined to take the seat, causing a by-election.
Elections in the 1910s
References
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)