County Waterford was a parliamentary constituency in Ireland, represented in the British House of Commons.

Boundaries and boundary changes This constituency comprised County Waterford, except for the parliamentary boroughs of Dungarvan (1801–1885) and Waterford City (1801–1885 and 1918–1922). It returned two Members of Parliament from 1801 to 1885 and one from 1918 to 1922.

It was an original constituency represented in Parliament when the Union of Great Britain and Ireland took effect on 1 January 1801.

Between 1885 and 1918 the area had been divided between the constituencies of East Waterford and West Waterford. From 1922 it was no longer represented in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom.

Politics In the 1918 election Sinn Féin defeated by 3 to 1 the Nationalist candidate J. J. O'Shee representing the Irish Parliamentary Party.

The newly elected Sinn Féin MP for the constituency was Cathal Brugha. Like other Sinn Féin MPs elected that year, he did not take his seat at Westminster but instead, took a seat in the revolutionary First Dáil which assembled in Dublin on 21 January 1919. As better known figures were under arrest, Brugha became the first presiding officer (with the title of Ceann Comhairle) and a day later the first head of government (with the title of President of Dáil Éireann), of the Irish Republic.

First Dáil Sinn Féin contested the 1918 general election on the platform that instead of taking up any seats they won in the United Kingdom Parliament, they would establish a revolutionary assembly in Dublin. In republican theory every MP elected in Ireland was a potential Deputy to this assembly. In practice only the Sinn Féin members accepted the offer.

The revolutionary First Dáil assembled on 21 January 1919 and last met on 10 May 1921. The First Dáil, according to a resolution passed on 10 May 1921, was formally dissolved on the assembling of the Second Dáil. This took place on 16 August 1921.

In 1921 Sinn Féin used the 1921 Northern Ireland and Southern Ireland general elections as a poll for the Irish Republic's Second Dáil. This area was part of the five-seat Dáil constituency of Waterford–Tipperary East.

Members of Parliament

MPs 1801–1885 Year1st Member1st Party2nd Member2nd Party 1801 Hon. John Beresford Richard Power Whig 21 Jul 1802 Edward Lee Whig 6 Jan 1806 John Claudius Beresford Tory 18 Nov 1806 Richard Power Whig 28 Jun 1811 Sir William Beresford Tory 25 Apr 1814 Richard Power Whig/Catholic Association 25 May 1814 Lord George Beresford Tory 1 Jul 1826 Henry Villiers-Stuart Whig 2 Mar 1830 Lord George Beresford Tory 13 Aug 1830 Daniel O'Connell Repeal/Catholic Association 11 May 1831 Sir Richard Musgrave, Bt Whig Robert Power Whig 26 Dec 1832 John Matthew Galwey Repeal Association Sir Richard Keane, Bt Whig 19 Jan 1835 Sir Richard Musgrave, Bt Repeal Association Patrick Power Whig 21 Sep 1835 William Villiers-Stuart Whig 9 Aug 1837 John Power Whig 24 Aug 1840 Hon. Robert Carew Whig 11 Aug 1847 Nicholas Mahon Power Repeal Robert Keating Repeal 26 Jul 1852 Independent Irish Sir John Esmonde, Bt Independent Irish 2 Apr 1857 Radical Whig 12 May 1859 Walter Talbot Conservative Liberal 18 Jul 1865 Earl of Tyrone Conservative 31 Dec 1866 Edmond de la Poer Liberal 5 Jul 1873 Henry Villiers-Stuart Liberal 10 Feb 1874 Lord Charles Beresford Conservative Home Rule League 24 Jan 1877 James Delahunty Home Rule League 9 Apr 1880 Henry Villiers-Stuart Liberal John Aloysius Blake Home Rule League 25 Aug 1884 Patrick Joseph Power Irish Parliamentary Party 1885Constituency divided: see East Waterford and West Waterford

MPs 1918–1922

ElectionMemberParty 1918 Cathal Brugha Sinn Féin 1922 Constituency abolished

Elections The single-member elections in this constituency took place using the first past the post electoral system. Multi-member elections used the plurality-at-large voting system.

Elections in the 1830s Villiers Stuart resigned, causing a by-election.

Power's death caused a by-election.

Elections in the 1840s Power resigned by accepting the office of Steward of the Chiltern Hundreds, causing a by-election.

Elections in the 1850s

Elections in the 1860s

Esmonde was appointed a Lord Commissioner of the Treasury, causing a by-election.

Beresford succeeded as 5th Marquess of Waterford, causing a by-election.

Elections in the 1870s de la Poer resigned, causing a by-election.

Esmonde's death caused a by-election.

Elections in the 1880s

Blake resigned, causing a by-election.

Elections in the 1910s

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)

External links https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/members/ https://web.archive.org/web/20060423011521/http://historical-debates.oireachtas.ie/en.toc.dail.html

See also List of United Kingdom Parliament constituencies in Ireland and Northern Ireland Redistribution of Seats (Ireland) Act 1918 List of MPs elected in the 1918 United Kingdom general election Historic Dáil constituencies Members of the 1st Dáil