County Waterford (UK Parliament constituency)

Not to be confused with Waterford City (UK Parliament constituency).

Waterford
Former County constituency for the House of Commons
County Waterford within Ireland.
1801–1885
Replaced by	East Waterford and West Waterford
1918–1922
Created from	East Waterford and West Waterford

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

Boundaries and boundary changes

This constituency once comprised the whole of 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 1801–1885 and one 1918–1922.

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.

The First Dáil

Sinn Féin contested the general election of 1918 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 decided to use the UK authorised elections for the Northern Ireland House of Commons and the House of Commons of Southern Ireland as a poll for the Irish Republic's Second Dáil. This area, in republican theory, was incorporated in the five member Dáil constituency of Waterford–Tipperary East.

Members of Parliament

MPs 1801–1885

Year	1st Member		1st Party		2nd Party
1801		Hon. John Beresford		Richard Power
21 Jul 1802		Hon. John Beresford		Edward Lee	Whig
6 Jan 1806		John Claudius Beresford		Edward Lee	Whig
18 Nov 1806		John Claudius Beresford		Richard Power
28 Jun 1811		Sir William Beresford		Richard Power
25 Apr 1814		Sir William Beresford		Richard Power
25 May 1814		Lord George Beresford
1 Jul 1826		Henry Villiers-Stuart
2 Mar 1830		Lord George Beresford
13 Aug 1830		Lord George Beresford		Daniel O'Connell
11 May 1831		Sir Richard Musgrave, Bt		Robert Power
26 Dec 1832		John Matthew Galwey		Sir Richard Keane, Bt
19 Jan 1835		Sir Richard Musgrave, Bt		Patrick Power
21 Sep 1835		Sir Richard Musgrave, Bt		William Villiers-Stuart
9 Aug 1837		John Power
24 Aug 1840		Hon. Robert Carew
11 Aug 1847		Nicholas Mahon Power	Repeal	Robert Keating	Repeal
26 Jul 1852		Nicholas Mahon Power	Liberal (Independent Irish 1852-58)	Sir John Esmonde, Bt	Liberal (Independent Irish 1852-58)
12 May 1859		Walter Cecil Talbot	Conservative
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		Lord Charles Beresford	Conservative	James Delahunty	Home Rule League
9 Apr 1880		Henry Villiers-Stuart	Liberal	John Aloysius Blake	Home Rule League
25 Aug 1884		Henry Villiers-Stuart	Liberal	Patrick Joseph Power	Irish Parliamentary Party
1885	Constituency divided: see East Waterford and West Waterford

MPs 1918–1922

Election		Member	Party
	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.

General Election 14 December 1918: Waterford County
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Sinn Féin	Cathal Brugha	12,890	75.35	N/A
	Irish Parliamentary	James John O'Shee	4,217	24.65	N/A
Majority			8,673	50.70	N/A
Turnout			24,439	70.00	N/A
	Sinn Féin gain from Irish Parliamentary		Swing	N/A

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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)
Parliamentary Election Results in Ireland, 1801–1922, edited by B.M. Walker (Royal Irish Academy 1978)
Who's Who of British Members of Parliament: Volume II 1886–1918, edited by M. Stenton and S. Lees (The Harvester Press 1978)
Who's Who of British Members of Parliament: Volume III 1919–1945, edited by M. Stenton and S. Lees (The Harvester Press 1979)
Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "W" (part 1)