Waterford City (UK Parliament constituency)


Waterford City was a United Kingdom parliamentary constituency, in southeast Ireland.

Boundaries and boundary changes

As the constituency for the Parliamentary borough of Waterford in County Waterford, it returned one MP 1801–1832, two in 1832–1885 and one 1885–1922. It was an original constituency represented in Parliament when the Union of Great Britain and Ireland took effect on 1 January 1801.
In 1918, the boundary was redefined to exclude the Kilculliheen area which had been transferred to County Kilkenny under the 1898 Local Government Act. It was defined as consisting of the county borough of Waterford and the District Electoral Divisions of Ballynakill, Kilbarry, Killoteran and Waterford Rural in the rural district of Waterford.
Following the dissolution of Parliament in 1922 the area was no longer represented in the United Kingdom House of Commons.

Politics

The constituency was a predominantly Nationalist area in 1918. The seat was contested by William Redmond, the son of the IPP leader John Redmond whom he replaced in the Waterford City constituency in a by-election held in March 1918. In the general election of December 1918, it was the only Irish seat the IPP won outside Ulster.

The First Dáil

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 1801–32

MPs 1832–85

Representation increased to two members

MPs 1885–1918

Representation reduced to one member'

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

Wyse was appointed as a Commissioner of the Treasury, requiring a by-election.

Elections in the 1840s

On petition, Christmas and Reade were unseated and Wyse and Barron were declared elected on 13 June 1842.

O'Connell resigned by accepting the office of Steward of the Chiltern Hundreds, causing a by-election.

Elections in the 1850s

Elections in the 1860s

Blake resigned after he was appointed inspector of Irish fisheries, causing a by-election.

Elections in the 1870s

Barron was unseated on petition, causing a by-election.

Elections in the 1880s

Elections in the 1890s

Power died, causing a by-election.

Elections in the 1900s

Elections in the 1910s