# South Armagh (UK Parliament constituency)

South Armagh was a UK Parliament constituency in Ireland which returned one Member of Parliament from 1885 to 1922, using the first past the post electoral system.

## Boundaries and boundary changes

This constituency comprised the southern part of County Armagh.
From 1885 to 1918 the constituency was bounded to the north and north-west by Mid Armagh, to the south-west by South Monaghan, to the south by North Louth, to the south-east by the Borough of Newry and to the east by South Down. In 1918, that part of the constituency in the urban district of Newry was added to the South Down constituency. Between 1918 and 1922 the neighbouring seats were the same except that Louth was an undivided county constituency and Newry had been absorbed into South Down.
1885–1918: The barony of Orior Upper, and those parts of the baronies of Fews Lower, Fews Upper and Orior Lower not contained within the constituency of Mid Armagh.
1918–1922: That part of the existing South Armagh constituency comprised in the administrative county of Armagh.
Prior to the 1885 United Kingdom general election and from the dissolution of Parliament in 1922 the area was part of the Armagh constituency.

## Politics

The constituency was a predominantly Nationalist area. In 1918 the Nationalists heavily defeated Sinn Féin.

## 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 constituency, in republican theory, was incorporated in a four-member Dáil constituency of Armagh.

## Members of Parliament

| Election | Election | Member | Party |
| | 1885 | Alexander Blane | Irish Parliamentary Party |
| | 1891 | Alexander Blane | Irish National League |
| | 1892 | Edward McHugh | Irish National Federation |
| | 1900 | John Campbell | Healyite Nationalist |
| | 1906 | William McKillop | Irish Parliamentary Party |
| | 1909 | Charles O'Neill | Irish Parliamentary Party |
| | 1918 | Patrick Donnelly | Irish Parliamentary Party |
| 1922 | 1922 | Constituency abolished | Constituency abolished |

## Elections
### Elections in the 1880s

General election 27 November 1885: South Armagh :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Irish Parliamentary | Alexander Blane | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Irish Parliamentary win (new seat) | Irish Parliamentary win (new seat) | Irish Parliamentary win (new seat) | Irish Parliamentary win (new seat) | Irish Parliamentary win (new seat) |
General election 7 July 1886: South Armagh :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Irish Parliamentary | Alexander Blane | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Irish Parliamentary hold | Irish Parliamentary hold | Irish Parliamentary hold | Irish Parliamentary hold | Irish Parliamentary hold |

### Elections in the 1890s

General election 8 July 1892: South Armagh :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Irish National Federation | Edward McHugh | 3,439 | 59.91 | N/A |
| | Irish Unionist | Caesar Litton Falkiner | 2,242 | 39.06 | New |
| | Irish National League | Alexander Blane | 59 | 1.03 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,197 | 20.85 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 5,681 | 76.30 | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 7,523 | | |
| | Irish National Federation gain from Irish Parliamentary | Irish National Federation gain from Irish Parliamentary | Swing | N/A | |
General election 25 July 1895: South Armagh :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Irish National Federation | Edward McHugh | 3,378 | 62.87 | +2.96 |
| | Irish Unionist | Walter McMurrough Kavanagh | 1,995 | 37.13 | −1.93 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,383 | 25.74 | +4.89 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 5,373 | 74.07 | −2.23 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 7,254 | | |
| | Irish National Federation hold | Irish National Federation hold | Swing | +2.49 | |

### Elections in the 1900s

* Seat vacant on dissolution due to the death of McHugh
General election 9 October 1900: South Armagh :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Healyite Nationalist | John Campbell | 1,646 | 56.62 | −6.25 |
| | Irish Parliamentary | Charles O'Neill | 1,261 | 43.38 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 385 | 13.24 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,907 | 40.65 | −33.42 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 7,152 | | |
| | Healyite Nationalist gain from Irish Parliamentary | Healyite Nationalist gain from Irish Parliamentary | Swing | | |
General election 19 January 1906: South Armagh :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Irish Parliamentary | William McKillop | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Irish Parliamentary gain from Healyite Nationalist | Irish Parliamentary gain from Healyite Nationalist | Irish Parliamentary gain from Healyite Nationalist | Irish Parliamentary gain from Healyite Nationalist | Irish Parliamentary gain from Healyite Nationalist |
* Death of McKillop
By-Election 5 November 1909: South Armagh :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Irish Parliamentary | Charles O'Neill | 3,160 | 66.00 | N/A |
| | Irish Unionist | Richard Best | 1,628 | 34.00 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,532 | 32.00 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 4,788 | 68.17 | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 7,024 | | |
| | Irish Parliamentary hold | Irish Parliamentary hold | Swing | N/A | |

### Elections in the 1910s

General election 22 January 1910: South Armagh :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Irish Parliamentary | Charles O'Neill | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Irish Parliamentary hold | Irish Parliamentary hold | Irish Parliamentary hold | Irish Parliamentary hold | Irish Parliamentary hold |
General election 6 December 1910: South Armagh :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Irish Parliamentary | Charles O'Neill | 2,890 | 74.24 | N/A |
| | All-for-Ireland | Stephen Hugh Moynagh | 1,003 | 25.76 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,887 | 48.48 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 6,810 | 57.17 | N/A |
| | Irish Parliamentary hold | Irish Parliamentary hold | Swing | N/A | |
* Death of O'Neill
By-Election 2 February 1918: South Armagh :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Irish Parliamentary | Patrick Donnelly | 2,324 | 63.34 | −10.90 |
| | Sinn Féin | Patrick McCartan | 1,305 | 35.57 | New |
| | Ind. Unionist | Thomas Wakefield Richardson | 40 | 1.09 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,019 | 27.77 | −20.71 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 6,345 | 57.83 | +0.66 |
| | Irish Parliamentary hold | Irish Parliamentary hold | Swing | N/A | |
General Election 14 December 1918: South Armagh :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Irish Parliamentary | Patrick Donnelly | 4,345 | 98.21 | +34.87 |
| | Sinn Féin | James Thomas McKee | 79 | 1.79 | −33.78 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,266 | 96.42 | +68.65 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 15,905 | 87.84 | +30.01 |
| | Irish Parliamentary hold | Irish Parliamentary hold | Swing | +34.33 | |