# Dundalk (UK Parliament constituency)

Dundalk was a parliamentary borough constituency in Ireland, which returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It was an original constituency represented in Parliament when the Union of Great Britain and Ireland took effect on 1 January 1801, replacing the Dundalk constituency in the Parliament of Ireland.

## Boundaries

This constituency was the Parliamentary borough of Dundalk in County Louth.

## History

The constituency was one of the two member borough constituencies in the Parliament of Ireland, which became a single member United Kingdom constituency when the union of Great Britain and Ireland took effect on 1 January 1801.
The first member of the United Kingdom House of Commons was to be selected from the area's two MPs in the Irish Parliament, by drawing lots. However both members resigned so the seat could not be filled by co-option and a by-election was necessary. The by-election took place on 28 February 1801. The Right Honourable Isaac Corry, a quite prominent political figure, was elected the first United Kingdom MP for Dundalk.
Corry was associated with what came to be called the Tory Party after the death of William Pitt the younger in 1806. Up until the extension of the franchise in 1832, the borough was strongly Tory in representation. The fact that no Tory or Conservative was elected after 1832 may say something about the unrepresentative nature of the old franchise.
Dundalk had a population of 9,256 in 1821. Walker records that the electorate in 1831 numbered 36. The population in 1831 had increased to 10,750. All the elections in the borough between 1801 and 1831 were unopposed returns.
The 1832 general election was conducted on a new franchise. The registered electorate, under the new system, numbered 318. At the borough's first contested election of the century 295 people voted (Liberal 167, Conservative 128).
From 1832 to 1885 the constituency returned members who were Liberals or who belonged to a series of Irish-based groups (the Repeal Association, the Independent Irish Party and the Home Rule League). The Liberals elected in Dundalk tended to have nationalist leanings.
The last MP for the constituency was the prominent Liberal lawyer-politician, Charles Russell. An Irish born Catholic, Russell was to be the lead Counsel for Charles Stewart Parnell during the inquiry into allegations which had appeared in The Times. In March 1887 it had been suggested that Parnell was complicit in the murders of the Chief Secretary for Ireland Lord Frederick Cavendish and the Permanent Under-Secretary for Ireland, T.H. Burke. Letters were produced to support the allegations. As a result of Russell's masterly cross-examination of Richard Pigott, the forger of the letters, the Commission of Enquiry vindicated Parnell.

## Members of Parliament

| Election | Election | Member | Party | Note |
| | 1801, 1 January | seat vacant | ... | Both members in the Irish Parliament had resigned |
| | 1801, 28 February | Rt Hon. Isaac Corry | Tory | |
| | 1802, 15 July | Richard Archdall | Tory | |
| | 1806, 22 November | John Metge | Tory | Resigned (appointed Escheator of Munster) |
| | 1807, 20 January | Josias Porcher | Tory | 1807, May: Also returned by and elected to sit for Old Sarum |
| | 1807, 4 August | Patrick Bruce | | Resigned (appointed Steward of the Manor of East Hendred) |
| | 1808, 27 July | Thomas Hughan | | Died |
| | 1812, 21 February | Frederick Trench | Tory | |
| | 1812, 26 October | John Metge | Tory | Resigned (appointed Escheator of Munster) |
| | 1813, 2 January | Lyndon Evelyn | Tory | |
| | 1818, 29 June | Gerrard Callaghan | Tory | |
| | 1820, 24 March | John Metge | Tory | Resigned (appointed Escheator of Munster) |
| | 1820, 29 June | George Hartopp | Tory | Died |
| | 1824, 5 May | Sir Robert Inglis, Bt | Tory | |
| | 1826, 12 June | Charles Barclay | Tory | |
| | 1830, 14 August | Hon. John Hobart Caradoc | Whig | |
| | 1831, 13 May | James Edward Gordon | Tory | |
| | 1832, 19 December | William O'Reilly | Whig | |
| | 1835, 14 January | William Sharman Crawford | Radical | |
| | 1837, 2 August | Thomas Nicholas Redington | Whig | Appointed Under-Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant |
| | 1846, 31 July | Daniel O'Connell Jnr | Repeal Association | |
| | 1847, 6 August | Charles MacTavish | Repeal Association | Unseated on petition |
| | 1848, 20 March | William Torrens McCullagh | Whig | Declared duly elected, on petition |
| | 1852, 15 July | Sir George Bowyer, Bt | Independent Irish Party | |
| | 1857, 2 April | Sir George Bowyer, Bt | Whig | |
| | 1859, 2 May | Sir George Bowyer, Bt | Liberal | |
| | 1868, 21 November | Philip Callan | Liberal | Re-elected as a Home Rule League candidate |
| | 1874, 5 February | Philip Callan | Home Rule League | Also returned by County Louth, but elects to sit here |
| | 1880, 2 April | Charles Russell | Liberal | Last MP from the constituency |
| 1885 | 1885 | Constituency abolished | Constituency abolished | Constituency abolished |

## Elections
### Elections in the 1830s

General election 1830: Dundalk :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Whig | John Hobart Caradoc | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | c. 32 | |
| | Whig gain from Tory | Whig gain from Tory | Whig gain from Tory | Whig gain from Tory |
General election 1831: Dundalk :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Tory | James Edward Gordon (MP) | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 36 | |
| | Tory gain from Whig | Tory gain from Whig | Tory gain from Whig | Tory gain from Whig |
General election 1832: Dundalk :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Whig | William O'Reilly | 167 | 56.6 |
| | Tory | John Jocelyn | 128 | 43.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 39 | 13.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 295 | 92.8 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 318 | |
| | Whig gain from Tory | Whig gain from Tory | Whig gain from Tory | Whig gain from Tory |
General election 1835: Dundalk :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Radical | William Sharman Crawford | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 376 | |
| | Radical gain from Whig | Radical gain from Whig | Radical gain from Whig | Radical gain from Whig |
General election 1837: Dundalk :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Whig | Thomas Nicholas Redington | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 557 | |
| | Whig gain from Radical | Whig gain from Radical | Whig gain from Radical | Whig gain from Radical |

### Elections in the 1840s

General election 1841: Dundalk :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Whig | Thomas Nicholas Redington | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 538 | | |
| | Whig hold | Whig hold | Whig hold | Whig hold | Whig hold |
Redington resigned after being appointed Under-Secretary for Ireland, causing a by-election.
By-election, 31 July 1846: Dundalk :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Irish Repeal | Daniel O'Connell | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Irish Repeal gain from Whig | Irish Repeal gain from Whig | Irish Repeal gain from Whig | Irish Repeal gain from Whig | Irish Repeal gain from Whig |
General election 1847: Dundalk :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Irish Repeal | Charles MacTavish | 124 | 50.6 | N/A |
| | Whig | William McCullagh | 121 | 49.4 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3 | 1.2 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 245 | 50.2 | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 488 | | |
| | Irish Repeal gain from Whig | Irish Repeal gain from Whig | Irish Repeal gain from Whig | Irish Repeal gain from Whig | Irish Repeal gain from Whig |
Upon petition, MacTavish was unseated and McCullagh was declared elected on 20 March 1848

### Elections in the 1850s

General election 1852: Dundalk :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Independent Irish | George Bowyer | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 267 | | |
| | Independent Irish gain from Irish Repeal | Independent Irish gain from Irish Repeal | Independent Irish gain from Irish Repeal | Independent Irish gain from Irish Repeal | Independent Irish gain from Irish Repeal |
General election 1857: Dundalk :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Whig | George Bowyer | 133 | 77.3 | New |
| | Independent Irish | John MacNamara Cantwell | 39 | 22.7 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 94 | 54.6 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 172 | 67.2 | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 256 | | |
| | Whig gain from Independent Irish | Whig gain from Independent Irish | Swing | N/A | |
General election 1859: Dundalk :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | George Bowyer | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 293 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold |

### Elections in the 1860s

General election 1865: Dundalk :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | George Bowyer | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 287 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold |
General election 1868: Dundalk :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Philip Callan | 164 | 43.2 | N/A |
| | Liberal | Charles Russell | 143 | 37.6 | N/A |
| | Liberal | George Bowyer | 72 | 18.9 | N/A |
| | Independent | William Robson | 1 | 0.3 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 21 | 5.6 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 380 | 85.0 | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 447 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | N/A | |

### Elections in the 1870s

General election 1874: Dundalk :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Home Rule | Philip Callan | 257 | 53.3 | New |
| | Liberal | Charles Russell | 225 | 46.7 | −51.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 32 | 6.6 | +1.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 482 | 82.4 | −2.6 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 585 | | |
| | Home Rule gain from Liberal | Home Rule gain from Liberal | Swing | +0.5 | |

### Elections in the 1880s

General election 1880: Dundalk :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Charles Russell | 263 | 54.1 | +7.4 |
| | Home Rule | Philip Callan | 214 | 44.0 | −9.3 |
| | Conservative | James Davis | 9 | 1.9 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 49 | 10.1 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 486 | 86.3 | +3.9 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 563 | | |
| | Liberal gain from Home Rule | Liberal gain from Home Rule | Swing | +8.4 | |