South Meath (UK Parliament constituency)

South Meath was a UK Parliament constituency in Ireland, returning one Member of Parliament (MP) from 1885 to 1922.

South Meath
Former county constituency for the House of Commons
1885–1922
Seats	1
Created from	Meath
Replaced by	Louth–Meath

Prior to the 1885 general election the area was part of the Meath (UK Parliament constituency). From 1922, on the establishment of the Irish Free State, it was not represented in the UK Parliament.

Boundaries

This constituency comprised the southern part of County Meath.

1885–1922: The baronies of Deece Lower, Deece Upper, Duleek Lower, Duleek Upper, Dunboyne, Lune, Moyfenrath Lower, Moyfenrath Upper, Navan Upper and Ratoath, that part of the barony of Navan Lower contained within the parishes of Churchtown and Rataine, and that part of the barony of Skreen not contained within the constituency of North Meath.

Members of Parliament

Election		Member	Party
	1885	Edward Sheil	Irish Parliamentary Party
	1891		Parnellite
	1892	Patrick Fulham	Irish National Federation
	1893 by-election	Jeremiah Jordan	Irish National Federation
	1895	John Howard Parnell	Parnellite
	1900	James Laurence Carew	Independent Nationalist
	1903	David Sheehy	Irish Parliamentary Party
	1918	Eamonn Duggan	Sinn Féin
	1922	constituency abolished

Elections

Elections in the 1880s

1885 general election: South Meath

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Irish Parliamentary	Edward Sheil	Unopposed
Registered electors			6,324
	Irish Parliamentary win (new seat)

1886 general election: South Meath

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Irish Parliamentary	Edward Sheil	Unopposed
Registered electors			6,324
	Irish Parliamentary hold

Elections in the 1890s

1892 general election: South Meath

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Irish National Federation	Patrick Fullam	2,212	50.1	N/A
	Irish National League	J. J. Dalton	2,199	49.9	N/A
Majority			13	0.2	N/A
Turnout			4,411	79.6	N/A
Registered electors			5,538
	Irish National Federation gain from Irish Parliamentary		Swing	N/A

On petition, Fullam was unseated causing a by-election.

By-election, 1893: South Meath

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Irish National Federation	Jeremiah Jordan	2,707	50.6	+0.5
	Irish National League	J. J. Dalton	2,638	49.4	−0.5
Majority			69	1.2	+1.0
Turnout			5,345	76.5	−3.1
Registered electors			6,983
	Irish National Federation hold		Swing	+0.5

1895 general election: South Meath

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Irish National League	John Howard Parnell	2,380	50.5	+0.6
	Irish National Federation	Jeremiah Jordan	2,337	49.5	−0.6
Majority			43	1.0	N/A
Turnout			4,717	78.9	−0.7
Registered electors			5,978
	Irish National League gain from Irish National Federation		Swing	+0.6

Elections in the 1900s

1900 general election: South Meath

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Healyite Nationalist	James Laurence Carew	Unopposed
Registered electors			6,362
	Healyite Nationalist gain from Irish National League

Carew's death prompted a by-election.

By-election 1903: South Meath

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Irish Parliamentary	David Sheehy	2,245	68.5	N/A
	Ind. Nationalist	John Howard Parnell	1,031	31.5	New
Majority			1,214	37.0	N/A
Turnout			3,276	54.8	N/A
Registered electors			5,980
	Irish Parliamentary gain from Healyite Nationalist		Swing	N/A

1906 general election: South Meath

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Irish Parliamentary	David Sheehy	Unopposed
Registered electors			5,825
	Irish Parliamentary gain from Healyite Nationalist

Elections in the 1910s

January 1910 general election: South Meath

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Irish Parliamentary	David Sheehy	Unopposed
Registered electors			5,584
	Irish Parliamentary hold

December 1910 general election: South Meath

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Irish Parliamentary	David Sheehy	Unopposed
Registered electors			5,584
	Irish Parliamentary hold

1918 general election: South Meath

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Sinn Féin	Eamonn Duggan	6,371	70.4	New
	Irish Parliamentary	Thomas Peter O'Donoghue	2,680	29.6	N/A
Majority			3,691	40.8	N/A
Turnout			9,051	61.5	N/A
Registered electors			14,716
	Sinn Féin gain from Irish Parliamentary		Swing	N/A

References

• Walker, Brian M., ed. (1978). Parliamentary Election Results in Ireland, 1801–1922. Dublin: Royal Irish Academy. ISBN 0901714127.
• Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "M" (part 2)