County Louth (UK Parliament constituency) should not be confused with Louth, Lincolnshire (UK Parliament constituency).
| County Louth | |
| Type: | county |
| Region: | Ireland |
| County: | County Louth |
| Parliament: | uk |
| Year: | 1801 |
| Abolished: | 1885 |
| Elects Howmany: | 2 |
| Previous: | Louth County |
| Next: | North Louth and South Louth |
| Year2: | 1918 |
| Abolished2: | 1922 |
| Elects Howmany2: | 1 |
| Previous2: | North Louth and South Louth |
| Next2: | Louth–Meath |
County Louth, otherwise known as Louth County or Louth, is a former parliamentary constituency in Ireland, which was represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. From 1801 to 1885 it returned two Members of Parliament (MPs), and one from 1918 to 1922.
From 1801 to 1885, the constituency comprised the whole of County Louth, except for the parliamentary boroughs of Drogheda and Dundalk. Between 1885 and 1918 the county was divided into the county division constituencies North Louth and South Louth. In 1918, the reunited constituency covered the entire county of Louth plus a small part of County Meath near Drogheda.
Louth was a constituency in the first Dáil election in December 1918 when Sinn Féin won by 255 votes, its narrowest margin of victory in that election. John J. O'Kelly, a native of Kerry, resident in Glasnevin (Dublin), was Louth's first TD. The constituency was merged with Meath to form the 5 seat Louth–Meath constituency for the 2nd and 3rd Dála. In 1923 Louth became a new 3 seat constituency.
| Election | 1st Member | 1st Party | 2nd Member | 2nd Party | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1801, 1 January | John Foster < | -- 28 Sep 1740 to 23 Aug 1828 --> | < | -- party --> | ||||
| 1806, 18 November | Tory | Tory | ||||||
| 1807, 19 May | ||||||||
| 1810, 10 February | Tory | |||||||
| 1820, 10 August | John Jocelyn < | -- 1769 to 21 Jan 1828 --> | < | -- party --> | ||||
| 1821, 27 September | ||||||||
| 1824, 21 February | John Leslie Foster < | -- c 1781 to 10 Jul 1842 --> | Tory[1] | |||||
| 1826, 21 June | Alexander Dawson < | -- c 1771 to 1831 --> | Radical[2] | |||||
| 1830, 13 August | Tory | |||||||
| 1831, 18 May | Richard Lalor Sheil < | -- 17 Aug 1791 to 25 May 1851 --> | Repeal Association | |||||
| 1831, 28 September | Whig | |||||||
| 1832, 21 December | Repeal Association | Richard Bellew < | -- 12 Feb 1803 to 8 Jan 1880 --> | Repeal Association | ||||
| 1834, 24 December | Whig | |||||||
| 1837, 5 August | Henry Chester | Whig | ||||||
| 1840, 31 July | Thomas Fortescue | Whig[3] | ||||||
| 1841, 15 July | Whig[4] | Whig[5] [6] [7] | ||||||
| 1847, 10 August | Chichester Fortescue < | -- 18 Jan 1823 to 30 Jan 1898 --> | Whig[8] [9] | |||||
| 1852, 22 July | Ind. Irish | |||||||
| 1857, 10 April | Conservative | |||||||
| 1859, 16 May | Liberal | Liberal | ||||||
| 1865, 15 April | Liberal | |||||||
| 1868, 24 November | Liberal | |||||||
| 1874, 14 February | Alexander Martin Sullivan < | -- died 17 Oct 1884 --> | Home Rule League | Philip Callan[10] | Home Rule League | |||
| 1874, 9 April | Home Rule League | |||||||
| 1880, 9 April | Philip Callan < | -- born 1837 --> | Home Rule League | |||||
| 1880, 31 May | Home Rule League | |||||||
| 1885 | Constituency divided: see North Louth and South Louth | |||||||
| Election | Member | Party | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1918 | John J. O'Kelly | Sinn Féin | ||
| 1922 | Constituency abolished | |||
Dawson's death caused a by-election.
FitzGerald's death caused a by-election.
Chester resigned by accepting the office of Steward of the Chiltern Hundreds, causing a by-election.
Fortescue was appointed a Lord Commissioner of the Treasury, requiring a by-election.
Bellew resigned after he was appointed a law commissioner, causing a by-election.
Parkinson-Fortescue was appointed Chief Secretary for Ireland, requiring a by-election.
Parkinson-Fortescue was appointed Chief Secretary for Ireland, requiring a by-election.
Callan was also elected MP for Dundalk and opted to sit there.
Sullivan declined to take the seat, causing a by-election.