National University of Ireland (Dáil Éireann constituency)

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National University of Ireland, was a former Dáil Éireann parliamentary constituency. It was a Dáil constituency 1918-1937.

Contents

[edit] Representation

The University was, in Irish republican theory, entitled to return one Teachta Dála (known in English as a Deputy) in 1918 to serve in the Irish Republic's First Dáil. Sinn Féin used the UK general election in 1918 to elect the Dáil. The revolutionary body assembled on 21 January 1919. The list of members read out on that day included everyone elected in Ireland. Only the Sinn Féin Deputies participated in the Dáil, but the other Irish MPs could have done so if they had chosen to adhere to the Republic.

The First Dáil, passed a motion at its last meeting on 10 May 1921, the first three parts of which make explicit the republican view.

  1. That the Parliamentary elections which are to take place during the present month be regarded as elections to Dáil Éireann.
  2. That all deputies duly returned at these elections be regarded as members of Dáil Éireann and allowed to take their seats on subscribing to the proposed Oath of Allegiance.
  3. That the present Dáil dissolve automatically as soon as the new body has been summoned by the President and called to order.

The Second Dáil first met on 16 August 1921, thereby dissolving the First Dáil.

Sinn Féin had decided to use the polls for the Northern Ireland House of Commons and the House of Commons of Southern Ireland as an election for the Irish Republic's Second Dáil. No actual voting was necessary in Southern Ireland as all the seats were filled by unopposed returns. Except for Dublin University all other constituencies elected Sinn Féin TDs. As with the First Dáil, the other Deputies could have joined the Dáil if they chose.

From the Third Dáil onwards the Dáil represented only the twenty-six counties which formed the Irish Free State.

In the 2nd and 3rd Dála there were four Deputies elected from the National University. From 1923-1937 the University returned three members to the Dáil. Thereafter the University representation was transferred to Seanad Éireann.

National University of Ireland was also a former United Kingdom Parliament constituency. It was, in theory, represented from 1918 until 1922. In practice the MP never took his seat. The University ceased to be entitled to be represented in the UK House of Commons on the dissolution of 26 October 1922, shortly before the Irish Free State came into legal existence on 6 December 1922.

[edit] Boundaries

The National University of Ireland (NUI) was a federal university system of constituent colleges, and recognised colleges set up under the Irish Universities Act, 1908.

As part of the redistribution of Parliamentary seats in 1918 NUI was enfranchised as a new non-territorial Parliamentary constituency.

[edit] Electorate

In 1918 the electorate included all registered graduates of the University. Male graduates qualified to vote if they had attained the age of 21 but female ones had to be at least 30 to acquire the franchise. There were 3,819 voters registered for the 1918 general election. Most, if not all, of those electors would have been plural voters also entitled to vote in a territorial constituency.

In the Electoral Act 1923 (No. 12/1923), the Irish Free State abolished plural voting for University constituencies and enfranchised women on the same terms as men. Qualified voters could then decide whether to register for a University or a territorial constituency but not for both.

The qualifications for an elector to be registered as a University voter were set out in Section 1(2)(c) of the 1923 Act. They were to be registered at "the University constituency comprising a university in which he or she has received a degree other than an honorary degree or, in the case of the University of Dublin, has received such degree as aforesaid, or obtained a foundation scholarship, or, if a woman, obtained a non-foundation scholarship".

[edit] Politics of the constituency

Sinn Féin defeated the Irish Parliamentary Party by a two to one margin, in 1918.

[edit] Electoral System

In 1918 the constituency used the first past the post system.

From 1921 parliamentary representatives of the University were elected using the single transferable vote method of proportional representation.

[edit] TDs

Key to parties: CE Clann Éireann, CG Cumann na nGaedhael, FF Fianna Fáil, FG Fine Gael, Ind Independent, N Nationalist (Irish Parliamentary Party), Rep Republican, SF Sinn Féin, SFA Sinn Féin (anti-Treaty faction), SFP Sinn Féin (pro-Treaty faction).

From To Name (Party) Born Died
1918 1923 Professor Eoin MacNeill (SF) 15 May 1867 15 October 1945
1921 1922 Dr Ada English (SF) 1 January 1944
1921 1933 Professor Michael Hayes (SF) 1 December 1889 11 July 1976
1921 1923 Prof. William F.P. Stockley (SF) 22 July 1943
1922 1927 Professor William Magennis (Ind) 18 May 1867 30 March 1946
1923 1937 Patrick McGilligan (Ind) 12 April 1889 15 November 1979
1927 1927 Arthur Edward Clery (Rep)
1927 1932 Professor Michael Tierney (CG) 30 September 1894 10 May 1975
1932 1936 Conor Alexander Maguire (FF) 26 September 1971
1933 1937 Mrs Helena Concannon (FF) 1878 27 February 1952

[edit] Notes

  • (1) MacNeill was also TD for Londonderry City 1918-1921, Londonderry (Derry in the Oireachtas members database) 1921-1922 and Clare 1923-1927. He resigned this seart to sit for Clare. He was SFP 1922-1923 and CG 1923-1927. He served as Ceann Comhairle (equivalent to speaker in some other legislatures) 1921-1922.
  • (2) Hayes was also elected TD for Dublin South 1923, but chose to sit for NUI. He was SFP 1922-1923 and CG 1923-1933. He served as Ceann Comhairle 1923-1932.
  • (3) Stockley was SFA 1922-1923. He did not take his seat in the Third Dáil 1922-1923.
  • (4) Magennis was CE 1926-1927.
  • (5) McGilligan was CG 1924-1933 and FG 1933-1937.
  • (6) Clery did not take his seat in the 5th Dáil 1927.

[edit] Elections

  • 1918 (polling 18 December-22 December, result declared 23 December) general election (1 seat)
  • 3,819 electors; 2,457 voted; turnout 64.34%
  • Professor Eoin MacNeill (SF) 1,644 (66.91%) (elected)
  • Professor Arthur William Conway (N) 813 (33.09%)
  • majority 831 (33.82%)
  • 1921 (24 May) general election (4 seats)
  • Dr Ada English (SF): Unopposed
  • Professor Michael Hayes (SF): Unopposed
  • Professor Eoin MacNeill (SF): Unopposed
  • Professor William F.P. Stockley (SF): Unopposed
  • 1922 (16 June) general election (4 seats)
  • Professor Michael Hayes (SFP) ? (elected)
  • Professor Eoin MacNeill (SFP) ? (elected)
  • Professor William Magennis (Ind) ? (elected)
  • Professor William F.P. Stockley (SFA) ? (elected)
  • Dr Ada English (SFA) ?
  • Professor Arthur William Conway (Ind) ?
  • 1923 (27 August) general election (3 seats)
  • Professor Eoin MacNeill (CG) 418 (elected)
  • Professor Michael Hayes (CG) 343 (elected)
  • Professor William Magennis (CG) 304 (elected)
  • Professor William F.P. Stockley (Rep) ?
  • Professor Hugh Ryan (Rep) ?
  • Miss Agnes Farrelly (Ind) ?
  • MacNeill chooses to sit for Clare
  • 1923 (2 November) by-election (1 seat)
  • 1,567 electors; 1,110 voted; turnout 70.84%; quota 556
  • Patrick McGilligan (Ind) 849 (76.49%) (elected)
  • Professor William F.P. Stockley (Rep) 261 (23.51%)
  • 1927 (9 June) general election (3 seats)
  • Arthur Edward Clery (Rep) ? (elected)
  • Professor Michael Hayes (CG): Unopposed as Ceann Comhairle
  • Patrick McGilligan (CG) ? (elected)
  • Professor William Magennis (CE) ?
  • Miss Agnes Farrelly (Ind) ?
  • 1927 (15 September) general election (3 seats)
  • Professor Michael Hayes (CG): Unopposed as Ceann Comhairle
  • Patrick McGilligan (CG) ? (elected)
  • Professor Michael Tierney (CG) ? (elected)
  •  ? (FF) ?
  • 1932 (16 February) general election (3 seats)
  • Only count 3,143 voted; quota (2 elected seats) 1,048
  • Professor Michael Hayes (CG): Unopposed as Ceann Comhairle
  • Conor Alexander Maguire (FF) 1,396 (44.42%) (elected)
  • Patrick McGilligan (CG) 1,321 (42.03%) (elected)
  • Professor Michael Tierney (CG) 426 (13.55%)
  • 1933 (24 January) general election (3 seats)
  • First count 3,770 voted; quota 943
  • Conor Alexander Maguire (FF) 1,306 (34.64%) (elected)
  • Patrick McGilligan (CG) 1,028 (27.27%) (elected)
  • Mrs Helena Concannon (FF) 773 (20.50%) (elected - 2nd count)
  • Professor Michael Hayes (CG) 663 (17.59%)
  • 1936 (November)
  • Seat vacant on appointment of Maguire as a Justice of the Irish High Court

[edit] References

  • Parliamentary Election Results in Ireland, 1801-1922, edited by B.M. Walker (Royal Irish Academy 1978)
  • The Times of London, various editions

[edit] External links

[edit] See also

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