Dublin Harbour (UK Parliament constituency)

Dublin Harbour
Former Borough constituency
for the House of Commons
1885–1922
Number of members 1
Created from Dublin

Dublin Harbour, a division of Dublin, was a UK parliamentary constituency in Ireland. It returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1885 to 1922.

Prior to the 1885 general election, the city was the undivided two member Dublin City constituency. In 1885, Dublin was divided into four constituencies: the Harbour, Dublin College Green, Dublin St Patrick's and Dublin St Stephen's Green constituencies.

In 1918, the city was allocated seven seats: in addition to the four existing constituencies, the new divisions were Dublin Clontarf, Dublin St James's and Dublin St Michan's.

From the dissolution of 1922, the area was no longer represented in the UK Parliament.

Boundaries

This constituency comprised part of the city of Dublin. It included the port and red light district of Dublin and was one of the poorest constituencies in Ireland.

In 1921, for the elections to the House of Commons of Southern Ireland, Dublin was divided into three multi-member constituencies. This constituency became part of Dublin Mid.

Politics

Dublin Harbour was a very heavily Nationalist area. The Irish Parliamentary Party only lost political control of the district following the Easter Rising in 1916. The area was a hotbed of Sinn Féin and Irish Republican Army activity. Local publican Phil Shanahan, who had participated in the Easter Rising, was elected in 1918. The man he defeated, the incumbent UK Member of Parliament Alfie Byrne, was a formidable politician. Byrne was successful in Dublin and Irish politics for almost half a century. The fact that Shanahan could beat him demonstrates how strongly the constituency was attracted by Sinn Féin's ideas.

In common with other Sinn Féiners elected in 1918, Shanahan did not take his seat at Westminster but instead participated in the revolutionary Dáil Éireann.

Members of Parliament

Key to parties: APN Anti-Parnellite Nationalist (Irish Parliamentary Party), Ind N Independent Nationalist (All-for-Ireland League), L Liberal Party, LU Liberal Unionist, N Nationalist (Irish Parliamentary Party), PN Parnellite Nationalist (Irish Parliamentary Party), SF Sinn Féin.

From To Name (Party) Born Died
1885 1910 Timothy Charles Harrington (N) 1851 12 March 1910
1910 1915 William Abraham (N) 1840 2 August 1915
1915 1918 Alfie Byrne (N) 17 March 1882 13 March 1956
1918 1922 Philip Shanahan (SF)

Harrington changed his allegiance between different factions of Irish Nationalism several times. In 1891 he became a Parnellite Nationalist, in 1897 an Independent Nationalist and from 1900 (when the Irish Parliamentary Party re-united) he stood for election as a Nationalist again.

Elections

References

See also

External links

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