County Louth, otherwise known as Louth County or Louth, is a former parliamentary constituency in Ireland

Ireland

Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

, which was represented in the House of Commons

British House of Commons

The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...

 of the Parliament of the United Kingdom

Parliament of the United Kingdom

The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...

. From 1801 to 1885 it returned two Members of Parliament (MPs), and one in 1918–1922.

Boundaries

From 1801 to 1885, the constituency comprised the whole of County Louth

County Louth

County Louth is a county of Ireland. It is part of the Border Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Louth. Louth County Council is the local authority for the county...

, except for the Parliamentary borough

Parliamentary borough

Parliamentary boroughs are a type of administrative division, usually covering urban areas, that are entitled to representation in a Parliament...

s of Drogheda

Drogheda (UK Parliament constituency)

Drogheda was a parliamentary borough constituency in Ireland, which returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom...

 and Dundalk

Dundalk (UK Parliament constituency)

Dundalk was a parliamentary borough constituency in Ireland, which returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom...

. Between 1885 and 1918 the county was divided into the county division constituencies North Louth

North Louth (UK Parliament constituency)

North Louth was a parliamentary constituency in Ireland, which returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1885 to 1918...

 and South Louth

South Louth (UK Parliament constituency)

South Louth was a parliamentary constituency in Ireland, which returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1885 to 1918...

. In 1918, the reunited constituency covered the entire county of Louth plus a small part of County Meath

County Meath

County Meath is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Mid-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the ancient Kingdom of Mide . Meath County Council is the local authority for the county...

 near Drogheda.

History

Louth was a constituency in the first Dáil election in December 1918 when Sinn Féin

Sinn Féin

Sinn Féin is a left wing, Irish republican political party in Ireland. The name is Irish for "ourselves" or "we ourselves", although it is frequently mistranslated as "ourselves alone". Originating in the Sinn Féin organisation founded in 1905 by Arthur Griffith, it took its current form in 1970...

 won by 255 votes, its narrowest margin of victory in that election. John J. O'Kelly

John J. O'Kelly

John Joseph O'Kelly was an Irish politician, author and publisher. He was a former president of the Gaelic League and of Sinn Féin. He was born on Valentia Island off the County Kerry coast.-Political career:He joined Sinn Féin at its inaugural meeting on November 5, 1905...

, 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

Members of the 2nd Dáil

There were two elections in Ireland on 24 May 1921, as a result of the Government of Ireland Act 1920 to establish the House of Commons of Northern Ireland and the House of Commons of Southern Ireland. The election was used by Irish republicans as the basis of membership of the 2nd Dáil. The 2nd...

 and 3rd

Members of the 3rd Dáil

This is a list of the members who were elected to the 3rd Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas of the soon to be created Irish Free State. These TDs were elected at the 1922 general election on 16 June 1922. The 3rd Dáil was dissolved by Governor-General Timothy Michael Healy, at the...

 Dála

Dáil Éireann

Dáil Éireann is the lower house, but principal chamber, of the Oireachtas , which also includes the President of Ireland and Seanad Éireann . It is directly elected at least once in every five years under the system of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote...

. In 1923 Louth became a new 3 seat constituency

Louth (Dáil Éireann constituency)

Louth is a parliamentary constituency represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas. The constituency elects 5 deputies...

.

MPs 1801–1885

Election	|2nd Member	2nd Party
1801, 1 January United Kingdom general election, 1801 The United Kingdom general election, 1801 was not an election as such, but the co-option of members to serve in the first Parliament to be held after the formation of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland on 1 January 1801...		John Foster John Foster, 1st Baron Oriel John Foster, 1st Baron Oriel was an Irish peer and politician.He was the son of Anthony Foster of Louth, an Irish judge . He was elected Member of Parliament to the Irish House of Commons for Dunleer in 1761, a seat he held until 1769...			William Charles Fortescue
1806, 18 November					Viscount Jocelyn Robert Jocelyn, 3rd Earl of Roden Robert Jocelyn, 3rd Earl of Roden KP, PC PC , styled Viscount Jocelyn between 1797 and 1820, was an Irish Tory politician and supporter of Protestant causes.-Background:...
1807, 19 May					John Jocelyn
1810, 10 February					Viscount Jocelyn Robert Jocelyn, 3rd Earl of Roden Robert Jocelyn, 3rd Earl of Roden KP, PC PC , styled Viscount Jocelyn between 1797 and 1820, was an Irish Tory politician and supporter of Protestant causes.-Background:...
1820, 10 August					John Jocelyn
1821, 27 August		Thomas Skeffington Thomas Skeffington, 2nd Viscount Ferrard Thomas Henry Skeffington, 2nd Viscount Ferrard , styled The Honourable from 1790 until 1821, was an Irish peer and politician-Background:...
1824, 21 February		John Leslie Foster John Leslie Foster John Leslie Foster, FRS was an Irish Tory Member of Parliament in the United Kingdom Parliament.The son of Lord Bishop Foster , he was educated at Trinity College, Cambridge and St John's College, Cambridge. He represented Dublin University from 1807 to 1812, having first contested the seat in 1806...
1826, 21 June					Alexander Dawson
1830, 13 August		John McClintock John McClintock (MP) John McClintock was an Irish magistrate for County Louth, and formerly Serjeant at Arms in the Irish House of Commons.-Early years:...	Conservative Conservative Party (UK) The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
1831, 18 May		Richard Lalor Shiel
1831, 28 September					Sir Patrick Bellew, Bt Patrick Bellew, 1st Baron Bellew Patrick Bellew, 1st Baron Bellew PC , known as Sir Patrick Bellew, 7th Baronet, from 1827 to 1848, was an Irish Whig politician....
1832, 21 December		Thomas FitzGerald Thomas Fitzgerald Thomas Fitzgerald was an American politician who served as a judge and state legislator in both Indiana and Michigan, and as a United States Senator from Michigan....			Richard Montesquieu Bellew
1834, 24 December		Sir Patrick Bellew, Bt Patrick Bellew, 1st Baron Bellew Patrick Bellew, 1st Baron Bellew PC , known as Sir Patrick Bellew, 7th Baronet, from 1827 to 1848, was an Irish Whig politician....
1837, 5 August		Henry Chester
1840, 31 July		Thomas Fortescue
1841, 15 July		Thomas Vesey Dawson
1847, 10 August		Chichester Fortescue Chichester Parkinson-Fortescue, 1st Baron Carlingford Chichester Samuel Parkinson-Fortescue, 2nd Baron Clermont and 1st Baron Carlingford KP, PC , known as Chichester Fortescue until 1863 and as Chichester Parkinson-Fortescue between 1863 and 1874, Lord Carlingford from 1874 to 1887 and Lord Clermont after 1887, was a British statesman and Liberal...
1852, 22 July					Tristram Kennedy
1857, 10 April					John McClintock John McClintock, 1st Baron Rathdonnell John McClintock, 1st Baron Rathdonnell , was an Irish peer and Conservative Member of Parliament.-Biography:McClintock was appointed High Sheriff of Louth in 1840 and elected Member of Parliament for County Louth in 1857, a seat he held until 1859. He later served as Lord Lieutenant of County Louth...
1859, 16 May					Richard Montesquieu Bellew
1865, 15 April					Tristram Kennedy
1868, 24 November					Matthew O'Reilly Dease
1874, 14 February		Alexander Martin Sullivan Alexander Martin Sullivan (Irish politician) Alexander Martin Sullivan was an Irish politician, lawyer and journalist from Bantry, County Cork.He was the son of Daniel and Ann Sullivan, and brother to Timothy Daniel Sullivan, who was Lord Mayor of Dublin from 1886 to 1888....			Philip Callan Philip Callan Philip Callan MP Philip Callan MP Philip Callan MP (born 1837, was the son of Owen Callan MP, of Cookstown House Ardee (where Philip Callan was born). Philip Callan studied Law at Trinity College, Dublin, and also at Kings Inns as can be seen in his papers for Kings Inns Admittance...
1874, 9 April					George Harley Kirk
1880, 15 April					Philip Callan Philip Callan Philip Callan MP Philip Callan MP Philip Callan MP (born 1837, was the son of Owen Callan MP, of Cookstown House Ardee (where Philip Callan was born). Philip Callan studied Law at Trinity College, Dublin, and also at Kings Inns as can be seen in his papers for Kings Inns Admittance...
1880, 31 May		Alan Henry Bellingham Sir Henry Bellingham, 4th Baronet Sir Alan Henry Bellingham, 4th Baronet JP , commonly known as Henry Bellingham, was a British Conservative politician and barrister-at-law.-Background:...	Conservative Conservative Party (UK) The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
1885 Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 The Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It was a piece of electoral reform legislation that redistributed the seats in the House of Commons, introducing the concept of equally populated constituencies, in an attempt to equalise representation across...	Constituency divided: see North Louth North Louth (UK Parliament constituency) North Louth was a parliamentary constituency in Ireland, which returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1885 to 1918...  and South Louth South Louth (UK Parliament constituency) South Louth was a parliamentary constituency in Ireland, which returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1885 to 1918...

MPs 1918–1922

Election

1918 United Kingdom general election, 1918 The United Kingdom general election of 1918 was the first to be held after the Representation of the People Act 1918, which meant it was the first United Kingdom general election in which nearly all adult men and some women could vote. Polling was held on 14 December 1918, although the count did...

John J. O'Kelly John J. O'Kelly John Joseph O'Kelly was an Irish politician, author and publisher. He was a former president of the Gaelic League and of Sinn Féin. He was born on Valentia Island off the County Kerry coast.-Political career:He joined Sinn Féin at its inaugural meeting on November 5, 1905...

Sinn Féin Sinn Féin Sinn Féin is a left wing, Irish republican political party in Ireland. The name is Irish for "ourselves" or "we ourselves", although it is frequently mistranslated as "ourselves alone". Originating in the Sinn Féin organisation founded in 1905 by Arthur Griffith, it took its current form in 1970...

1922

Constituency abolished