Carlow — UK General Election Results
James Lennon (Sinn Féin) were elected unopposed for Carlow at the 1918 general election. This page covers every general election in Carlow from 1832 to 1918.
This constituency elected more than one MP at once in some years. Before the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 (and in a shrinking number of boroughs through 1948), most UK constituencies elected two or more MPs together by "multi-member plurality" (block vote): each elector could cast one vote per available seat, and the top vote-getters overall were all elected. In those elections below, "Elected" lists every MP returned, "Votes" is the count that secured the last seat, and "Majority" is the gap between that seat and the first candidate who missed out.
Full Election History, 1832–1918
| Election | Elected | Votes | Vote Share | Runner-up | Majority | Turnout |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1832 | Walter Blackney (Repeal Association); Thomas Wallace (Liberal) | 657 | 29.0% (top seat) | Henry Bruen (Conservative) | 174 (7.7 pts) | 91.0% |
| 1835 | Henry Bruen (Conservative); Thomas Kavanagh (Conservative) | 587 | 25.8% (top seat) | Maurice O'Connell (Repeal Association and Whig) | 33 (1.5 pts) | 89.9% |
| 1837 | Nicholas Aylward Vigors (Repeal Association and Whig); John Ashton Yates (Liberal) | 730 | 26.6% (top seat) | Henry Bruen (Conservative) | 87 (3.2 pts) | 77.2% |
| 1841 | Henry Bruen (Conservative); Thomas Bunbury (Conservative) | 704 | 25.2% (top seat) | John Ashton Yates (Liberal) | 7 (0.2 pts) | 79.6% |
| 1847 | William Bunbury McClintock-Bunbury (Conservative); Henry Bruen (Conservative) | Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record | 0.0% | |||
| 1852 | John Ball (Independent Irish); Henry Bruen (Conservative) | 893 | 25.2% (top seat) | William Bunbury McClintock-Bunbury (Conservative) | 13 (0.4 pts) | 84.8% |
| 1857 | Henry Bruen (Conservative); William Bunbury McClintock-Bunbury (Conservative) | Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record | 0.0% | |||
| 1859 | Henry Bruen (Conservative); William Bunbury McClintock-Bunbury (Conservative) | Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record | 0.0% | |||
| 1865 | Henry Bruen (Conservative); Denis William Pack-Beresford (Conservative) | Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record | 0.0% | |||
| 1868 | Henry Bruen (Conservative); Arthur MacMurrough Kavanagh (Conservative) | Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record | 0.0% | |||
| 1874 | Arthur MacMorrough Kavanagh (Conservative); Henry Bruen (Conservative) | Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record | 0.0% | |||
| 1880 | Edmund Dwyer Gray (Irish Parliamentary Party); Donald Horne Macfarlane (Irish Parliamentary Party) | 1,143 | 33.0% (top seat) | Arthur MacMorrough Kavanagh (Conservative) | 429 (11.6 pts) | 84.0% |
| 1885 | Edmund Dwyer Gray (Irish Parliamentary Party) | 4,801 | 86.5% | Thomas Pierce Butler (Irish Unionist) | 4,050 (73.0 pts) | 80.6% |
| 1886 | John Aloysius Blake (Irish Parliamentary Party) | Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record | 0.0% | |||
| 1892 | John Hammond (Irish Parliamentary Party) | 3,738 | 82.1% | Robert More McMahon (Liberal Unionist) | 2,925 (64.3 pts) | 66.2% |
| 1895 | John Hammond (Irish Parliamentary Party) | 3,091 | 81.9% | Steuart James Charles Duckett (Irish Unionist) | 2,406 (63.7 pts) | 61.2% |
| 1900 | John Hammond (Irish Parliamentary Party) | Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record | 0.0% | |||
| 1906 | John Hammond (Irish Parliamentary Party) | Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record | 0.0% | |||
| Dec 1910 | Michael Molloy (Irish Parliamentary Party) | Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record | 0.0% | |||
| Jan 1910 | Michael Molloy (Irish Parliamentary Party) | Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record | 0.0% | |||
| 1918 | James Lennon (Sinn Féin) | Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record | 0.0% | |||
Full Result Breakdown by Election
1832 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Walter Blackney | Repeal Association | 657 | 29.0% | Yes |
| Thomas Wallace | Liberal | 657 | 29.0% | Yes |
| Henry Bruen | Conservative | 483 | 21.3% | No |
| Thomas Kavanagh | Conservative | 470 | 20.7% | No |
1835 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Henry Bruen | Conservative | 588 | 25.8% | Yes |
| Thomas Kavanagh | Conservative | 587 | 25.7% | Yes |
| Maurice O'Connell | Repeal Association and Whig | 554 | 24.3% | No |
| Michael Cahill | Repeal Association and Whig | 553 | 24.2% | No |
1837 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nicholas Aylward Vigors | Repeal Association and Whig | 730 | 26.6% | Yes |
| John Ashton Yates | Liberal | 730 | 26.6% | Yes |
| Henry Bruen | Conservative | 643 | 23.4% | No |
| Thomas Bunbury | Conservative | 643 | 23.4% | No |
1841 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Henry Bruen | Conservative | 705 | 25.2% | Yes |
| Thomas Bunbury | Conservative | 704 | 25.1% | Yes |
| John Ashton Yates | Liberal | 697 | 24.9% | No |
| Daniel O'Connell | Repeal Association | 696 | 24.8% | No |
1847 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| William Bunbury McClintock-Bunbury | Conservative | Unopposed | Yes | |
| Henry Bruen | Conservative | Unopposed | Yes | |
1852 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Ball | Independent Irish | 895 | 25.2% | Yes |
| Henry Bruen | Conservative | 893 | 25.2% | Yes |
| William Bunbury McClintock-Bunbury | Conservative | 880 | 24.8% | No |
| John Henry Keogh | Liberal | 877 | 24.7% | No |
1857 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Henry Bruen | Conservative | Unopposed | Yes | |
| William Bunbury McClintock-Bunbury | Conservative | Unopposed | Yes | |
1859 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Henry Bruen | Conservative | Unopposed | Yes | |
| William Bunbury McClintock-Bunbury | Conservative | Unopposed | Yes | |
1865 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Henry Bruen | Conservative | Unopposed | Yes | |
| Denis William Pack-Beresford | Conservative | Unopposed | Yes | |
1868 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Henry Bruen | Conservative | Unopposed | Yes | |
| Arthur MacMurrough Kavanagh | Conservative | Unopposed | Yes | |
1874 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arthur MacMorrough Kavanagh | Conservative | Unopposed | Yes | |
| Henry Bruen | Conservative | Unopposed | Yes | |
1880 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edmund Dwyer Gray | Irish Parliamentary Party | 1,224 | 33.0% | Yes |
| Donald Horne Macfarlane | Irish Parliamentary Party | 1,143 | 30.8% | Yes |
| Arthur MacMorrough Kavanagh | Conservative | 714 | 19.2% | No |
| Henry Bruen | Conservative | 633 | 17.0% | No |
1885
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edmund Dwyer Gray | Irish Parliamentary Party | 4,801 | 86.5% | Yes |
| Thomas Pierce Butler | Irish Unionist | 751 | 13.5% | No |
1886
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Aloysius Blake | Irish Parliamentary Party | Unopposed | Yes | |
1892
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Hammond | Irish Parliamentary Party | 3,738 | 82.1% | Yes |
| Robert More McMahon | Liberal Unionist | 813 | 17.9% | No |
1895
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Hammond | Irish Parliamentary Party | 3,091 | 81.9% | Yes |
| Steuart James Charles Duckett | Irish Unionist | 685 | 18.1% | No |
1900
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Hammond | Irish Parliamentary Party | Unopposed | Yes | |
1906
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Hammond | Irish Parliamentary Party | Unopposed | Yes | |
Dec 1910
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Molloy | Irish Parliamentary Party | Unopposed | Yes | |
Jan 1910
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Molloy | Irish Parliamentary Party | Unopposed | Yes | |
1918
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| James Lennon | Sinn Féin | Unopposed | Yes | |
Margin Over Time
Winning margin (percentage points) at each election, coloured by the winning party.
Trend
Carlow has been contested at 21 general elections on record since 1832. Parties that have won a seat here over that span: Repeal Association, Liberal, Conservative, Repeal Association and Whig, Independent Irish, Irish Parliamentary Party, Sinn Féin.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won Carlow in the 1918 general election?
James Lennon (Sinn Féin) were elected unopposed for Carlow in 1918 -- no other candidate stood.
Which parties have won Carlow since 1832?
Since 1832, Carlow has been won by: Conservative, Independent Irish, Irish Parliamentary Party, Liberal, Repeal Association, Repeal Association and Whig, Sinn Féin.
What was the closest result in Carlow?
The closest result on record for Carlow was 1841, when Conservative beat Liberal by just 7 votes (0.2 percentage points).
Did Carlow ever elect more than one MP at a time?
Yes -- like most UK constituencies before the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, Carlow elected multiple MPs at once in some elections on this page (a system called multi-member plurality, or 'block vote'), each voter casting one vote per available seat.