Compiled by EveryElectionResult.com's data team · Last updated 2026-08-30
County Louth was won by Sinn Féin at the 1918 general election, with a majority of 255 votes over Irish Parliamentary Party. This page covers every general election in County Louth 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
Thomas FitzGerald (Repeal Association); Richard Montesquieu Bellew (Repeal Association)
Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record
0.0%
1835
Patrick Bellew (Liberal); Richard Montesquieu Bellew (Repeal Association and Whig)
456
40.8% (top seat)
Chichester Thomas Skeffington Foster (Conservative)
191 (15.7 pts)
67.4%
1837
Henry Chester (Liberal); Richard Montesquieu Bellew (Repeal Association and Whig)
Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record
0.0%
1841
Richard Montesquieu Bellew (Liberal); Thomas Vesey Dawson (Liberal)
430
36.1% (top seat)
Matthew Fortescue (Conservative)
72 (5.8 pts)
64.5%
1847
Richard Montesquieu Bellew (Liberal); Chichester Samuel Fortescue (Liberal)
Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record
0.0%
1852
Chichester Samuel Fortescue (Liberal); Tristram Edward Kennedy (Independent Irish)
999
38.0% (top seat)
John McClintock (Conservative)
115 (3.8 pts)
73.0%
1857
Chichester Samuel Fortescue (Liberal); John McClintock (Conservative)
1,059
36.8% (top seat)
Richard Montesquieu Bellew (Liberal)
165 (4.4 pts)
77.2%
1859
Chichester Samuel Fortescue (Liberal); Richard Montesquieu Bellew (Liberal)
1,208
36.8% (top seat)
John McClintock (Conservative)
70 (1.9 pts)
76.8%
1865
Chichester Samuel Parkinson-Fortescue (Liberal); Tristram Edward Kennedy (Liberal)
607
50.3% (top seat)
Frederick John Foster (Conservative)
599 (48.0 pts)
25.6%
1868
Chichester Samuel Parkinson-Fortescue (Liberal); Matthew O'Reilly Dease (Liberal)
Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record
0.0%
1874
Alexander Martin Sullivan (Irish Parliamentary Party); Philip Callan (Irish Parliamentary Party)
1,202
37.6% (top seat)
Chichester Samuel Parkinson-Fortescue (Liberal)
594 (17.9 pts)
71.8%
1880
Philip Callan (Irish Parliamentary Party); Alexander Martin Sullivan (Irish Parliamentary Party)
830
37.6% (top seat)
George Harley Kirk (Irish Parliamentary Party)
162 (6.8 pts)
57.4%
1918
John Joseph O'Kelly (Sinn Féin)
10,770
50.6%
Richard Hazleton (Irish Parliamentary Party)
255 (1.2 pts)
73.0%
Full Result Breakdown by Election
1832 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
Thomas FitzGerald
Repeal Association
Unopposed
Yes
Richard Montesquieu Bellew
Repeal Association
Unopposed
Yes
1835 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
Patrick Bellew
Liberal
497
40.8%
Yes
Richard Montesquieu Bellew
Repeal Association and Whig
456
37.4%
Yes
Chichester Thomas Skeffington Foster
Conservative
265
21.8%
No
1837 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
Henry Chester
Liberal
Unopposed
Yes
Richard Montesquieu Bellew
Repeal Association and Whig
Unopposed
Yes
1841 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
Richard Montesquieu Bellew
Liberal
447
36.1%
Yes
Thomas Vesey Dawson
Liberal
430
34.7%
Yes
Matthew Fortescue
Conservative
358
28.9%
No
John McClintock
Conservative
4
0.3%
No
1847 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
Richard Montesquieu Bellew
Liberal
Unopposed
Yes
Chichester Samuel Fortescue
Liberal
Unopposed
Yes
1852 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
Chichester Samuel Fortescue
Liberal
1,152
38.0%
Yes
Tristram Edward Kennedy
Independent Irish
999
32.9%
Yes
John McClintock
Conservative
884
29.1%
No
1857 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
Chichester Samuel Fortescue
Liberal
1,376
36.8%
Yes
John McClintock
Conservative
1,059
28.4%
Yes
Richard Montesquieu Bellew
Liberal
894
23.9%
No
Tristram Edward Kennedy
Independent Irish
406
10.9%
No
1859 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
Chichester Samuel Fortescue
Liberal
1,379
36.8%
Yes
Richard Montesquieu Bellew
Liberal
1,208
32.2%
Yes
John McClintock
Conservative
1,138
30.4%
No
Frederick John Foster
Conservative
23
0.6%
No
1865 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
Chichester Samuel Parkinson-Fortescue
Liberal
628
50.3%
Yes
Tristram Edward Kennedy
Liberal
607
48.6%
Yes
Frederick John Foster
Conservative
8
0.6%
No
John McClintock
Conservative
6
0.5%
No
1868 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
Chichester Samuel Parkinson-Fortescue
Liberal
Unopposed
Yes
Matthew O'Reilly Dease
Liberal
Unopposed
Yes
1874 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
Alexander Martin Sullivan
Irish Parliamentary Party
1,250
37.6%
Yes
Philip Callan
Irish Parliamentary Party
1,202
36.2%
Yes
Chichester Samuel Parkinson-Fortescue
Liberal
608
18.3%
No
Matthew O'Reilly Dease
Liberal
265
8.0%
No
1880 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
Philip Callan
Irish Parliamentary Party
902
37.6%
Yes
Alexander Martin Sullivan
Irish Parliamentary Party
830
34.6%
Yes
George Harley Kirk
Irish Parliamentary Party
668
27.8%
No
1918
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
John Joseph O'Kelly
Sinn Féin
10,770
50.6%
Yes
Richard Hazleton
Irish Parliamentary Party
10,515
49.4%
No
Margin Over Time
Winning margin (percentage points) at each election, coloured by the winning party.
Trend
County Louth has been contested at 13 general elections on record since 1832. Parties that have won a seat here over that span: Repeal Association, Liberal, Repeal Association and Whig, Independent Irish, Conservative, Irish Parliamentary Party, Sinn Féin.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won County Louth in the 1918 general election?
Sinn Féin won County Louth in 1918 with 10,770 votes (50.6%), a majority of 255 votes over Irish Parliamentary Party in second place.
Which parties have won County Louth since 1832?
Since 1832, County Louth 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 County Louth?
The closest result on record for County Louth was 1918, when Sinn Féin beat Irish Parliamentary Party by just 255 votes (1.2 percentage points).
Did County Louth ever elect more than one MP at a time?
Yes -- like most UK constituencies before the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, County Louth 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.