Compiled by EveryElectionResult.com's data team · Last updated 2026-08-30
Leitrim was won by Sinn Féin at the 1918 general election, with a majority of 14,615 votes over Irish Parliamentary Party. This page covers every general election in Leitrim 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
Samuel White (Liberal); Robert Bermingham Clements (Liberal)
625
39.1% (top seat)
John Marcus Clements (Conservative)
112 (6.0 pts)
70.9%
1835
Samuel White (Liberal); Robert Bermingham Clements (Liberal)
Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record
0.0%
1837
Samuel White (Liberal); Robert Bermingham Clements (Liberal)
Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record
0.0%
1841
Samuel White (Liberal); William Sydney Clements (Liberal)
Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record
0.0%
1847
Edward King-Tenison (Liberal); Charles Skeffington Clements (Liberal)
376
34.5% (top seat)
John Robert Godley (Conservative)
47 (4.2 pts)
41.5%
1852
Hugh Lyons-Montgomery (Conservative); John Brady (Independent Irish)
551
36.1% (top seat)
Charles Skeffington Clements (Liberal)
11 (0.6 pts)
67.5%
1857
Hugh Lyons-Montgomery (Conservative); John Brady (Independent Irish)
1,006
49.7% (top seat)
Edward King-Tenison (Liberal)
415 (13.1 pts)
60.4%
1859
William Richard Ormsby-Gore (Conservative); John Brady (Liberal)
Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record
0.0%
1865
William Richard Ormsby-Gore (Conservative); John Brady (Liberal)
1,011
42.1% (top seat)
Edward King-Tenison (Liberal)
119 (3.6 pts)
68.8%
1868
William Richard Ormsby-Gore (Conservative); John Brady (Liberal)
Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record
0.0%
1874
John Brady (Irish Parliamentary Party); William Richard Ormsby-Gore (Conservative)
1,098
37.9% (top seat)
Francis O'Beirne (Irish Parliamentary Party)
43 (1.2 pts)
67.4%
1880
Arthur Loftus Tottenham (Conservative); Francis O'Beirne (Irish Parliamentary Party)
837
33.1% (top seat)
Thomas Quinn (Irish Parliamentary Party)
169 (5.4 pts)
65.8%
1918
James Nicholas Dolan (Sinn Féin)
17,711
85.1%
Gerald Farrell (Irish Parliamentary Party)
14,615 (70.2 pts)
69.2%
Full Result Breakdown by Election
1832 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
Samuel White
Liberal
730
39.1%
Yes
Robert Bermingham Clements
Liberal
625
33.5%
Yes
John Marcus Clements
Conservative
513
27.5%
No
1835 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
Samuel White
Liberal
Unopposed
Yes
Robert Bermingham Clements
Liberal
Unopposed
Yes
1837 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
Samuel White
Liberal
Unopposed
Yes
Robert Bermingham Clements
Liberal
Unopposed
Yes
1841 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
Samuel White
Liberal
Unopposed
Yes
William Sydney Clements
Liberal
Unopposed
Yes
1847 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
Edward King-Tenison
Liberal
389
34.5%
Yes
Charles Skeffington Clements
Liberal
376
33.4%
Yes
John Robert Godley
Conservative
329
29.2%
No
John Reynolds Dickson
Independent
32
2.8%
No
1852 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
Hugh Lyons-Montgomery
Conservative
617
36.1%
Yes
John Brady
Independent Irish
551
32.3%
Yes
Charles Skeffington Clements
Liberal
540
31.6%
No
1857 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
Hugh Lyons-Montgomery
Conservative
1,577
49.7%
Yes
John Brady
Independent Irish
1,006
31.7%
Yes
Edward King-Tenison
Liberal
591
18.6%
No
1859 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
William Richard Ormsby-Gore
Conservative
Unopposed
Yes
John Brady
Liberal
Unopposed
Yes
1865 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
William Richard Ormsby-Gore
Conservative
1,383
42.1%
Yes
John Brady
Liberal
1,011
30.8%
Yes
Edward King-Tenison
Liberal
892
27.1%
No
1868 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
William Richard Ormsby-Gore
Conservative
Unopposed
Yes
John Brady
Liberal
Unopposed
Yes
1874 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
John Brady
Irish Parliamentary Party
1,313
37.9%
Yes
William Richard Ormsby-Gore
Conservative
1,098
31.7%
Yes
Francis O'Beirne
Irish Parliamentary Party
1,055
30.4%
No
1880 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
Arthur Loftus Tottenham
Conservative
1,038
33.1%
Yes
Francis O'Beirne
Irish Parliamentary Party
837
26.7%
Yes
Thomas Quinn
Irish Parliamentary Party
668
21.3%
No
Isaac Nelson
Irish Parliamentary Party
593
18.9%
No
1918
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
James Nicholas Dolan
Sinn Féin
17,711
85.1%
Yes
Gerald Farrell
Irish Parliamentary Party
3,096
14.9%
No
Margin Over Time
Winning margin (percentage points) at each election, coloured by the winning party.
Trend
Leitrim has been contested at 13 general elections on record since 1832. Parties that have won a seat here over that span: Liberal, Conservative, Independent Irish, Irish Parliamentary Party, Sinn Féin.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won Leitrim in the 1918 general election?
Sinn Féin won Leitrim in 1918 with 17,711 votes (85.1%), a majority of 14,615 votes over Irish Parliamentary Party in second place.
Which parties have won Leitrim since 1832?
Since 1832, Leitrim has been won by: Conservative, Independent Irish, Irish Parliamentary Party, Liberal, Sinn Féin.
What was the closest result in Leitrim?
The closest result on record for Leitrim was 1852, when Conservative beat Liberal by just 11 votes (0.6 percentage points).
Did Leitrim ever elect more than one MP at a time?
Yes -- like most UK constituencies before the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, Leitrim 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.