Compiled by EveryElectionResult.com's data team · Last updated 2026-08-30
Edward John Synan (Irish Parliamentary Party) and William Henry O'Sullivan (Irish Parliamentary Party) were elected unopposed for Limerick at the 1880 general election. This page covers every general election in Limerick from 1832 to 1880.
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, 1832–1880
Election
Elected
Votes
Vote Share
Runner-up
Majority
Turnout
1832
Richard Hobart FitzGibbon (Liberal); Standish Darby O'Grady (Liberal)
1,040
29.3% (top seat)
Godfrey Massey (Repeal Association)
280 (7.8 pts)
70.3%
1835
Richard Hobart FitzGibbon (Liberal); William Smith O'Brien (Liberal)
Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record
0.0%
1837
Richard Hobart FitzGibbon (Liberal); William Smith O'Brien (Liberal)
855
49.7% (top seat)
Augustus Stafford O'Brien (Conservative)
841 (48.7 pts)
26.3%
1841
William Smith O'Brien (Liberal); Caleb Powell (Liberal)
Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record
0.0%
1847
William Monsell (Liberal); William Smith O'Brien (Irish Confederation)
482
30.3% (top seat)
Caleb Powell (Repeal Association)
24 (1.2 pts)
54.1%
1852
William Monsell (Liberal); Wyndham Goold (Liberal)
Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record
0.0%
1857
William Monsell (Liberal); De Vere S. E. (Liberal)
Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record
0.0%
1859
William Monsell (Liberal); Samuel Auchmuty Dickson (Conservative)
2,626
44.6% (top seat)
Edward John Synan (Liberal)
257 (2.9 pts)
69.5%
1865
William Monsell (Liberal); Edward John Synan (Liberal)
Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record
0.0%
1868
William Monsell (Liberal); Edward John Synan (Liberal)
Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record
0.0%
1874
William Henry O'Sullivan (Irish Parliamentary Party); Edward John Synan (Irish Parliamentary Party)
2,856
47.8% (top seat)
John James Kelly (Irish Parliamentary Party)
1,861 (25.2 pts)
58.5%
1880
Edward John Synan (Irish Parliamentary Party); William Henry O'Sullivan (Irish Parliamentary Party)
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
Richard Hobart FitzGibbon
Liberal
1,056
29.3%
Yes
Standish Darby O'Grady
Liberal
1,040
28.8%
Yes
Godfrey Massey
Repeal Association
760
21.1%
No
Alexander McCarthy
Repeal Association
751
20.8%
No
1835 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
Richard Hobart FitzGibbon
Liberal
Unopposed
Yes
William Smith O'Brien
Liberal
Unopposed
Yes
1837 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
Richard Hobart FitzGibbon
Liberal
859
49.7%
Yes
William Smith O'Brien
Liberal
855
49.5%
Yes
Augustus Stafford O'Brien
Conservative
14
0.8%
No
1841 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
William Smith O'Brien
Liberal
Unopposed
Yes
Caleb Powell
Liberal
Unopposed
Yes
1847 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
William Monsell
Liberal
588
30.3%
Yes
William Smith O'Brien
Irish Confederation
482
24.9%
Yes
Caleb Powell
Repeal Association
458
23.6%
No
George John O'Connell
Repeal Association
407
21.0%
No
Patrick Carroll
Repeal Association
4
0.2%
No
1852 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
William Monsell
Liberal
Unopposed
Yes
Wyndham Goold
Liberal
Unopposed
Yes
1857 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
William Monsell
Liberal
Unopposed
Yes
De Vere S. E.
Liberal
Unopposed
Yes
1859 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
William Monsell
Liberal
4,020
44.6%
Yes
Samuel Auchmuty Dickson
Conservative
2,626
29.1%
Yes
Edward John Synan
Liberal
2,369
26.3%
No
1865 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
William Monsell
Liberal
Unopposed
Yes
Edward John Synan
Liberal
Unopposed
Yes
1868 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
William Monsell
Liberal
Unopposed
Yes
Edward John Synan
Liberal
Unopposed
Yes
1874 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
William Henry O'Sullivan
Irish Parliamentary Party
3,521
47.8%
Yes
Edward John Synan
Irish Parliamentary Party
2,856
38.7%
Yes
John James Kelly
Irish Parliamentary Party
995
13.5%
No
1880 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
Edward John Synan
Irish Parliamentary Party
Unopposed
Yes
William Henry O'Sullivan
Irish Parliamentary Party
Unopposed
Yes
Margin Over Time
Winning margin (percentage points) at each election, coloured by the winning party.
Trend
Limerick has been contested at 12 general elections on record since 1832. Parties that have won a seat here over that span: Liberal, Irish Confederation, Conservative, Irish Parliamentary Party.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won Limerick in the 1880 general election?
Edward John Synan (Irish Parliamentary Party), William Henry O'Sullivan (Irish Parliamentary Party) were elected unopposed for Limerick in 1880 -- no other candidate stood.
Which parties have won Limerick since 1832?
Since 1832, Limerick has been won by: Conservative, Irish Confederation, Irish Parliamentary Party, Liberal.
What was the closest result in Limerick?
The closest result on record for Limerick was 1847, when Liberal beat Repeal Association by just 24 votes (1.2 percentage points).
Did Limerick ever elect more than one MP at a time?
Yes -- like most UK constituencies before the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, Limerick 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.