Compiled by EveryElectionResult.com's data team · Last updated 2026-08-30
Roscommon elected 2 MPs at the 1880 general election: Andrew Commins (Irish Parliamentary Party) and James Joseph O'Kelly (Irish Parliamentary Party). This page covers every general election in Roscommon 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
Fitzstephen French (Liberal); Denis O'Conor (Repeal Association)
Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record
0.0%
1835
Fitzstephen French (Liberal); Denis O'Conor (Repeal Association and Whig)
955
39.4% (top seat)
Thomas Johnston Barton (Conservative)
432 (17.3 pts)
67.1%
1837
Fitzstephen French (Liberal); Denis O'Conor (Repeal Association and Whig)
Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record
0.0%
1841
Fitzstephen French (Liberal); Denis O'Conor (Repeal Association)
Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record
0.0%
1847
Fitzstephen French (Liberal); Oliver Dowell John Grace (Liberal)
170
41.8% (top seat)
Valentine O'Connor Blake (Repeal Association)
55 (11.2 pts)
18.3%
1852
Fitzstephen French (Independent Irish); Oliver Dowell John Grace (Independent Irish)
Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record
0.0%
1857
Fitzstephen French (Liberal); Oliver Dowell John Grace (Liberal)
Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record
0.0%
1859
Fitzstephen French (Liberal); Thomas William Goff (Conservative)
1,541
40.6% (top seat)
Edward King-Tenison (Liberal)
261 (5.5 pts)
71.1%
1865
Fitzstephen French (Liberal); Charles Owen O'Conor (Liberal)
Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record
0.0%
1868
Fitzstephen French (Liberal); Charles Owen O'Conor (Liberal)
Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record
0.0%
1874
Charles Owen O'Conor (Irish Parliamentary Party); Charles French (Irish Parliamentary Party)
Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record
0.0%
1880
Andrew Commins (Irish Parliamentary Party); James Joseph O'Kelly (Irish Parliamentary Party)
1,479
31.1% (top seat)
Charles Owen O'Conor (Irish Parliamentary Party)
372 (7.3 pts)
70.8%
Full Result Breakdown by Election
1832 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
Fitzstephen French
Liberal
Unopposed
Yes
Denis O'Conor
Repeal Association
Unopposed
Yes
1835 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
Fitzstephen French
Liberal
985
39.4%
Yes
Denis O'Conor
Repeal Association and Whig
955
38.2%
Yes
Thomas Johnston Barton
Conservative
523
20.9%
No
Arthur Browne
Conservative
40
1.6%
No
1837 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
Fitzstephen French
Liberal
Unopposed
Yes
Denis O'Conor
Repeal Association and Whig
Unopposed
Yes
1841 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
Fitzstephen French
Liberal
Unopposed
Yes
Denis O'Conor
Repeal Association
Unopposed
Yes
1847 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
Fitzstephen French
Liberal
205
41.8%
Yes
Oliver Dowell John Grace
Liberal
170
34.7%
Yes
Valentine O'Connor Blake
Repeal Association
115
23.5%
No
1852 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
Fitzstephen French
Independent Irish
Unopposed
Yes
Oliver Dowell John Grace
Independent Irish
Unopposed
Yes
1857 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
Fitzstephen French
Liberal
Unopposed
Yes
Oliver Dowell John Grace
Liberal
Unopposed
Yes
1859 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
Fitzstephen French
Liberal
1,930
40.6%
Yes
Thomas William Goff
Conservative
1,541
32.4%
Yes
Edward King-Tenison
Liberal
1,280
26.9%
No
Patrick Dignan
Liberal
3
0.1%
No
1865 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
Fitzstephen French
Liberal
Unopposed
Yes
Charles Owen O'Conor
Liberal
Unopposed
Yes
1868 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
Fitzstephen French
Liberal
Unopposed
Yes
Charles Owen O'Conor
Liberal
Unopposed
Yes
1874 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
Charles Owen O'Conor
Irish Parliamentary Party
Unopposed
Yes
Charles French
Irish Parliamentary Party
Unopposed
Yes
1880 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
Andrew Commins
Irish Parliamentary Party
1,585
31.1%
Yes
James Joseph O'Kelly
Irish Parliamentary Party
1,479
29.0%
Yes
Charles Owen O'Conor
Irish Parliamentary Party
1,107
21.7%
No
Thomas Austin Patrick Mapother
Irish Parliamentary Party
933
18.3%
No
Margin Over Time
Winning margin (percentage points) at each election, coloured by the winning party.
Trend
Roscommon has been contested at 12 general elections on record since 1832. Parties that have won a seat here over that span: Liberal, Repeal Association, Repeal Association and Whig, Independent Irish, Conservative, Irish Parliamentary Party.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won Roscommon in the 1880 general election?
Andrew Commins (Irish Parliamentary Party), James Joseph O'Kelly (Irish Parliamentary Party) won Roscommon in 1880.
Which parties have won Roscommon since 1832?
Since 1832, Roscommon has been won by: Conservative, Independent Irish, Irish Parliamentary Party, Liberal, Repeal Association, Repeal Association and Whig.
What was the closest result in Roscommon?
The closest result on record for Roscommon was 1859, when Liberal beat Liberal by just 261 votes (5.5 percentage points).
Did Roscommon ever elect more than one MP at a time?
Yes -- like most UK constituencies before the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, Roscommon 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.