List of United Kingdom Parliament constituencies in Ireland and Northern Ireland facts for kids

Ireland became part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland on January 1, 1801, due to the Act of Union 1800. Later, on December 6, 1922, the Irish Free State became independent from the United Kingdom. However, Northern Ireland chose to remain a part of the United Kingdom.

How Ireland's Parliament Seats Changed Over Time

This section explains how the number of special areas (called constituencies) and the people who represented them (Members of Parliament, or MPs) changed in Ireland while it was part of the United Kingdom.

Key to categories: BC - Borough constituencies (city areas), CC - County constituencies (countryside areas), UC - University constituencies (university areas), Total C - Total constituencies, BMP - Borough Members of Parliament, CMP - County Members of Parliament, UMP - University Members of Parliament.

How the Act of Union Changed Parliament Seats (1801-1832)

Before 1801, the Irish House of Commons had 300 seats. These were elected from 150 areas, mostly with two MPs each.

After the Act of Union 1800, Ireland was set up to elect 100 MPs to the Parliament of the United Kingdom. From 1801, there were 32 county areas, 33 town areas, and 1 university area.

• 1801–1832:
• 33 Borough (town) areas: 2 elected two MPs, 31 elected one MP. Total 35 MPs.
• 1 University area: elected 1 MP.
• 32 County (countryside) areas: each elected 2 MPs. Total 64 MPs.
• Total areas: 66.
• Total MPs: 100.

The Irish Reform Act of 1832: More MPs!

The Irish Reform Act 1832 changed things again. Ireland gained more MPs, increasing from 100 to 105.

• 1832–1870:
• 33 Borough (town) areas: 6 elected two MPs, 27 elected one MP. Total 39 MPs.
• 1 University area: elected 2 MPs.
• 32 County (countryside) areas: each elected 2 MPs. Total 64 MPs.
• Total areas: 66.
• Total MPs: 105.

Changes in 1870: Two Areas Lose Their MPs

In 1870, the towns of Cashel and Sligo lost their right to elect MPs. This happened because of problems with how elections were run there.

• 1870–1885:
• 31 Borough (town) areas: 6 elected two MPs, 25 elected one MP. Total 37 MPs.
• 1 University area: elected 2 MPs.
• 32 County (countryside) areas: each elected 2 MPs. Total 64 MPs.
• Total areas: 64.
• Total MPs: 103.

The Big Change of 1885: One MP Per Area

The Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 made a big change. Most areas now elected only one MP. Only Cork City and Dublin University still elected two MPs.

• 1885–1918:
• 15 Borough (town) areas: 1 elected two MPs, 14 elected one MP. Total 16 MPs.
• 1 University area: elected 2 MPs.
• 85 County (countryside) areas: each elected 1 MP. Total 85 MPs.
• Total areas: 101.
• Total MPs: 103.

More Changes in 1918: New Areas and Elections

The Redistribution of Seats (Ireland) Act 1918 brought more changes to the election areas. The election of 1918 in Ireland was meant to fill 105 Irish seats in the UK Parliament.

• 1918–1922:
• 20 Borough (town) areas: 1 elected two MPs, 19 elected one MP. Total 21 MPs.
• 3 University areas: 1 elected two MPs, 2 elected one MP. Total 4 MPs.
• 80 County (countryside) areas: each elected 1 MP. Total 80 MPs.
• Total areas: 103.
• Total MPs: 105.

Ireland Splits: The Government of Ireland Act 1920

The Government of Ireland Act 1920 created two separate parliaments: one for Northern Ireland and one for Southern Ireland. This law also reduced the number of Irish MPs in the UK Parliament from 105 to 13 from Northern Ireland and 33 from Southern Ireland.

The Irish Free State Becomes Independent (1922)

In 1921, the Anglo-Irish Treaty led to the creation of the Irish Free State. This new state included most of Ireland, except for Northern Ireland. From the 1922 election, only the six counties of Northern Ireland sent MPs to the UK Parliament.

• 1922–1950:
• 4 Borough (town) areas: each elected 1 MP. Total 4 MPs.
• 1 University area: elected 1 MP.
• 5 County (countryside) areas: 3 elected two MPs, 2 elected one MP. Total 8 MPs.
• Total areas: 10.
• Total MPs: 13.

Further Changes in Northern Ireland: 1950 Onwards

The Representation of the People Act 1948 changed the election areas again. From this time, all areas elected only one MP, and the university area no longer had an MP.

• 1950–1983:
• 4 Borough (town) areas: each elected 1 MP. Total 4 MPs.
• 8 County (countryside) areas: each elected 1 MP. Total 8 MPs.
• Total areas and MPs: 12.

Later, the House of Commons (Redistribution of Seats) Act 1979 increased the number of MPs for Northern Ireland from 12 to 17.

• 1983–1997:
• 4 Borough (town) areas: each elected 1 MP. Total 4 MPs.
• 13 County (countryside) areas: each elected 1 MP. Total 13 MPs.
• Total areas and MPs: 17.

• From 1997:
• 4 Borough (town) areas: each elected 1 MP. Total 4 MPs.
• 14 County (countryside) areas: each elected 1 MP. Total 14 MPs.
• Total areas and MPs: 18.

List of Parliament Areas in Ireland (1801-1922)

This table lists the areas that elected MPs to the UK Parliament when all of Ireland was part of the United Kingdom. Some names appear more than once if the area was created at different times.

Northern Ireland's Parliament Areas Today

This table shows the areas that have elected MPs from Northern Ireland to the UK Parliament since 1922.

Sources

• See List of former United Kingdom Parliament constituencies

• Final Recommendations Report: 2018 Review of Parliamentary Constituencies (Boundary Commission for Northern Ireland 2018)