1829 County Clare by-election

UK parliamentary by-election 1829 County Clare by-election United Kingdom Daniel O'Connell Radicals (UK) Daniel O'Connell MP unopposed Radicals (UK) Daniel O'Connell x160px Constituency of Clare 1830 United Kingdom general election 30 July 1829 1828 1828 County Clare by-election no parliamentary 1830 Radicals (UK)August 2020 August 2020 The 1829 Clare by-election was notable as this was the first time following the Roman Catholic Relief Act 1829 that a Catholic MP, Daniel O'Connell was elected. O'Connell had been elected in the 1828 County Clare by-election but as a Catholic he refused to take the Oath of Supremacy and his seat was vacated. The Prime Minister, the Duke of Wellington, and the Home Secretary, Sir Robert Peel, who had previously opposed Catholic participation in Parliament, saw that denying O'Connell his seat would cause outrage and could lead to another rebellion or uprising in Ireland, which was about 85% Catholic.Oliver MacDonagh The Life of Daniel O'Connell 1991 This led directly to the Roman Catholic Relief Act 1829 allowing Roman Catholics to become MPs. Simultaneously, the Parliamentary Elections (Ireland) Act 1829 changed the 40 shilling franchise (£2) in Ireland to £10,Foster R.F. Modern Ireland, 1600–1972 1988 Allen Lane London 0713990104 301–302Johnston Neil 1 March 2013 The History of the Parliamentary Franchise (Research Paper 13–14) https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/RP13-14/RP13-14.pdf#page=20 live https://web.archive.org/web/20211103090220/https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/RP13-14/RP13-14.pdf#page=20 3 November 2021 21 June 2023 and it was unclear whether O'Connell would be able to win again with many tenant farmers disenfranchised. This was not tested at the 1829 by-election as O'Connell was the only candidate and so was elected unopposed. O'Connell did not stand again in Clare at the 1830 general election. References Category:1829 in Ireland Category:By-elections to the Parliament of the United Kingdom in County Clare constituencies Category:1820s elections in Ireland Clare Category:Unopposed by-elections to the Parliament of the United Kingdom in Irish constituencies Category:July 1829