1917 South Longford by-election

UK Parliamentary by-election August 2019 June 2025 August 2019 thumb|McGuinness campaign car The 1917 South Longford by-election was held on 9 May 1917 due to the death of the incumbent Irish Parliamentary MP, John Phillips. The by-election ended in a surprise Sinn Féin victory over the Irish Parliamentary Party following a very close vote. The result was not announced until 10 May due to a recount. Joseph McGuinness was selected against his will as Sinn Féin's candidate for the by-election. The prisoners in HM Prison Lewes, where McGuinness and other leaders of the Easter Rising were being held, were opposed to standing a candidate because the Irish Parliamentary Party looked likely to win, so McGuinness declined to stand. However, Michael Collins had him nominated anyway. His election slogan was "Put him in to get him out!". The result of the by-election increased pressure on the British Government to free the remaining Irish prisoners in Lewes. They were eventually freed in June 1917.http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/politics/all-changed-utterly-after-south-longford-byelection-100-years-ago-today-35694291.html All changed utterly after South Longford by-election - 100 years ago today 9 May 2017 The Irish Independent By-election 9 May 1917: Longford South Sinn Féin Joseph McGuinness 1,498 50.6 New Irish Parliamentary Party Patrick McKenna 1,461 49.4 N/A 37 1.2 N/A 2,959 76.8 N/A Sinn Féin Nationalist Party (Ireland) N/A McGuinness subsequently sat for the Longford Constituency in the Dáil Éireann.http://www.oireachtas.ie/members-hist/default.asp?housetype=0&HouseNum=1&MemberID=742&ConstID=136 Mr. Joseph McGuinness Oireachtas Members Database 5 March 2012 References Category:1917 elections in Ireland Category:By-elections to the Parliament of the United Kingdom in County Longford constituencies Category:1917 elections in the United Kingdom