1797 Irish general election

Last election in Kingdom of Ireland April 2022 1797 Irish general election Kingdom of Ireland 1542 parliamentary no 1790 Irish general election 1790 Members elected 1802 United Kingdom general election 1802 (UK) All 300 seats of the House of Commons 151 seats were needed for a majority Members elected 1797 File:2ndEarlOfChichester.jpg Thomas Pelham 000000 Administration no Clogher William, 1st Lord Ponsonby of Imokilly.jpg William Ponsonby 008000 Irish Whig Party County Kilkenny Speaker John Foster Administration John Foster Administration The 1797 Irish general election was the last general election to the Irish House of Commons, with the Acts of Union three years later uniting the Kingdom of Ireland with the Kingdom of Great Britain. The election followed the Roman Catholic Relief Act 1793, meaning it was the first general election in Ireland in which Catholics could vote, provided they met the property requirements. The election also coincided with simmering rebellion in Ireland, coming not long after an attempted French expedition to Ireland, and the following year witnessing the Irish Rebellion of 1798. Despite the changes to the electorate, and the heavily political backdrop, the election was marked most by the apathy shown to it by Ireland's electorate.MPs in Dublin: Companion to History of the Irish Parliament, 1692-1800 219 Thomas Pelham, as Chief Secretary for Ireland, was responsible for representing Dublin Castle in the Irish House of Commons. Background The election took place at a time of increasing unrest in Ireland. The preceding years had seen both the growth of the Society of United Irishmen within Ireland, as well as the beginning of the French Revolutionary Wars in Europe. Ulster in particular saw increasing unrest, with low level conflict between the Catholic Defenders and the Protestant Peep o' Day Boys. Both Irish and British Whigs were united in their opposition to the Irish security policies of the Pitt Government, and the Whigs also held the ear of the heir to the British throne, the Prince of Wales, through his close friend Lord Moira. The Irish Whigs therefore appeared to enter the election in a strong position.Revolution, Counter-Revolution and Union: Ireland in the 1790s https://books.google.com/books?id=g5brRiiJT0IC&q=1797+general+election+ireland&pg=PA23 23 9780521661096 Smyth Jim 2000 The Lord Lieutenant closed parliament on 3 July 1797, and dissolved it on 11 July, thereby calling a general election. 12 November 2014 Eighteenth Century Ireland 1703-1800 Society and History https://books.google.com/books?id=ogmMBQAAQBAJ&q=1797+general+election+ireland&pg=PT628 9781499080827 Keenan Desmond NumbersBoroughCountyUniversityTotalConstituencies117321150Members234642300 Campaign United Irishmen The United Irishmen considered running Lord Edward FitzGerald and Arthur O’Connor as candidates for the constituencies of Antrim and Down, and in preparation organised meetings of freeholders in Armagh, Antrim and Down calling for the removal of the Castle junto. Father James Coigly played an active role in this campaign, distributing printed notices throughout Armagh and encouraging freeholders "to attend to their duty". He also likely authored the anonymous pamphlet, A view of the present state of Ireland with an account of the origin and progress of the disturbances in that country, which was heavily praised by James Hope.https://www.historyireland.com/18th-19th-century-history/an-unfortunate-man/ An Unfortunate Man Feb 4, 2013 Irish Whig Party Henry Grattan, the prominent statesman, former leader of the Patriot Party, and Member of Parliament for Dublin, chose not to contest the election, suffering from ill-health and immense disappointment at both the increasing political polarization in Ireland and the failure of his attempts at Catholic Emancipation.The Speeches of the Right Honourable Henry Grattan in the Irish, and in the Imperial Parliament: In Four Volumes, Volume 1 https://books.google.com/books?id=TdU9AAAAcAAJ&q=grattan+1797+election&pg=PR27 27 Grattan Henry 1822 Grattan and Ponsonby had introduced a proposal for parliamentary reform in the previous parliament, with Grattan threatening that if it was rejected that he and the Whigs would withdraw from parliament. The bill, which would have allowed Catholics to become MPs, was defeated by 143 votes to 19. 11 October 2012 A Short History of Ireland https://books.google.com/books?id=B58eEG4OE98C&q=irish+patriot+party+1783&pg=PA91 92 9781107009233 Ranelagh John As a result, Grattan and a number of Whigs, including his fellow MP for Dublin Lord Henry FitzGerald withdrew. A number of Whigs did however remain in parliament.The Writings of Theobald Wolfe Tone 1763-98, Volume 3: France, the Rhine, Lough Swilly and Death of Tone (January 1797 to November 1798) https://books.google.com/books?id=MwGmv9fpwwIC&q=William+Ponsonby+Grattan+1797&pg=PA64 64 9780198208808 Tone Theobald Wolfe 1998 Results Despite the revolutionary backdrop to the elections, the House was broadly similar. In the example of the 64 county seats, only 18 saw changes. References General Ireland Category:18th-century elections in Ireland Category:Elections in the Kingdom of Ireland