1874 United Kingdom general election in Ireland

The 1874 United Kingdom general election in Ireland produced the first major electoral appearance of the Home Rule League under chairman Isaac Butt. The party's electoral success, in which it won 60 MPs, taking control of Irish electoral politics from the previously dominant Conservative and the Liberal parties was, the beginning of a dominance that was to see the party as the Irish Parliamentary Party control the political landscape in Ireland until its wipeout in the 1918 general election.

1874 United Kingdom general election in Ireland

31 January – 17 February 1874 (1874-01-31 – 1874-02-17)
103 of the 652 seats to the House of Commons
First party Second party Third party   Leader Isaac Butt Benjamin Disraeli William Ewart Gladstone Party Home Rule Conservative Liberal Leader since 1873 27 February 1868 3 December 1868 Leader's seat Limerick Buckinghamshire Greenwich Last election New 39 66 Seats won 60 33 10 Seat change 60 6 56 Popular vote 90,234 91,702 39,778 Percentage 39.6% 40.8% 18.4% Swing 39.6% 1.1% 39.5%
Results of the 1874 election in Ireland

However its success in 1874 was marred by the lack of unity within the party in the House of Commons, where many of its members in effect sat as Liberal MPs and voted against their own Irish colleagues. It was not until then chairman Charles Stewart Parnell in the early 1880s introduced a strict whip that the party began to exercise serious influence, and act as a unit, at Westminster.

Results

Party		Seats	Seats change	Votes	%	% Change
	Home Rule	60	New	90,234	39.6	39.6%
	Irish Conservative	33	6	91,702	40.8	1.1%
	Liberal	10	56	39,778	18.4	39.5%
	Other (Incl. the Catholic Union)	0	—	2,934	1.2	1.0%
Total		103	2	224,648	100

Popular vote Irish Conservative   40.82% Home Rule   40.17% Liberal   17.71% Others   1.31%

Parliamentary seats Home Rule   58.35% Irish Conservative   31.42% Liberal   9.71%

See also

• History of Ireland (1801–1923)

Sources

• Craig, F. W. S. (ed.). British Electoral Facts: 1832–1987.