North Dublin (UK Parliament constituency)

This constituency comprised the northern and western parts of County Dublin.

From 1885 to 1918, it was defined as:[1]

The baronies of Balrothery East, Balrothery West, Castleknock, Coolock, Nethercross and Newcastle, that part of the barony of Rathdown contained within the parishes of Kilgobbin, Kiltiernan and Whitechurch, the townlands of Ballally, Ballinteer, Kingstown and Tiknock in the parish of Taney, and the townlands of Ballyroan, Butterfield, Old Orchard, Rathfarnham, Whitehall and Willbrook, and that part of the barony of Uppercross not contained within the constituency of South Dublin.

It was bounded by South Meath to the north-west, North Kildare to the south-west, West Wicklow and East Wicklow to the south, the city of Dublin, South Dublin and the sea to the east. It comprised the polling districts of Stepaside, Rathfarnham, Tallaght, Rathcoole, Blanchardstown, Lucan, Kilmainham, Drumcondra, Coolock, Howth, Swords, Naul, Balbriggan, Skerries, Lusk, Rush, Malahide, and Clontarf.

In 1900, the boundaries of the city of Dublin were extended to include areas such as Kilmainham and Clontarf. These areas were transferred to city constituencies in 1918.[2]

From 1918 to 1922, North Dublin was defined as:[3]

The rural districts of Balrothery, Celbridge No. 2 and North Dublin, and that part of the rural district of South Dublin consisting of the district electoral divisions of Clondalkin, Palmerstown and Tallaght.

Prior to the 1885 general election, the county was the undivided two-member Dublin County constituency. Under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, the county was divided into two single-member divisions of North Dublin and South Dublin. Under the Redistribution of Seats (Ireland) Act 1918, the parliamentary representation of the administrative county was increased from two to four divisions. South Dublin was extended to the west, with the creation of two new divisions of Pembroke and Rathmines.[4]

At the 1918 general election, Sinn Féin issued an election manifesto in which it called for a "establishment of a constituent assembly comprising persons chosen by Irish constituencies". After the election, Sinn Féin invited all those elected for Irish constistuencies to sit as members of Dáil Éireann, termed Teachta Dála (or TD, known in English as a Deputy). In practice, only those elected for Sinn Féin attended. This included Frank Lawless, elected for North Dublin.

Under the Government of Ireland Act 1920, the area was combined with the Pembroke, Rathmines and South Dublin Divisions to form Dublin County, a 6-seat constituency for the Southern Ireland House of Commons and a two-seat constituency at Westminster.[5] Sinn Féin treated the 1921 election for the Southern Ireland House of Commons as part of the election to the Second Dáil.[6] The six seats were won uncontested by Sinn Féin. Lawless was one of the six TDs for Dublin County.

Under s. 1(4) of the Irish Free State (Agreement) Act 1922, no writ was to be issued "for a constituency in Ireland other than a constituency in Northern Ireland".[7] Therefore, no vote was held in Dublin County at the 1922 United Kingdom general election on 15 November 1922, shortly before the Irish Free State left the United Kingdom on 6 December 1922.