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 Sinn Féin ( , ; en, " eOurselves") is an Irish republican and democratic socialist political party active throughout both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. The original Sinn Féin organisation was founded in 1905 by Arthur Gri ...

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 The Easter Rising ( ga, Éirí Amach na Cásca), also known as the Easter Rebellion, was an armed insurrection in Ireland during Easter Week in April 1916. The Rising was launched by Irish republicans against British rule in Ireland with the a ...

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 Michael Collins or Mike Collins most commonly refers to: * Michael Collins (Irish leader) (1890–1922), Irish revolutionary leader, soldier, and politician * Michael Collins (astronaut) (1930–2021), American astronaut, member of Apollo 11 and Ge ...

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. McGuinness subsequently sat for the Longford Constituency in the

Dáil Éireann Dáil Éireann ( , ; ) is the lower house, and principal chamber, of the Oireachtas (Irish legislature), which also includes the President of Ireland and Seanad Éireann (the upper house).Article 15.1.2º of the Constitution of Ireland read ...

References

1917 elections in Ireland By-elections to the Parliament of the United Kingdom in County Longford constituencies 1917 elections in the United Kingdom {{Ireland-UK-Parl-by-election-stub