Cork County was a

parliamentary constituency An electoral district, also known as an election district, legislative district, voting district, constituency, riding, ward, division, or (election) precinct is a subdivision of a larger state (a country, administrative region, or other poli ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

, represented in the

Parliament of the United Kingdom The Parliament of the United Kingdom is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at the Palace of Westminster, London. It alone possesses legislative suprema ...

. From 1801 to 1885 it returned two

Members of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

(MPs) to the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. ...

of the

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was a sovereign state in the British Isles that existed between 1801 and 1922, when it included all of Ireland. It was established by the Acts of Union 1800, which merged the Kingdom of Great B ...

. At the 1885 general election,

County Cork County Cork ( ga, Contae Chorcaí) is the largest and the southernmost county of Ireland, named after the city of Cork, the state's second-largest city. It is in the province of Munster and the Southern Region. Its largest market towns are ...

was divided into seven parliamentary divisions:

East Cork East Cork lies in south-west Ireland, in Ireland's largest county, County Cork. The term "East Cork" is used in tourism, sporting and other contexts, and is the name given to one of eight municipal districts of Cork County Council. East Cork con ...

, Mid Cork, North Cork, North East Cork, South Cork, South East Cork and

West Cork West Cork ( ga, Iarthar Chorcaí) is a tourist region and municipal district in County Cork, Ireland. As a municipal district, West Cork falls within the administrative area of Cork County Council, and includes the towns of Bantry, Castletownber ...

. Since 1922, the area no longer elects UK members of parliament, as it is no longer in the United Kingdom.

Boundaries

This constituency comprised the whole of

, except for the city of

Cork Cork or CORK may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Cork (plug), a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container ***Wine cork Places Ireland * Cork (city) ** Metropolitan Cork, also known as G ...

and the boroughs of Bandon,

Kinsale Kinsale ( ; ) is a historic port and fishing town in County Cork, Ireland. Located approximately south of Cork City on the southeast coast near the Old Head of Kinsale, it sits at the mouth of the River Bandon, and has a population of 5,281 (a ...

, Mallow and

Youghal Youghal ( ; ) is a seaside resort town in County Cork, Ireland. Located on the estuary of the River Blackwater, the town is a former military and economic centre. Located on the edge of a steep riverbank, the town has a long and narrow layout. ...

Members of Parliament

Elections

*1654 Roger Boyle, afterwards

Earl of Orrery Earl of Orrery is a title in the Peerage of Ireland that has been united with the earldom of Cork since 1753. It was created in 1660 for the soldier, statesman and dramatist Roger Boyle, 1st Baron Boyle, third but eldest surviving son of Richar ...

, born 25 April 1621, died 16 October 1679 aged 58 *1801 (no formal election), (1) Henry Boyle, Viscount Boyle, later

Earl of Shannon Earl of Shannon is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1756 for the prominent Irish politician Henry Boyle, who served as Speaker of the Irish House of Commons and as Chancellor of the Irish Exchequer. The earldom is named a ...

(to 1807), b. 8 August 1771, d. 22 April 1842 aged 70; (2)

Robert Uniacke Fitzgerald Colonel Robert Uniacke-FitzGerald (17 March 1751 – 20 December 1814) was an Irish politician. He was the eldest son of Robert Uniacke (afterwards Fitzgerald) of Corkbeg and descended from the Munster Desmond FitzGerald Knights of Glin and ...

, b. 17 March 1751, d. 20 December 1814 aged 63 *1806 17 November,

George Ponsonby George Ponsonby (5 March 17558 July 1817), was a British lawyer and Whig politician. He served as Lord Chancellor of Ireland from 1806 to 1807 in the Ministry of All the Talents. Background and education Ponsonby was the second surviving so ...

(to 1812), b. 1773, d. 5 June 1863 aged 90 *1807 16 May, James Bernard, Viscount Bernard, later

Earl of Bandon Earl of Bandon was a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1800 for Francis Bernard, 1st Viscount Bandon. He had already been created Baron Bandon, of Bandon Bridge in the County of Cork, in 1793, Viscount Bandon, of Bandon Bridge ...

(to 1818), b. 14 June 1785, d. 31 October 1856 aged 71 *1812 23 October, Richard Hare, Viscount Ennismore (to 1827), b. 20 March 1773, d. 24 September 1827 aged 54 *1818 29 June,

Edward King, Viscount Kingsborough Edward King, Viscount Kingsborough (16 November 1795 – 27 February 1837) was an Irish antiquarian who sought to prove that the indigenous peoples of the Americas were a Lost Tribe of Israel. His principal contribution was in making availab ...

,( Whig), b. 16 November 1795, d. 27 February 1837 aged 41 *1826, 21 June, Robert Henry King, after

Earl of Kingston Earl of Kingston is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1768 for Edward King, 1st Viscount Kingston. The Earl holds the subsidiary titles Baron Kingston, of Rockingham in the County of Roscommon (created in 1764), Viscount ...

(to 1832), (Whig), b. 4 October 1796, d. 21 January 1867 aged 70 *1827, 4 December, John Boyle, b. 13 March 1803, d. 6 December 1874 aged 71

Elections in the 1830s

* On petition, O'Connor was declared not qualified and unseated in favour of Longfield

Elections in the 1840s

O'Connell's death caused a by-election.

Elections in the 1850s

Power was appointed Lieutenant-Governor of Saint Lucia, resigning and causing a by-election. Roche was elevated to the peerage, becoming 1st

Baron Fermoy Baron Fermoy is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. The title was created by Queen Victoria by letters patent of 10 September 1856 for Edmond Roche. Previous letters patent had been issued on 14 May 1855 which purported to create this barony fo ...

and causing a by-election. Deasy was appointed

Solicitor-General for Ireland The Solicitor-General for Ireland was the holder of an Irish and then (from the Act of Union 1800) United Kingdom government office. The holder was a deputy to the Attorney-General for Ireland, and advised the Crown on Irish legal matters. On ra ...

, requiring a by-election.

Elections in the 1860s

Deasy was appointed

Attorney-General for Ireland The Attorney-General for Ireland was an Irish and then (from the Act of Union 1800) United Kingdom government office-holder. He was senior in rank to the Solicitor-General for Ireland: both advised the Crown on Irish legal matters. With the ...

, requiring a by-election. Deasy resigned after being appointed a Baron of the Exchequer, causing a by-election. Barry's death caused a by-election.

Elections in the 1870s

Downing's death caused a by-election.

Elections in the 1880s

Divided 1885 into seven divisions

East Cork (UK Parliament constituency) East Cork, a division of County Cork, was a parliamentary constituency in Ireland, represented in the Parliament of the United Kingdom. From 1885 to 1922 it returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom o ...

Mid Cork (UK Parliament constituency) Mid Cork, a division of County Cork, was a parliamentary constituency in Ireland, represented in the Parliament of the United Kingdom. From 1885 to 1922 it returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom of G ...

North Cork (UK Parliament constituency) North Cork, a division of County Cork, was a parliamentary constituency in Ireland, represented in the Parliament of the United Kingdom. From 1885 to 1922 it returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom of ...

North-East Cork (UK Parliament constituency) North East Cork, a division of County Cork, was a parliamentary constituency in Ireland, represented in the Parliament of the United Kingdom. From 1885 to 1922 it returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the United Kingd ...

South Cork (UK Parliament constituency) South Cork, formally the Southern division of County Cork, was a parliamentary constituency in Ireland, represented in the Parliament of the United Kingdom. From 1885 to 1922 it returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of ...

South-East Cork (UK Parliament constituency) South East Cork, a division of County Cork, was a parliamentary constituency in Ireland, represented in the Parliament of the United Kingdom. From 1885 to 1922 it returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the United King ...

West Cork (UK Parliament constituency) West Cork, a division of County Cork, was a parliamentary constituency in Ireland, represented in the Parliament of the United Kingdom. From 1885 to 1922 it returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom of ...

References

*''The Parliaments of England'' by Henry Stooks Smith (1st edition published in three volumes 1844–50), 2nd edition edited (in one volume) by F.W.S. Craig (Political Reference Publications 1973) *,Leigh Rayment, David Dickson Old World Colony Corl and South Munster 1630-1830 Cork University Press 2005, Famine in West Cork Fr. Patrick Hickey Mercier Press 2002 * {{Cork constituencies Westminster constituencies in County Cork (historic) Constituencies of the Parliament of the United Kingdom established in 1801 Constituencies of the Parliament of the United Kingdom disestablished in 1885