31/12/2018
The 1918 General Election in Kilkenny and an uncertain future for Ireland
The 1918 General Election was a hugely significant event in the history of Ireland. It finds itself sandwiched between the 1916 Rising and the War of Independence and quite often does not get the attention it warrants. It had massive ramifications for Ireland. The main two political parties in this election were the Irish Parliamentary party, with John Dillon as their leader, and Sinn Fein with Eaman De Valera as their leader. The aim of the Irish Parliamentary Party was to achieve Home Rule for Ireland. This would mean a parliament in Ireland with control over domestic affairs while Westminster would retain power over imperial affairs. The 1916 Rising and the actions of the British authorities in Ireland during its aftermath resulted in much anti- British feeling. Many Irish people now believed that any form of watered down independence was no longer acceptable and now the majority if Irish people wanted an end to British involvement in Ireland. The election of 1918 clearly emphasised this desire.
In Kilkenny William Cosgrave was selected as the party candidate for North Kilkenny, even though he was, at this time interred in Reading Jail. Cosgrave was returned unopposed as the Sinn Féin representative for the constituency of North Kilkenny. In South Kilkenny the Irish Parliamentary Party put up more stern resistance to Sinn Féin. James O’ Meara was chosen as the Sinn Féin candidate and opposing him was Matthew Keating of the Irish Party. Both threw themselves into the campaign with gusto. However, three weeks before polling day the Sinn Féin director of elections, Robert Brennan, was arrested and James O’ Meara, the South Kilkenny candidate was chosen to take his place. This meant he was absent from the Kilkenny constituency during this critical part of the campaign. Sinn Féin hopes received another serious set-back a fortnight before the elections when a letter from Dr. Abraham Brownrigg, Bishop of Ossary, appeared in the local papers in Kilkenny declaring his support for Matthew Keating and the Irish Party. The day after this letter appeared in the papers O’ Meara returned to Kilkenny and addressed a huge meeting at Thomastown where the Kells Pipe Band led a large crowd around the town in the midst of huge support for O’Meara.
The election was held on Saturday 14th December 1918. The election was significant also because it presented women over 30 with property qualifications their first opportunity to vote in Ireland. The public had to wait a fortnight before the results emerged. The result of the South Kilkenny election was announced from the balcony of Kilkenny Courthouse in Parliament Street:
James O Meara (Sinn Féin) 8,685
Matthew Keating (Irish Party) 1.855
Result = Sinn Fein majority = 6830
Similar results were to be seen throughout Ireland with the exception of North East Ulster where the Unionists were at their strongest. Out of 105 seats, 73 were won by Sinn Féin, the Unionist Party won 26 and the Irish Parliamentary Party won 6. Clearly, the Irish electorate had rejected the idea of Home Rule for Ireland. Sinn Féin viewed these results as a mandate from the people of Ireland to pursue their targets of:
1. Withdrawing the Irish representation from Westminster and establishing a parliament in Ireland.
2. Making use of any and every means available to render impotent the power of England to hold Ireland in subjection by military force or otherwise’.
In the midst of wild celebrations there were also ominous signs of what was to come as the British military presence throughout the country was re-enforced in preparation for what this result might lead to in Ireland. Sinn Féin, and the majority of Irish people wanted an end to English involvement in Ireland and were determined to establish their own parliament to govern their own affairs. England, for its part, was not willing to simply give up their control of Ireland. It was in this atmosphere of tension and uncertainty that Ireland entered the New Year, 1919, unsure of what the ramifications of the 1918 election result would be amid increasing tensions between Ireland and it's nearest neighbour.
