Redistribution of Seats (Ireland) Act 1918

The Redistribution of Seats (Ireland) Act 1918 was an Act passed by the Parliament of the United Kingdom which redistributed the parliamentary constituencies in Ireland for the House of Commons. The new constituencies were used for the 1918 general election, and were also used by Sinn Féin to elect members of the revolutionary First Dáil, which first met in January 1919.

Redistribution of Seats (Ireland) Act, 1918[1]

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Long title	An Act to provide for the Redistribution of Seats at Parliamentary Elections in Ireland and for purposes connected therewith.
Citation	7 & 8 Geo. 5 c. 65
Dates
Royal assent	6 February 1918
Other legislation
Repealed by	Government of Ireland Act 1920
Status: Repealed

This Act replaced the distribution of seats which had been used since 1885. The number of seats was increased from 103 to 105, with the enfranchisement of two additional universities. There continued to be two two-member constituencies, so the number of constituencies increased from 101 to 103.

In 1922 this redistribution was replaced, for the six counties in Northern Ireland which remained part of the UK, by new UK Parliament constituencies. The remaining twenty-six Irish counties ceased to be represented at Westminster.

Under the Government of Ireland Act 1920, provision was made for new constituencies, to be used for the House of Commons of Northern Ireland and the House of Commons of Southern Ireland. Sinn Féin used both sets of constituencies to elect the Second Dáil of 1921–1922, and the Southern Ireland ones for the election to the Third Dáil of 1922–1923.