Ennis (Parliament of Ireland constituency)

Not to be confused with Ennis (UK Parliament constituency).

Ennis was a constituency represented in the Irish House of Commons until 1800, the lower house in the Irish Parliament of the Kingdom of Ireland. In the Patriot Parliament summoned by James II in 1689, Ennis was represented with two members.^[1] Following the Acts of Union 1800, it was succeeded by the Ennis constituency in the United Kingdom House of Commons.

Ennis
Former borough constituency for the Irish House of Commons
County	County Clare
Borough	Ennis
1613 (1613) (1613 (1613))–1801 (1801)
Seats	2
Replaced by	Ennis (UKHC)

By 1783, the seat was in the control of the O'Brien and Burton families.^[2] Notable members include Sir Edward O'Brien, 4th Baronet. When his son, the Tory turned Irish rebel, William Smith O'Brien, became MP for the then UK Parliamentary seat of Ennis, The Times described the constituency as "his father's borough".^[3]

Members of Parliament, 1613–1801

• 1613 John Thornton of Doonass and Edmond Blood of Bohersallagh
• 1634–1635 Sir Barnaby O’Brien (sat for Carlow-replaced by Francis Windebank) and Sir Richard Sudwell
• 1639–1649 Simon Thorogood (replaced 1641 by Robert Casey) and Ralph Leventhorpe
• 1661–1666 William Purefoy of King's County and Isaac Granier of Kilrush

1689–1801

Election		First member	First party		Second member	Second party
1689 Patriot Parliament		Florence MacCarthy			Sir Theobald Butler
1692		Francis Burton			John Gore
1695					Francis Gore
1703					Simon Purdon
1713					David Bindon[a]
1713					Francis Gore
1715		David Bindon			Samuel Bindon
1727		Arthur Gore
1731		David Bindon
1761		Thomas Burton			Lucius Henry O'Brien[b]
1768		Charles McDonnell			Crofton Vandeleur
1776		William Burton[c]			Sir Lucius O'Brien, 3rd Bt
1778					Francis Bernard
1783		Stewart Weldon			John Thomas Foster
1790		Sir Lucius O'Brien, 3rd Bt			William Burton Conyngham
1795		Sir Edward O'Brien, 4th Bt
1796					Lodge Evans Morres
1798					Nathaniel Sneyd[d]
1798					John Ormsby Vandeleur
1801		Succeeded by the Westminster constituency Ennis

Notes

1. Declared not duly elected in 1713.
2. Succeeded as 3rd Baronet in 1765.
3. Changed surname to Conyngham in 1781.
4. Also elected for Carrick in 1798, for which he chose to sit.

References

1. O'Hart 2007, p. 501.
2. "Ennis". Ulster Historical Foundation. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
3. "General Election". The Times. London. 4 May 1831.

Bibliography

• O'Hart, John (2007). The Irish and Anglo-Irish Landed Gentry: When Cromwell came to Ireland. Vol. II. Heritage Books. ISBN 978-0-7884-1927-0.
• James Frost,The History and Topography of the County of Clare
• Leigh Rayment's historical List of Members of the Irish House of Commons. Cites: Johnston-Liik, Edith Mary (2002). The History of the Irish Parliament 1692-1800 (6 volumes). Ulster Historical Foundation.