1797 Irish general election

1797 Irish general election

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All 300 seats of the House of Commons 151 seats were needed for a majority
First party Second party   Leader Thomas Pelham William Ponsonby Party Administration Irish Whig Party Leader's seat Clogher County Kilkenny

The 1797 Irish general election was the last general election to the Irish House of Commons, with the Act of Union three years later uniting the Kingdom of Ireland with the Kingdom of Great Britain. The election followed the Roman Catholic Relief Act 1793, meaning it was the first general election in Ireland in which Catholics could vote, provided they met the property requirements. The election also coincided with simmering rebellion in Ireland, coming not long after an attempted French expedition to Ireland, and the following year witnessing the Irish Rebellion of 1798.

Despite the changes to the electorate, and the heavily political backdrop, the election was marked most by the apathy shown to it by Ireland's electorate.^[1]

Thomas Pelham, as Chief Secretary for Ireland, was responsible for representing Dublin Castle in the Irish House of Commons.