Key Events- County Clare By-Election (1828)

• For the first time in British history an openly Roman Catholic MP was elected in June 1828- Daniel O'Connell 
• This election was held by William Vesey Fitzgerald after he became the President f the Board of Trade 
• Fitzgerald had to stand in a by-election as this was seen as an office of profit
• Usually these candidates would run unopposed 
• This time it was different due to a group called the Catholic Association 
• They campaigned for Catholic civil rights and the repeal of the Act of Union
• In protest they promised to oppose every member of the current government who were against Catholic Emancipation 
• Fitzgerald was the only person willing to stand for election, he was reasonably popular with the Catholics in Clare 
• Daniel O'Connell then declared he would be standing for election by taking advantage of a loop hole in the Act of Union 
• It stated that Catholics could not sit in Westminster as an MP but mentioned nothing about being a candidate for election
• Elections in Clare were held as an open vote- all votes would be known
• This meant Protestant an pro-unionist landowners would be able to influence their tenants who would be more likely to be Catholic and anti-union 
• O'Connell was immediately attacked after announcing his candidacy by the press
• They presented him as mean and greedy and claimed it was not worthwhile voting for him due to him being a Catholic
• However, thanks to people from all over the county voting, on the 5th of July it was confirmed that O'Connell won the election with a landslide majority 
• Fitzgerald lost his seat at Westminster and was replaced by O'Connell
• This victory for O'Connell was the last stage for Catholic Emancipation and his position in Westminster was significant in influencing the government to reform old legislation such as the introduction of the Catholic Relief Act 1829 which removed restrictions imposed on Catholics since the 16th Century