1920 Rathmines and Rathgar Urban District Council election
{{short description|Part of the 1920 Irish local elections}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
An election to the urban district council of Rathmines and Rathgar took place on Thursday, 15 January 1920 as part of the 1920 Irish local elections. The Local Government (Ireland) Act 1919 had changed the electoral system for local government in Ireland from first-past-the-post to single transferable vote.
The election saw Unionists reduced to a majority of 1 on the council. Prior to the election the Rathmines and Rathgar council had been composed almost entirely of Unionists.{{cite news |date=19 January 1920 |title=Municipal elections: Dublin Townships |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0002093/19200119/064/0003 |work=Dublin Evening Telegraph |location=Dublin |pages=1–3 }}
Following the election, Robert Benson (Unionist) was elected chairman, and William Ireland (Unionist) was elected as vice-chairman. Mary Kettle, the only Irish Party representative, did not vote for a chairman; however, she voted for Áine Ceannt for vice-chairman. Ceannt lost to Ireland by a single vote.{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wuL4AwAAQBAJ&dq=Robert+Benson+rathmines&pg=PT139 |title=A City in Turmoil – Dublin 1919–1921: The War of Independence |first=Pádraig |last=Yeates}}
Results by party
| class=wikitable
! colspan=2 align=center|Party ! valign=top|Seats ! valign=top|± ! valign=top|First Pref. votes ! valign=top|FPv% ! valign=top|±% |
| {{Party name with colour|Irish Unionist Alliance}}
| align=right|11 | align=right|{{decrease}} | align=right|4,589 | align=right|45.83 | align=right| |
| {{Party name with colour|Sinn Féin}}
| align=right|9 | align=right|{{increase}} | align=right|3,952 | align=right|39.46 | align=right| |
| {{Party name with colour|Nationalist Party (Ireland)}}
| align=right|1 | align=right| | align=right|987 | align=right|9.86 | align=right| |
| {{Party name with colour|Independent (politician)}}
| align=right|0 | align=right| | align=right|486 | align=right|4.85 | align=right| |
| colspan=2 align=center|Totals
| align=right |21 | align=center| | align=right |10,014 | align=center|100.00 | align=center|— |
Results by local electoral area
=No. 1 West Ward=
{{STV Election box begin2|
|title=No. 1 West Ward: 5 seats
|numcounts= 6
}}
{{STV Election box candidate2|
|party = Sinn Féin
|candidate = William Sears MP
|count1 = 678
|percentage = 30.28
}}
{{STV Election box candidate2|
|party = Irish Unionist Alliance
|candidate = George Metcalfe (incumbent)
|count1 = 502
|percentage = 22.42
}}
{{STV Election box candidate2|
|party = Irish Unionist Alliance
|candidate = J. J. McKenzie
|count1 = 297
|percentage = 13.26
|count2 = 377
}}
{{STV Election box candidate2|
|party = Sinn Féin
|candidate = Sean Doyle
|count1 = 245
|percentage = 10.94
|count2 =-
|count3 =-
|count4 = 337
|count5 = 340
|count6 = 407
}}
{{STV Election box candidate2|
|party = Nationalist Party (Ireland)
|candidate = J. J. Kiernan
|count1 = 180
|percentage = 8.04
|count2 =-
|count3 =-
|count4 = 186
|count5 = 283
|count6 = 283
}}
{{STV Election box candidate2|
|party = Sinn Féin
|candidate = Madeleine ffrench-Mullen
|count1 = 133
|percentage = 5.94
|count2 =-
|count3 =-
|count4 = 234
|count5 = 234
|count6 = 356
}}
{{STV Election box candidate2|
|party = Irish Unionist Alliance
|candidate = A. A. O'Malley
|count1 = 111
|percentage = 4.96
|count2 =-
|count3 =-
|count4 = 164
}}
{{STV Election box candidate2|
|party = Sinn Féin
|candidate = George Irvine
|count1 = 93
|percentage = 4.15
|count2 =-
|count3 =-
|count4 =196
|count5 = 196
}}
{{STV Election box end2
|numcounts = 6
|electorate = 3,158
|valid = 2,239
|spoilt = 30
|quota = 374
|turnout = 2,269
}}
=No. 2 West Ward=
{{STV Election box begin2|
|title=No. 2 West Ward: 5 seats
|numcounts=
}}
{{STV Election box candidate2|
|party = Irish Unionist Alliance
|candidate = Robert Benson (incumbent)
|count1 = 508
|percentage =
|count2 =
}}
{{STV Election box candidate2|
|party = Sinn Féin
|candidate = Robert Brennan
|count1 = 499
|percentage =
}}
{{STV Election box candidate2|
|party = Irish Unionist Alliance
|candidate = Mrs M. K. Dixon
|count1 = 392
|percentage =
|count2 =
}}
{{STV Election box candidate2|
|party = Irish Unionist Alliance
|candidate = William Ireland (incumbent)
|count1 = 256
|percentage =
|count2 =
}}
{{STV Election box candidate2|
|party = Nationalist Party (Ireland)
|candidate = P. J. Munden
|count1 = 244
|percentage =
}}
{{STV Election box candidate2|
|party = Independent (politician)
|candidate = C. B. W. Boyle
|count1 = 226
|percentage =
}}
{{STV Election box candidate2|
|party = Sinn Féin
|candidate = Mrs M. J. Mulcahy
|count1 = 205
|percentage =
}}
{{STV Election box candidate2|
|party = Irish Unionist Alliance
|candidate = S. G. Slater
|count1 = 130
|percentage =
|count2 =
}}
{{STV Election box candidate2|
|party = Sinn Féin
|candidate = Archibald J. Nicolls
|count1 = 116
|percentage =
}}
{{STV Election box candidate2|
|party = Irish Unionist Alliance
|candidate = F. W. Giddings
|count1 = 78
|percentage =
|count2 =
}}
{{STV Election box end2
|numcounts =
|electorate = 3,585
|valid = 2,654
|spoilt = 34
|quota = 433
|turnout = 2,688
}}
=No. 1 East Ward=
{{STV Election box begin2|
|title=No. 1 East Ward: 4 seats{{cite news |date=17 January 1920 |title=Dublin Townships: Two ladies elected to the Rathmines Council |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0002093/19200117/048/0005 |work=Dublin Evening Telegraph |location=Dublin |page=5 }}
|numcounts=
}}
{{STV Election box candidate2|
|party = Irish Unionist Alliance
|candidate = Mr. Carruthers
|count1 = 494
|percentage =
|count2 =
}}
{{STV Election box candidate2|
|party = Sinn Féin
|candidate = Dr. Kathleen Lynn
|count1 = 427
|percentage =
|count2 =
}}
{{STV Election box candidate2|
|party = Sinn Féin
|candidate = James Dwyer
|count1 = 382
|percentage =
|count2 = 383
|count3 = 410
}}
{{STV Election box candidate2|
|party = Irish Unionist Alliance
|candidate = John Russell
|count1 = 221
|percentage =
|count2 =
|count4 = 429
}}
{{STV Election box candidate2|
|party = Nationalist Party (Ireland)
|candidate = Patrick Moore
|count1 = 202
|percentage =
|count2 =
}}
{{STV Election box candidate2|
|party = Irish Unionist Alliance
|candidate = William M. Hatte
|count1 = 117
|percentage =
|count2 =
}}
{{STV Election box candidate2|
|party = Sinn Féin
|candidate = Thomas O'Conner
|count1 = 83
|percentage =
|count2 =
}}
{{STV Election box end2
|numcounts = 4
|electorate = 2,673
|valid = 1,926
|spoilt = 48
|quota = 386
|turnout = 1,974
}}
=No. 2 East Ward=
{{multiple image
| align = right
| total_width = 320
| image1 = Éamonn Ceannt.jpg
| alt1 = Éamonn Ceannt
| image2 = Tom Kettle.jpg
| alt2 = Tom Kettle
| footer = No. 2 East Ward saw the return of republican activist Áine Ceannt, Mary Kettle (daughter of David Sheehy and widow of Thomas Kettle), along with the abstentionist Sinn Féin MP Joseph MacDonagh.
Ceannt's husband, Éamonn (left) had died fighting for the Irish Republican Brotherhood during the Easter Rising four years prior. Kettle's husband, Tom (right), a Home Ruler and former MP for East Tyrone, had died the same year fighting in the Battle of the Somme.
}}
{{STV Election box begin2|
|title=No. 2 East Ward: 7 seats
|numcounts=
}}
{{STV Election box candidate2|
|party = Sinn Féin
|candidate = Joseph MacDonagh MP
|count1 = 549
|percentage =
|count2 =
}}
{{STV Election box candidate2|
|party = Irish Unionist Alliance
|candidate = John Sibthorpe
|count1 = 456
|percentage =
|count2 =
}}
{{STV Election box candidate2|
|party = Irish Unionist Alliance
|candidate = J. C. Anderson
|count1 = 422
|percentage =
|count2 =
}}
{{STV Election box candidate2|
|party = Sinn Féin
|candidate = Frances Ceannt
|count1 = 363
|percentage =
|count2 = 449
}}
{{STV Election box candidate2|
|party = Nationalist Party (Ireland)
|candidate = Mary Kettle
|count1 = 361
|percentage =
|count2 =
|count7 = 379
|count8 = 453
}}
{{STV Election box candidate2|
|party = Irish Unionist Alliance
|candidate = David Jackson M.D.
|count1 = 267
|percentage =
|count2 =
|count9 = over quota - elected
}}
{{STV Election box candidate2|
|party = Independent (politician)
|candidate = Thomas Saul
|count1 = 260
|percentage =
|count2 =
}}
{{STV Election box candidate2|
|party = Irish Unionist Alliance
|candidate = H. B. Goulding
|count1 = 235
|percentage =
|count2 =
|count9 = over quota - elected
}}
{{STV Election box candidate2|
|party = Sinn Féin
|candidate = Thomas Cullen M.R.I.A.
|count1 = 127
|percentage =
|count2 =
|count7 = 260
}}
{{STV Election box candidate2|
|party = Irish Unionist Alliance
|candidate = R. D. Bolton
|count1 = 103
|percentage =
|count2 =
}}
{{STV Election box candidate2|
|party = Sinn Féin
|candidate = George Daly
|count1 = 52
|percentage =
|count2 =
}}
{{STV Election box end2
|numcounts =
|electorate = 4,435
|valid = 3,195
|spoilt = 48
|quota = 400
|turnout = 3,243
}}