110 years of local elections marked

MORE THAN 100 years of local elections in Ireland – stretching back to the beginning of local democracy – are recalled at a travelling exhibition which opened in the Dublin City Library and Archive in Pearse Street yesterday.

Featuring original documents, the exhibition recalls a period pre-democracy, when the local authority at county level was the “grand jury”. This was made up of local landowners nominated by the county sheriff. It was responsible for roads, bridges and courthouses and other public buildings and was required to meet no more than twice yearly.

Newspapers were sceptical of the arrival of the 1899 Local Government Act which brought in elections and insisted there was “no feature of interest” in the measure on the part of the general population.

However, at least in some areas the papers were wrong and the turnout was considered high.

An example quoted in the exhibition is the Carrick-on-Suir division of South Tipperary where more then 75 per cent of electors turned out. In other areas there were even cases of fisticuffs at polling stations over the relative merits of candidates.

“Local Elections in Ireland 1898-2008” is on show in the library and archive until the end of the month, when it goes on tour to other local authorities which have the services of an archivist.

The Dublin City Council archivists have animated the original material with computerised databases including electoral registers for the years 1937 to 1963.

This allows visitors to the Dublin exhibition the opportunity to trace family members, or indeed whole families,within the Dublin area.

Also in the Dublin database are the details of all the candidates for each of the elections, alongside the winners and details of their time in office and the committees on which they served.

Visitors will be able to use the databases to make searches of their own.

Among the original documents are the Sinn Féin manifesto from January 1920 as well as more recent publications, a poster exhibition and information for candidates directed at new immigrant communities.