This constituency comprised part of the city of Dublin. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons 1885–1922. 1885–1918: In the Borough of Dublin, the wards of Arran Quay, Inns Quay, North City and South City, and that part of Rotunda ward lying south-west of a line drawn along the centre of North Frederick Street and a line drawn along the centre of East Cavendish Row. 1918–1922: The Inns Quay, North City, South City and Rotunda wards of the County Borough of Dublin. Prior to the 1885 general election, the entire city comprised the two-seat constituency of Dublin City. In 1885, Dublin was divided into four new single-member constituencies: Dublin Harbour, Dublin St Patrick's, Dublin St Stephen's Green, and Dublin College Green. In 1918, the city was allocated seven seats: in addition to the four existing constituencies, the new divisions were Dublin Clontarf, Dublin St James's, and Dublin St Michan's. From the 1922 general election, the area was no longer represented in the UK Parliament.
The constituency election in 1918 was used by Sinn Féin to return one Teachta Dála to serve in the Irish Republic's First Dáil. In republican theory, every MP elected in Ireland was a member of this revolutionary assembly. In practice, only the Sinn Féin members participated in it. The body assembled on 21 January 1919 and last met on 10 May 1921. The First Dáil, according to a resolution passed on 10 May 1921, was formally dissolved on the assembly of the Second Dáil. This took place on 16 August 1921. In 1921, Sinn Féin decided to use the UK-authorised elections for the Northern Ireland House of Commons and the House of Commons of Southern Ireland as a poll for the Irish Republic's Second Dáil. A new pattern of multi-member constituencies replaced the old single-member seats. The city of Dublin was divided into three four-member seats: Dublin Mid, Dublin North-West and Dublin South. This division seems to have been incorporated in the Dublin Mid seat, as the TD was re-elected there.
Politics
This was a strongly Nationalist area, which moved after the 1916 Easter Rising to supporting Sinn Féin. In the 1918 election, Sinn Féin got more than three-quarters of the vote. As with the other Sinn Féin MPs, O'Kelly did not take his seat at Westminster but instead served in the revolutionary Dáil Éireann. He was the presiding officer of the First Dáil from 22 January 1919. His appointment as Ceann Comhairle was confirmed 1 April 1919.
