National University of Ireland (NUI) is auniversity constituency inIreland, which elects three senators toSeanad Éireann, thesenate of theOireachtas (the legislature ofIreland). Its electorate is the graduates ofthe university, which has a number of constituent universities. It previously elected members to theHouse of Commons of the United Kingdom (1918–1921), to theHouse of Commons of Southern Ireland (1921) and toDáil Éireann (1922–1937).

Under theRedistribution of Seats (Ireland) Act 1918, NUI was enfranchised as a newuniversity constituency and continued to be entitled to be represented by one Member of Parliament in theBritish House of Commons until the dissolution of Parliament on 26 October 1922, shortly before theIrish Free State became a dominion outside the United Kingdom on 6 December 1922. In 1918 the electorate included all registered male graduates over 21 (or over 19 if in the armed services) and all female graduates over 30. There were 3,819 voters registered for the 1918 general election. Most, if not all, of those electors would have beenplural voters also entitled to vote in a territorial constituency. The1918 general election took place on 14 December and the results were declared on 28 December, except for the university constituencies. NUI voted between 18 and 22 December and the result was declared on 23 December.Eoin MacNeill was elected (and also forLondonderry City) standing forSinn Féin and therefore did not take his seat in Westminster, instead serving as a member of the first Dáil Éireann.

TheGovernment of Ireland Act 1920 established a devolved home rule legislature, within the United Kingdom, for twenty-six Irish counties which were designatedSouthern Ireland. NUI was given four seats in theHouse of Commons of Southern Ireland. At the1921 Southern Ireland House of Commons election, all 128 seats were elected unopposed. Of these, 124 wereSinn Féin members, who formed the TDs of theSecond Dáil. This included the four representatives of the NUI.

The Parliament was dissolved as part of the arrangements under theAnglo-Irish Treaty in 1922.

In the1918 general election,Sinn Féin contested the election on the basis that they would not take seats in the United Kingdom Parliament but would establish a revolutionary assembly in Dublin.

The university was, in Irish republican theory, entitled to return oneTeachta Dála (known in English as a Deputy) in 1918 to serve in theIrish Republic'sFirst Dáil. This revolutionary body assembled on 21 January 1919. In republican theory every MP elected in Ireland was a member of theFirst Dáil. In practice only Sinn Féin members participated, including the Deputy for the university.

In May 1921,elections were held to the parliaments established under theGovernment of Ireland Act 1920. Sinn Féin had decided to use the polls for the House of Commons of Northern Ireland and the House of Commons of Southern Ireland together as an election for the Irish Republic'sSecond Dáil. At the last meeting of the First Dáil on 10 May 1921, it passed a motion, the first three parts of which expressed this constitutional position.^[1]

1. That the parliamentary elections which are to take place during the present month be regarded as elections to Dáil Éireann.
2. That all deputies duly returned at these elections be regarded as members of Dáil Éireann and allowed to take their seats on subscribing to the proposedOath of Allegiance.
3. That the present Dáil dissolve automatically as soon as the new body has been summoned by the President and called to order.

No voting occurred inSouthern Ireland as all the seats were filled by unopposed returns. Except forDublin University all constituencies outsideNorthern Ireland elected Sinn Féin TDs. TheSecond Dáil first met on 16 August 1921, thereby dissolving the First Dáil. TheThird Dáil was also elected under the constituencies established by the Government of Ireland Act 1920. On 6 December 1922, this became the house of representatives of the newIrish Free State.

From theElectoral Act 1923 theIrish Free State defined its own Dáil constituencies. National University of Ireland was reduced to three seats. This Act abolished plural voting for University constituencies and enfranchised women on the same terms as men. Qualified voters could register for a university or a territorial constituency but not for both. The qualifications for an elector to be registered as a university voter were set out in Section 1(2)(c) of the 1923 Act. They were to be registered at "the University constituency comprising a university in which he or she has received a degree other than an honorary degree".^[2]

The Constitution (Amendment No. 23) Act 1936 repealed provisions of theConstitution of the Irish Free State providing for University representation in Dáil Éireann, with effect from the next dissolution of the Oireachtas which took place on 14 June 1937. The seat left vacant by Conor Maguire in 1936 on his appointment to theHigh Court was not filled.

Note: The columns in this table are used only for presentational purposes, and no significance should be attached to the order of columns. For details of the order in which seats were won at each election, see the detailed results of that election.

Article 18.4 of theConstitution of Ireland adopted in 1937, provided that the National University of Ireland would have three seats in the newSeanad Éireann. The Seanad Electoral (University Members) Act 1937 gave effect to this constitutional provision, with graduates of the National University of Ireland entitled to elect Senators bysingle transferable vote. The first Seanad election took place in 1938, and thereafter elections to the Seanad take place within 90 days of the dissolution of the Dáil. TheSeventh Amendment, adopted in 1979, allows for a redistribution of the six university seats among the Dublin University, the National University of Ireland, and any other institutions of higher education in the State which do not have representation. The establishment of separate universities from the NUI Colleges was under consideration in the late 1970s, and the Seventh Amendment was introduced so that the reference to the NUI in the Constitution would not inhibit any reforms and graduates of NUI and ex-NUI institutions could elect senators. Ultimately the NUI was not abolished (but reformed to be a federal institution).

Graduates who are Irish citizens are required to register to vote and the election is conducted by postal vote. There is no residency requirement for voters, so those living abroad can participate. Political party labels do not appear on Seanad election ballot papers.

Under the Seanad Electoral (University Members) (Amendment) Act 2024, the2025 Seanad election to the27th Seanad was the last general election for the National University constituency and the Dublin University constituency. At Seanad general elections held after 31 March 2025, the two university constituencies will be substituted by a new six-seatHigher Education constituency, enfranchising graduates from all institutions of higher education recognised under the Higher Education Act 2022. If a vacancy occurs during the 27th Seanad in the National University constituency, the electorate will be NUI graduates on the Higher Education constituency register of electors.^[3]

Note: The columns in this table are used only for presentational purposes, and no significance should be attached to the order of columns.

^ *: Outgoing Senator/TD

• Seat vacant in November 1936 on appointment of Maguire as a Justice of theHigh Court

Caused by the resignation of Eoin MacNeill.

Sinn Féin refused to recognise the Southern Ireland House of Commons and took their seats as TDs in theSecond Dáil. The NUIregistrar reported an expenditure of £28 14s on the election.^[33]

The 1918 general election took place on 14 December and the results were declared on 28 December, except for the university constituencies. NUI voted between 18 and 22 December and the result was declared on 23 December.

In common with other Sinn Féin MPs, Eoin MacNeill abstained from Westminster and took his seat as a TD in theFirst Dáil. He was also elected forLondonderry City.

• List of United Kingdom Parliament constituencies in Ireland and Northern Ireland
• List of MPs elected in the 1918 United Kingdom general election
• Historic Dáil constituencies
• Dáil Éireann (Irish Republic)
• Dublin University (constituency)
• Queen's University of Belfast (UK Parliament constituency)

• Walker, Brian M., ed. (1978).Parliamentary Election Results in Ireland, 1801–1922. Dublin: Royal Irish Academy. p. 395.ISBN 0901714127.

• National University of Ireland
• Constituencies of the Parliament of the United Kingdom disestablished in 1922
• Constituencies of the Parliament of the United Kingdom established in 1918
• University Dáil constituencies
• University Seanad constituencies
• University constituencies of the Parliament of the United Kingdom

• CS1: long volume value
• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Use Hiberno-English from December 2018
• All Wikipedia articles written in Hiberno-English
• Use dmy dates from December 2018