ABSTRACT
In Manchester, the consequences of Liberal Home Rule divisions were mixed, but by no means disastrous. While the party did suffer from a loss of activists and supporters, the presence of a large Irish community in Manchester meant it was able to reach out to other areas of the city for support. Despite the Liberal Unionist secession, the 1886 general election saw the Liberal Association recover from the Irish electoral boycott of 1885, making two gains and taking three of Manchester's six parliamentary seats. Loyalty to the principle of Home Rule kept most of Manchester's Irish Catholic community within the Liberal coalition, but Irish leaders made it clear their support was conditional and limited. The support of Manchester's large Irish population must have compensated, at least in part, for the loss of Liberal Unionists. However, one regional study of voting behaviour suggests that the Irish electoral dividend to the Liberal Party in North-West England has been overstated.
