21 FEBRUARY 1874, Page 2

The Irish elections came to a close with the poll

for Wexford county, in which Sir George Bowyer and the Chevalier Keyes O'Clery were elected in the Home-rule interest. The Chevalier is an example of quite a new class of " self-made men," who have found great favour with Irish constituencies at this election, on the principle apparently of Omne ignotum pro magnco. The peculiar whimsicality which pervades the Irish elections, and which is no doubt greatly due to the surprise and consequent ugly rush of the Dissolution, is curiously illustrated by the return of the adjoining equally Catholic county of Waterford, where the Tory came in at the top of the poll, and Sir John Esmonde kept his seat by a considerable majority over the Home-ruler. The Ulster elections alone seem to have been fought on settled political principles; by men who were in earnest. The old Orange Tories are smitten hip and thigh. Ten seats have been won by Liberals—the two for Londonderry county are the most important —and only one, Mr. McClure's, for Belfast, lost.