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I've more or less totally re-written the introduction because it was a mixture of unverified opinion and assertions contradicted by the data:

+ "The win was a result of a restricted electoral franchise which saw voting restricted to the middle and upper classes, who were disproportionately supportive of the Conservative Party in Ireland." This may be true but it needs a reference, as it implies there is some way we know how poorer people in 1859 would have voted. Much more obviously true from the election results is that the Conservatives' victory relied quite largely on unopposed candidates.

+ "Electoral reform in subsequent decades saw a sharp decline in Tory fortunes in Ireland, with new voters, who had not been Tory supporters anyhow, supporting first of all the Liberal Party, notably in the 1868 general election in Ireland..." This is more or less the opposite of the truth. In no subsequent election did the Liberals get such a high share of the vote as they had in 1859. On the other hand, in each of the following four elections the Conservatives had a higher vote share than they did in the 1859 election. 86.162.116.210 ( talk) 15:55, 16 January 2019 (UTC) reply