County Clare was a parliamentary constituency in Ireland, represented in the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

From 1801 to 1885 it returned two Members of Parliament (MPs) to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.

On petition, Fitzgerald and O'Brien were unseated, due to a "system of intimidation" being present at the 1852 election, and a writ was moved for a by-election.

O'Loghlen was declared to have resigned after accepting office as Attorney General of Victoria, Australia, causing a by-election.

The Clare by-election in 1828 was notable as this was the first time since the reformation that an openly Roman Catholic MP, Daniel O'Connell was elected.