It returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the United Kingdom House of Commons from 1885 until 1922.

This constituency was named for St Patrick's Cathedral and comprised the southwest part of the city of Dublin.

Under the Redistribution of Seats (Ireland) Act 1918, the city was allocated seven seats: in addition to the four existing constituencies, the new divisions were Clontarf, St James's and St Michan's.

Under the Government of Ireland Act 1920, the area was combined with the St Stephen's Green Division to form Dublin South, a 4-seat constituency for the Southern Ireland House of Commons and a single constituency at Westminster.

[6] Therefore, no vote was held in Dublin South at the 1922 United Kingdom general election on 15 November 1922, shortly before the Irish Free State left the United Kingdom on 6 December 1922.