The Cork County by-election of 1879 was fought on 17 February 1879. The byelection was fought due to the death of the incumbent Home Rule MP, McCarthy Downing. It was won by the Home Rule candidate David la Touche Colthurst.
The main issues were Home Rule and fixed tenure for tenant farmers, with the Home Rule candidate (a Catholic convert) being backed by the Catholic church.
References
Cork County by-election, 1879 Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA