Parliamentary constituencies in the Republic of Ireland
Encyclopedia
The lower house of the Oireachtas
(Irish parliament), Dáil Éireann
, contains 166 Teachtaí Dála
(TDs), representing 43 parliamentary constituencies throughout the Republic of Ireland
. Depending on its size, each constituency must have at least 3 members and a maximum of five members. The most recent (Census 2006) ratio indicates that there is one TD for every 25,512 people. Elections are held using the single transferable vote
form of proportional representation
.
For the 2011 general election Teachtaí Dála
were elected for the following constituencies:
, an independent body established by the Government of Ireland to review constituency boundaries, proposed several changes to Dáil constituencies. These changes were provided for by the Electoral (Amendment) Act 2009
. In July 2011 the Irish government established a commission to review to the current Dáil and European constituencies.
This table summarises the changes in representation. It does not address revisions to the boundaries of constituencies.
There were further boundary changes to 18 constituencies, these were:
Cork East
, Cork North–Central, Cork North–West, Donegal North–East, Donegal South–West, Dublin North, Dublin North–Central, Dublin North–East, Dublin South
, Kerry South, Kildare North, Kildare South, Laois–Offaly, Meath East, Meath West, Roscommon–South Leitrim, Sligo–North Leitrim and Tipperary North.
:
These replaced the four existing constituencies of Longford–Roscommon, Meath, Sligo–Leitrim and Westmeath
. These new changes resulted in the creation of a 43rd constituency and the removal of the provincial boundary breach between Leinster
and Connacht
.
The number of seats was reduced in two constituencies:
Two three-seater constituencies gained an extra seat:
There were further smaller boundary changes to eleven constituencies outside Dublin, these were: Clare, Cork North–West, Cork South–Central, Cork South–West, Donegal North–East, Donegal South–West, Kerry North, Kerry South, Kildare South, Limerick East and Limerick West.
Boundaries for ten of the twelve Dublin constituencies were also revised apart from Dublin South–East and Dún Laoghaire
.
Oireachtas
The Oireachtas , sometimes referred to as Oireachtas Éireann, is the "national parliament" or legislature of Ireland. The Oireachtas consists of:*The President of Ireland*The two Houses of the Oireachtas :**Dáil Éireann...
(Irish parliament), Dáil Éireann
Dáil Éireann
Dáil Éireann is the lower house, but principal chamber, of the Oireachtas , which also includes the President of Ireland and Seanad Éireann . It is directly elected at least once in every five years under the system of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote...
, contains 166 Teachtaí Dála
Teachta Dála
A Teachta Dála , usually abbreviated as TD in English, is a member of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas . It is the equivalent of terms such as "Member of Parliament" or "deputy" used in other states. The official translation of the term is "Deputy to the Dáil", though a more literal...
(TDs), representing 43 parliamentary constituencies throughout the Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
. Depending on its size, each constituency must have at least 3 members and a maximum of five members. The most recent (Census 2006) ratio indicates that there is one TD for every 25,512 people. Elections are held using the single transferable vote
Single transferable vote
The single transferable vote is a voting system designed to achieve proportional representation through preferential voting. Under STV, an elector's vote is initially allocated to his or her most preferred candidate, and then, after candidates have been either elected or eliminated, any surplus or...
form of proportional representation
Proportional representation
Proportional representation is a concept in voting systems used to elect an assembly or council. PR means that the number of seats won by a party or group of candidates is proportionate to the number of votes received. For example, under a PR voting system if 30% of voters support a particular...
.
Current constituencies
Teachta Dála
A Teachta Dála , usually abbreviated as TD in English, is a member of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas . It is the equivalent of terms such as "Member of Parliament" or "deputy" used in other states. The official translation of the term is "Deputy to the Dáil", though a more literal...
were elected for the following constituencies:
| Constituency | Seats |
|---|---|
| Carlow–Kilkenny Carlow–Kilkenny (Dáil Éireann constituency) Carlow–Kilkenny is a parliamentary constituency represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas. The constituency elects 5 deputies... |
5 |
| Cavan–Monaghan Cavan–Monaghan (Dáil Éireann constituency) Cavan–Monaghan is a parliamentary constituency represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas. The constituency elects 5 deputies... |
5 |
| Clare | 4 |
| Cork East Cork East (Dáil Éireann constituency) Cork East is a parliamentary constituency represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas. The constituency elects 4 deputies... |
4 |
| Cork North–Central | 4 |
| Cork North–West | 3 |
| Cork South–Central | 5 |
| Cork South–West | 3 |
| Donegal North–East | 3 |
| Donegal South–West | 3 |
| Dublin Central Dublin Central (Dáil Éireann constituency) Dublin Central is a parliamentary constituency represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas. The constituency elects 4 deputies... |
4 |
| Dublin Mid–West | 4 |
| Dublin North | 4 |
| Dublin North–Central | 3 |
| Dublin North–East | 3 |
| Dublin North–West | 3 |
| Dublin South Dublin South (Dáil Éireann constituency) Dublin South is a parliamentary constituency represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas. The constituency elects 5 deputies... |
5 |
| Dublin South–Central | 5 |
| Dublin South–East | 4 |
| Dublin South–West | 4 |
| Dublin West | 4 |
| Dún Laoghaire Dún Laoghaire (Dáil Éireann constituency) Dún Laoghaire is a parliamentary constituency represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas. The constituency elects 4 deputies... |
4 |
| Galway East | 4 |
| Galway West | 5 |
| Kerry North–West Limerick | 3 |
| Kerry South | 3 |
| Kildare North | 4 |
| Kildare South | 3 |
| Laois–Offaly | 5 |
| Limerick Limerick (Dáil Éireann constituency) Limerick is a parliamentary constituency represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas. The constituency elects 3 deputies... |
3 |
| Limerick City Limerick City (Dáil Éireann constituency) Limerick City is a parliamentary constituency in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas. The constituency elects 4 deputies... |
4 |
| Longford–Westmeath | 4 |
| Louth Louth (Dáil Éireann constituency) Louth is a parliamentary constituency represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas. The constituency elects 5 deputies... |
5 |
| Mayo Mayo (Dáil Éireann constituency) Mayo is a parliamentary constituency represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas. The constituency elects five deputies... |
5 |
| Meath East | 3 |
| Meath West | 3 |
| Roscommon–South Leitrim | 3 |
| Sligo–North Leitrim | 3 |
| Tipperary North | 3 |
| Tipperary South Tipperary South (Dáil Éireann constituency) Tipperary South is a parliamentary constituency represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas. The constituency elects 3 deputies... |
3 |
| Waterford Waterford (Dáil Éireann constituency) Waterford is a parliamentary constituency represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas. The constituency elects 4 deputies... |
4 |
| Wexford Wexford (Dáil Éireann constituency) Wexford is a parliamentary constituency represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas. The constituency elects 5 deputies... |
5 |
| Wicklow Wicklow (Dáil Éireann constituency) Wicklow is a parliamentary constituency represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas. The constituency elects 5 deputies... |
5 |
2011 general election
The 2007 report of the Constituency CommissionConstituency Commission
The Constituency Commission is an independent statutory body in Ireland, whose remit is to make a report in relation to the constituencies for the election of members to Dáil Éireann and of members to the European Parliament from Ireland...
, an independent body established by the Government of Ireland to review constituency boundaries, proposed several changes to Dáil constituencies. These changes were provided for by the Electoral (Amendment) Act 2009
Electoral (Amendment) Act 2009
The Electoral Act 2009 is a law of the Republic of Ireland which provided for parliamentary constituencies for the 31st Dáil Éireann. The 31st Dáil was elected at the 2011 general election in March 2011....
. In July 2011 the Irish government established a commission to review to the current Dáil and European constituencies.
This table summarises the changes in representation. It does not address revisions to the boundaries of constituencies.
| Constituency | Created | Seats | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dublin West | 1981 | 4 | plus 1 seat |
| Dún Laoghaire Dún Laoghaire (Dáil Éireann constituency) Dún Laoghaire is a parliamentary constituency represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas. The constituency elects 4 deputies... |
1977 | 4 | minus 1 seat |
| Kerry North | 1937 | 3 | abolished |
| Kerry North–West Limerick | 2011 | 3 | new constituency |
| Limerick Limerick (Dáil Éireann constituency) Limerick is a parliamentary constituency represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas. The constituency elects 3 deputies... |
2011 | 3 | new constituency |
| Limerick City Limerick City (Dáil Éireann constituency) Limerick City is a parliamentary constituency in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas. The constituency elects 4 deputies... |
2011 | 4 | new constituency |
| Limerick East | 1948 | 5 | abolished |
| Limerick West | 1948 | 3 | abolished |
| Louth Louth (Dáil Éireann constituency) Louth is a parliamentary constituency represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas. The constituency elects 5 deputies... |
1923 | 5 | plus 1 seat |
There were further boundary changes to 18 constituencies, these were:
Cork East
Cork East (Dáil Éireann constituency)
Cork East is a parliamentary constituency represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas. The constituency elects 4 deputies...
, Cork North–Central, Cork North–West, Donegal North–East, Donegal South–West, Dublin North, Dublin North–Central, Dublin North–East, Dublin South
Dublin South (Dáil Éireann constituency)
Dublin South is a parliamentary constituency represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas. The constituency elects 5 deputies...
, Kerry South, Kildare North, Kildare South, Laois–Offaly, Meath East, Meath West, Roscommon–South Leitrim, Sligo–North Leitrim and Tipperary North.
2007 general election
In 2004 the report of the Constituency Commission, proposed major changes to Dáil constituencies. Five new constituencies were created under the Electoral (Amendment) Act 2005Electoral (Amendment) Act 2005
The Electoral Act 2005 is a law of the Republic of Ireland which provided for parliamentary constituencies for the 30th Dáil Éireann. The 30th Dáil was elected at the 2007 general election on 24 May 2007....
:
- Longford–Westmeath (4)
- Meath East (3)
- Meath West (3)
- Roscommon–South Leitrim (3)
- Sligo–North Leitrim (3)
These replaced the four existing constituencies of Longford–Roscommon, Meath, Sligo–Leitrim and Westmeath
Westmeath (Dáil Éireann constituency)
Westmeath was a parliamentary constituency represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas from 1992 to 2007. The constituency was served by 3 deputies...
. These new changes resulted in the creation of a 43rd constituency and the removal of the provincial boundary breach between Leinster
Leinster
Leinster is one of the Provinces of Ireland situated in the east of Ireland. It comprises the ancient Kingdoms of Mide, Osraige and Leinster. Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the historic fifths of Leinster and Mide gradually merged, mainly due to the impact of the Pale, which straddled...
and Connacht
Connacht
Connacht , formerly anglicised as Connaught, is one of the Provinces of Ireland situated in the west of Ireland. In Ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a "king of over-kings" . Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into a number of counties for...
.
The number of seats was reduced in two constituencies:
- Cork North–Central (from 5 to 4)
- Dublin North–Central (from 4 to 3)
Two three-seater constituencies gained an extra seat:
- Dublin Mid–West (from 3 to 4)
- Kildare North (from 3 to 4)
There were further smaller boundary changes to eleven constituencies outside Dublin, these were: Clare, Cork North–West, Cork South–Central, Cork South–West, Donegal North–East, Donegal South–West, Kerry North, Kerry South, Kildare South, Limerick East and Limerick West.
Boundaries for ten of the twelve Dublin constituencies were also revised apart from Dublin South–East and Dún Laoghaire
Dún Laoghaire (Dáil Éireann constituency)
Dún Laoghaire is a parliamentary constituency represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas. The constituency elects 4 deputies...
.
2002 general election
- Dublin North–East, Dublin North–West and Dublin West were reduced from 4 to 3 seats
- Dublin South–Central was increased from 4 to 5 seats.
- Dublin South–West was reduced from 5 to 4 seats
- Dublin Mid West was a new 3-seater
1997 general election
- Mayo EastMayo East (Dáil Éireann constituency)Mayo East was a parliamentary constituency represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas from 1969 to 1997. The constituency was served by 3 deputies...
(3) and Mayo WestMayo West (Dáil Éireann constituency)Mayo West was a parliamentary constituency represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas from 1969 to 1997. The constituency was served by 3 deputies...
(3) were replaced by MayoMayo (Dáil Éireann constituency)Mayo is a parliamentary constituency represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas. The constituency elects five deputies...
(5) - KildareKildare (Dáil Éireann constituency)Kildare was a parliamentary constituency represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas from 1923 to 1937 and from 1948 to 1997...
(5) was replaced by Kildare North (3) and Kildare South (3) - Galway East was increased from 3 to 4 seats
- Tipperary SouthTipperary South (Dáil Éireann constituency)Tipperary South is a parliamentary constituency represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas. The constituency elects 3 deputies...
was reduced from 4 to 3 seats
1992 general election
- Longford–Westmeath (4) and RoscommonRoscommon (Dáil Éireann constituency)Roscommon was a parliamentary constituency represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas from 1923 to 1969 and from 1981 to 1992...
(3) were replaced with WestmeathWestmeath (Dáil Éireann constituency)Westmeath was a parliamentary constituency represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas from 1992 to 2007. The constituency was served by 3 deputies...
(3) and Longford–Roscommon (4) - Dublin North was increased from 3 to 4 seats
- Dublin CentralDublin Central (Dáil Éireann constituency)Dublin Central is a parliamentary constituency represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas. The constituency elects 4 deputies...
was reduced from 5 to 4 seats - Dublin South–West was increased from 4 to 5 seats
- Dublin South–Central was reduced from 5 to 4 seats
- Dublin West was reduced from 5 to 4 seats
- WicklowWicklow (Dáil Éireann constituency)Wicklow is a parliamentary constituency represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas. The constituency elects 5 deputies...
was increased from 4 to 5 seats