Clare is a
parliamentary constituency
An electoral district, also known as an election district, legislative district, voting district, constituency, riding, ward, division, or (election) precinct is a subdivision of a larger state (a country, administrative region, or other poli ...
represented in
Dáil Éireann
Dáil Éireann ( , ; ) is the lower house, and principal chamber, of the Oireachtas (Irish legislature), which also includes the President of Ireland and Seanad Éireann (the upper house).Article 15.1.2º of the Constitution of Ireland read ...
, the lower house of the Irish parliament or
Oireachtas
The Oireachtas (, ), sometimes referred to as Oireachtas Éireann, is the Bicameralism, bicameral parliament of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The Oireachtas consists of:
*The President of Ireland
*The bicameralism, two houses of the Oireachtas ...
. The constituency elects 4 deputies (
Teachtaí Dála, commonly known as TDs) on the system of
proportional representation
Proportional representation (PR) refers to a type of electoral system under which subgroups of an electorate are reflected proportionately in the elected body. The concept applies mainly to geographical (e.g. states, regions) and political divis ...
by means of the
single transferable vote
Single transferable vote (STV) is a multi-winner electoral system in which voters cast a single vote in the form of a ranked-choice ballot. Voters have the option to rank candidates, and their vote may be transferred according to alternate p ...
(PR-STV).
History
Clare is historically a
Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil (, ; meaning 'Soldiers of Destiny' or 'Warriors of Fál'), officially Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party ( ga, audio=ga-Fianna Fáil.ogg, Fianna Fáil – An Páirtí Poblachtánach), is a conservative and Christian- ...
stronghold. The party founder
Éamon de Valera
Éamon de Valera (, ; first registered as George de Valero; changed some time before 1901 to Edward de Valera; 14 October 1882 – 29 August 1975) was a prominent Irish statesman and political leader. He served several terms as head of governm ...
served the constituency for 38 years, from 1921 to 1959, for many years of that time as
Taoiseach
The Taoiseach is the head of government, or prime minister, of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The office is appointed by the president of Ireland upon the nomination of Dáil Éireann (the lower house of the Oireachtas, Ireland's national legisl ...
and then, on his resignation as a TD, as
president of Ireland
The president of Ireland ( ga, Uachtarán na hÉireann) is the head of state of Republic of Ireland, Ireland and the supreme commander of the Defence Forces (Ireland), Irish Defence Forces.
The president holds office for seven years, and can ...
. From 1917 to 1922 he had been
Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin ( , ; en, " eOurselves") is an Irish republican and democratic socialist political party active throughout both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.
The original Sinn Féin organisation was founded in 1905 by Arthur Gri ...
Westminster MP for the preceding constituency of
East Clare
East Clare was a UK Parliament constituency in Ireland, returning one Member of Parliament (MP) from 1885 to 1922.
Prior to the 1885 United Kingdom general election the area was part of the Clare constituency. From 1922, shortly before the est ...
. His granddaughter,
Síle de Valera
Síle, Gaelic-Irish female given name.
Bearers of the name
* Síle Ní Mathgamna, died 1473.
* Síle Ní Siurtáin, died 1485.
* Síle Níc Ceallaigh, died 1486.
* Síle Níc Carthaigh, died 1489.
* Síle Ní Raghalligh, died 1491.
* Síle ...
, represented the constituency from 1987 to 2007. Other notable former deputies include
Patrick Hillery
Patrick John Hillery ( ga, Pádraig J. Ó hIrghile; 2 May 1923 – 12 April 2008) was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who served as the sixth president of Ireland from December 1976 to December 1990. He also served as vice-president of the Eur ...
(later president 1976–1990), the long-serving
Ceann Comhairle (chairman of the Dáil)
Patrick Hogan and
Moosajee Bhamjee, the first Muslim TD.
Boundaries
The constituency was created by the
Government of Ireland Act 1920
The Government of Ireland Act 1920 (10 & 11 Geo. 5 c. 67) was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The Act's long title was "An Act to provide for the better government of Ireland"; it is also known as the Fourth Home Rule Bill ...
and has been in use for Dáil elections since the
1921 election. From the
2020 general election, the constituency spans the entire area of
County Clare
County Clare ( ga, Contae an Chláir) is a county in Ireland, in the Southern Region and the province of Munster, bordered on the west by the Atlantic Ocean. Clare County Council is the local authority. The county had a population of 118,817 ...
. The
Electoral (Amendment) (Dáil Constituencies) Act 2017
The Electoral (Amendment) (Dáil Constituencies) Act 2017 (No. 39) is a law of Ireland which revised Dáil constituencies. It took effect on the dissolution of the 32nd Dáil on 14 January 2020 and a general election for the 33rd Dáil on t ...
defines the constituency as:
The constituency's boundaries have varied since its formation in 1921.
TDs
Elections
2020 general election
2016 general election
2011 general election
2007 general election
2002 general election
1997 general election
1992 general election
1989 general election
1987 general election
November 1982 general election
February 1982 general election
1981 general election
1977 general election
1973 general election
1969 general election
1968 by-election
Following the death of Fine Gael TD
William Murphy, a by-election was held on 14 March 1968. The seat was won by the Fianna Fáil candidate Sylvester Barrett.
The surplus votes of the elected candidate were distributed after being declared elected because there was a possibility another candidate could have reached the threshold of a third of a quota which would have meant their election deposit was returned to them.
1965 general election
The reason for the third count was because there was a possibility of a candidate reaching a third of the quota in order to save their deposit.
1961 general election
1959 by-election
Following the election of
Éamon de Valera
Éamon de Valera (, ; first registered as George de Valero; changed some time before 1901 to Edward de Valera; 14 October 1882 – 29 August 1975) was a prominent Irish statesman and political leader. He served several terms as head of governm ...
as
President of Ireland
The president of Ireland ( ga, Uachtarán na hÉireann) is the head of state of Republic of Ireland, Ireland and the supreme commander of the Defence Forces (Ireland), Irish Defence Forces.
The president holds office for seven years, and can ...
, a by-election was held on 22 July 1959. The seat was won by the Fianna Fáil candidate Seán Ó Ceallaigh.
1957 general election
The third count occurred because there was the possibility that surplus votes of elected candidates could have resulted in another candidate reaching the threshold of a third of a quota which would have meant their election deposit was returned to them.
1954 general election
1951 general election
1948 general election
1945 by-election
Following the death of Fine Gael TD
Patrick Burke, a by-election was held on 4 December 1945. The seat was won by the Fianna Fáil candidate Patrick Shanahan.
1944 general election
1943 general election
Hughes, Seán Hogan and Halpin were eliminated on successive counts, but separate figures for the 3rd and 4th Counts are not available.
1938 general election
1937 general election
There is no record of any further counts, even though the difference between the votes of Hogan, the last elected candidate, and Shalloo, the runner up, after the seventh count was less than the sum of the undistributed surpluses.
1933 general election
1932 general election
September 1927 general election
June 1927 general election
1923 general election
1922 general election
1921 general election
See also
*
Elections in the Republic of Ireland
In Ireland, direct elections by universal suffrage are used for the President, the ceremonial head of state; for Dáil Éireann, the house of representatives of the Oireachtas or parliament; for the European Parliament; and for local governmen ...
*
Politics of the Republic of Ireland
Ireland is a parliamentary, representative democratic republic and a member state of the European Union. While the head of state is the popularly elected President of Ireland, it is a largely ceremonial position, with real political power bei ...
*
List of Dáil by-elections
This is a list of by-elections to Dáil Éireann, the house of representatives of the Oireachtas, the Irish legislature. By-elections in Republic of Ireland, Ireland occur to fill vacant seats which can be caused by the death, resignation, disqu ...
*
List of political parties in the Republic of Ireland
There are a number of political parties in Ireland, and coalition governments are common. The two historically largest parties, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, arose from a split in the original Sinn Féin, Fine Gael from the faction Cumann na nGaed ...
References
External links
Oireachtas Constituency DashboardsOireachtas Members Database
{{DEFAULTSORT:Clare (Dail constituency)
Dáil constituencies
Politics of County Clare
1921 establishments in Ireland
Constituencies established in 1921