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 rea ...
, the lower house of the Irish parliament or
Oireachtas
The Oireachtas (, ), sometimes referred to as Oireachtas Éireann, is the bicameral parliament of Ireland. The Oireachtas consists of:
*The President of Ireland
*The two houses of the Oireachtas ( ga, Tithe an Oireachtais):
** Dáil Éireann ...
. 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 Christia ...
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 govern ...
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 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 legislature) and the of ...
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 Ireland and the supreme commander of the Irish Defence Forces.
The president holds office for seven years, and can be elected for a maximum of two terms.Constitu ...
. 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 Gr ...
Westminster MP for the preceding constituency of
East Clare. His granddaughter,
Síle de Valera, represented the constituency from 1987 to 2007. Other notable former deputies include
Patrick Hillery (later president 1976–1990), the long-serving
Ceann Comhairle
The (; "Head of heCouncil"; plural usually ) is the chairperson (or speaker) of , the lower house of the (parliament) of Ireland. The person who holds the position is elected by members of the from among their number in the first session a ...
(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 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. The
Electoral (Amendment) (Dáil Constituencies) Act 2017 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 govern ...
as
President of Ireland
The president of Ireland ( ga, Uachtarán na hÉireann) is the head of state of Ireland and the supreme commander of the Irish Defence Forces.
The president holds office for seven years, and can be elected for a maximum of two terms.Constitu ...
, 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
*
Politics of the Republic of Ireland
*
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 Ireland occur to fill vacant seats which can be caused by the death, resignation, disqualification or expu ...
*
List of political parties in the Republic of Ireland
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