Dublin South-West 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 5 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).
Constituency profile
The constituency leans towards left-wing parties such as the
Labour Party and
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 ...
. Both Labour party TDs elected in 2011 had been members of other left-wing parties: Pat Rabbitte of the
Workers' Party of Ireland
The Workers' Party ( ga, Páirtí na nOibrithe) is a Marxist–Leninist political party active in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.
It arose as the original Sinn Féin organisation founded in 1905 by Arthur Griffith, but took ...
and
Democratic Left, and
Eamonn Maloney
Eamonn Maloney (born 1953) is an Irish former independent politician. He was elected to Dáil Éireann as a Labour Party Teachta Dála (TD) for the Dublin South-West constituency at the 2011 general election.
He was a member of South Dublin ...
was a member of the
Jim Kemmy
James Kemmy (14 September 1936 – 25 September 1997) was an Irish socialist politician from Limerick, who started his political career in the Labour Party. He later left Labour, was elected as an Independent Teachta Dála (TD), and founded the ...
's
Democratic Socialist Party. With the departure of
Brian Hayes in 2014, the constituency was entirely represented by four left-of-centre TDs upon the election of
Paul Murphy of the
Anti-Austerity Alliance
Solidarity ( ga, Neart le Chéile), formerly known as the Anti-Austerity Alliance (AAA), is a socialist political party in Ireland, launched in 2014. It had been registered as a political party to contest local elections, and ran at least forty c ...
in the
2014 by-election
Fourteen or 14 may refer to:
* 14 (number), the natural number following 13 and preceding 15
* one of the years 14 BC, AD 14, 1914, 2014
Music
* 14th (band), a British electronic music duo
* ''14'' (David Garrett album), 2013
*''14'', an unrele ...
.
The constituency is noted for its volatility: in three consecutive general elections, the poll topper from the previous election lost his seat, Brian Hayes in 2002,
Seán Crowe in 2007 and
Conor Lenihan
Conor Lenihan (born 3 March 1963) is an Irish former Fianna Fáil politician who served as a Minister of State from 2004 to 2011. He served as a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Dublin South-West constituency from 1997 to 2011.
He was from 2011 to 2 ...
in 2011.
History and boundaries
The first constituency of this name was created by the
Electoral (Amendment) Act 1947
The Electoral (Amendment) Act 1947 (No. 31) was a law in Ireland which revised Dáil constituencies. The new constituencies were first used for the 13th Dáil, elected at the 1948 general election on 4 February 1948.
This Act repealed the El ...
. It was based in
Dublin
Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...
city and was in use at elections from 1948 to 1977.
A second constituency of this name was created by the
Electoral (Amendment) Act 1980
The Electoral (Amendment) Act 1980 (No. 17) was a law of Ireland which revised Dáil constituencies. It took effect on the dissolution of the 21st Dáil on 21 May 1981 and a general election for the 22nd Dáil on the revised constituencies too ...
, and has been in use since the
1981 general election. It was in a different area to the 1948–1977 constituency, being based in
County Dublin
"Action to match our speech"
, image_map = Island_of_Ireland_location_map_Dublin.svg
, map_alt = map showing County Dublin as a small area of darker green on the east coast within the lighter green background of ...
(
South Dublin
, image_map = Island of Ireland location map South Dublin.svg
, map_caption = Inset showing South Dublin (darkest green in inset) within Dublin Region (lighter green)
, area_total_km2 ...
, after the division of County Dublin in 1994), in the areas of
Clondalkin
Clondalkin ( ; ) is a suburban town situated 10 km south-west of Dublin city centre, Ireland, under the administrative jurisdiction of South Dublin. It features an 8th-century round tower that acts as a focal point for the area. Clondalk ...
,
Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to:
*Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England
*Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England
*Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area in Australia, named after Newcastle ...
,
Rathcoole,
Saggart
Saggart ( ga, Teach Sagard) is a village in South Dublin, Ireland, south west of Dublin city. It lies between the N7 (Naas Road), Rathcoole, Citywest and Tallaght. It is one of the fastest-growing settlements in Ireland, showing a populat ...
,
Tallaght
)
, image_skyline = TallaghtDublinD24.jpg
, image_caption = Tallaght, Dublin
, image_flag =
, flag_size =
, pushpin_map = Dublin#Ireland
, pushpin_label_position = left
, ...
,
Templeogue
Templeogue () is a southwestern suburb of Dublin in Ireland. It lies between the River Poddle and River Dodder, and is about halfway from Dublin's centre to the mountains to the south.
Geography Location
The centre of Templeogue is from bo ...
, and parts of
Terenure
Terenure (), originally called ''Roundtown'', is an affluent, middle class suburb of Dublin in Ireland. It is located in the city's D6W postcode area.
Location and transport
Terenure lies primarily in the administrative area of Dublin City ...
.
At the 2002 election, it was reduced in size and electorate, losing territory — including Newcastle, Rathcoole, Saggart and Clondalkin — to the new
Dublin Mid-West constituency.
Major areas today include
Rathfarnham
Rathfarnham () is a Southside suburb of Dublin, Ireland. It is south of Terenure, east of Templeogue, and is in the postal districts of Dublin 14 and 16. It is within the administrative areas of both Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown County Council a ...
, Tallaght, and Templeogue, with the surrounding suburbs of
Ballyboden
Ballyboden (''Baile Buadáin'' in Irish, meaning "Boden Town") is a locality within the suburb of Rathfarnham in South Dublin, at the foot of the Dublin Mountains between Whitechurch, Ballyroan and Knocklyon. It is a townland in the civil par ...
,
Ballyroan, Butterfield,
Firhouse
Firhouse () is an outer suburb of Dublin, in the county of South Dublin, in the south of the traditional County Dublin in Ireland. It developed from a rural village by the River Dodder, with a second settlement, Upper Fir-house, nearby.Dublin, 1 ...
,
Greenhills,
Knocklyon
Knocklyon () is a suburb of Dublin in county of South Dublin, within the old County Dublin, Ireland. Unlike many Dublin suburbs, Knocklyon was not developed around a village; rather it largely comprises modern housing built between the village ...
, Willbrook, and parts of Terenure. At the 2016 general election, it gained a seat to become a five-seat constituency, with the addition of part of the former
Dublin South constituency, around Rathfarnham.
TDs
TDs 1948–1977
TDs since 1981
Elections
2020 general election
2016 general election
2014 by-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
1976 by-election
Following the death of Fianna Fáil TD
Noel Lemass
Noel Thomas Lemass (14 February 1929 – 13 April 1976) was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who served as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Finance from 1969 to 1973. He served as a Teachta Dála (TD) for Dublin South-West from 1956 ...
, a by-election was held on 10 June 1976. The seat was won by the Labour Party candidate Brendan Halligan.
1973 general election
1970 by-election
Following the death of Labour Party TD
Seán Dunne, a by-election was held on 4 March 1970. The seat was won by the Fianna Fáil candidate Seán Sherwin.
1969 general election
1965 general election
1961 general election
1959 by-election
Following the death of Fianna Fáil TD
Bernard Butler
Bernard Joseph Butler (born 1 May 1970) is an English musician, songwriter and record producer. He is best known as the first guitarist with Suede, until his departure in 1994. He has been hailed by some critics as the greatest guitarist of his ...
, a by-election was held on 22 July 1959. The seat was won by the Fine Gael candidate Richie Ryan.
1957 general election
1956 by-election
Following the death of Fine Gael TD
Peadar Doyle
Peadar Seán Doyle (died 4 August 1956) was an Irish politician. An engineer by profession, his son Seán was killed by British forces at Kilmashogue in the Dublin Mountains on Sunday, 19 September 1920.
Doyle was first elected to Dáil Éirean ...
, a by-election was held on 14 November 1956. The seat was won by the Fianna Fáil candidate Noel Lemass.
1954 general election
1951 general election
1948 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 Ireland occur to fill vacant seats which can be caused by the death, resignation, disqualification or expuls ...
*
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 DatabaseGovernment of Ireland: Constituency Maps (Current)*
ttps://www.dublinhistoricmaps.ie/boundaries/wards/index.html Dublin Historic Maps: Some Dublin and Kingstown Wards, Between 1780 and 1954
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dublin South-West (Dail constituency)
Dáil constituencies
Parliamentary constituencies in County Dublin
Tallaght
Terenure
Clondalkin
Templeogue
Politics of South Dublin (county)
1948 establishments in Ireland
1977 disestablishments in Ireland
Constituencies established in 1948
Constituencies disestablished in 1977
1981 establishments in Ireland
Constituencies established in 1981