Sligo–Leitrim is a parliamentary constituency that has been represented in

Dáil Éireann Dáil Éireann ( ; , ) is the lower house and principal chamber of the Oireachtas, which also includes the president of Ireland and a senate called Seanad Éireann.Article 15.1.2° of the Constitution of Ireland reads: "The Oireachtas shall co ...

, 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 and the two houses of the Oireachtas (): a house ...

, from the 2016 general election. The constituency elects four deputies ( Teachtaí Dála, commonly known as TDs) on the system of

proportional representation Proportional representation (PR) refers to any electoral system under which subgroups of an electorate are reflected proportionately in the elected body. The concept applies mainly to political divisions (Political party, political parties) amon ...

by means of the

single transferable vote The single transferable vote (STV) or proportional-ranked choice voting (P-RCV) is a multi-winner electoral system in which each voter casts a single vote in the form of a ranked ballot. Voters have the option to rank candidates, and their vot ...

(PR-STV). Another constituency of the same name existed from 1948 to 2007.

History and boundaries

1948–2007

The Sligo–Leitrim constituency was created under the Electoral (Amendment) Act 1947, and first used at the 1948 general election. It replaced the two previous constituencies of

Sligo Sligo ( ; , meaning 'abounding in shells') is a coastal seaport and the county town of County Sligo, Ireland, within the western province of Connacht. With a population of 20,608 in 2022, it is the county's largest urban centre (constituting 2 ...

and Leitrim, which had been created at the 1937 general election to replace the 1923–1937 Leitrim–Sligo constituency. The constituency was abolished at the 2007 general election, and replaced by two new constituencies: Roscommon–South Leitrim and Sligo–North Leitrim.

2016 onwards

The constituency was re-created for the 2016 general election. The change was implemented by the Electoral (Amendment) (Dáil Constituencies) Act 2013, following a recommendation of the

Constituency Commission The Constituency Commission () is an independent commission in Ireland which had advised on redrawing of constituency boundaries of Dáil constituencies for the election of members to Dáil Éireann (the house of representatives of the Oireacht ...

its 2012 report. It replaced the constituencies of Roscommon–South Leitrim and Sligo–North Leitrim, and comprises all of

County Sligo County Sligo ( , ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Northern and Western Region and is part of the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht. Sligo is the administrative capital and largest town in ...

; all of

County Leitrim County Leitrim ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht and is part of the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the village of Leitrim, County Leitr ...

; nine electoral divisions of southern

County Donegal County Donegal ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county of the Republic of Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster and is the northernmost county of Ireland. The county mostly borders Northern Ireland, sharing only a small b ...

, and thirty-six electoral divisions of western

County Cavan County Cavan ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster and is part of the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town of Cavan and is based on the hi ...

. This change proved controversial, and created an unusual cross-

province A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire, Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

constituency, incorporating all or parts of four

counties A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

. Some Cavan and Donegal voters felt unrepresented. One man shared a picture online of his spoiled ballot in the 2016 election, which read "I LIVE IN CAVAN!" Local newspaper '' The Anglo-Celt'' reported that several people had similarly spoiled their ballots, using the column of boxes to spell out the same message. At the 2020 general election, the electoral divisions in

were transferred to the Cavan–Monaghan constituency, and parts of

County Roscommon County Roscommon () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is part of the province of Connacht and the Northern and Western Region. It is the List of Irish counties by area, 11th largest Irish county by area and Li ...

were added to Sligo–Leitrim instead. In the Constituency Review Report 2023, the

Electoral Commission An election commission is a body charged with overseeing the implementation of electioneering process of any country. The formal names of election commissions vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, and may be styled an electoral commission, a c ...

recommended that the electoral divisions of Roscommon in the constituency should be transferred to the Roscommon–Galway constituency, while keeping the nine electoral divisions of southern Donegal. The Electoral (Amendment) Act 2023 defines the constituency as:

TDs

TDs 1948–2007

TDs since 2016

Elections

2024 general election

2020 general election

2016 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

1965 general election

1961 general election

1961 by-election

Fianna Fáil TD Stephen Flynn died on 24 November 1960. A by-election was held to fill the vacancy on 1 March 1961.

1957 general election

1954 general election

1951 general election

1948 general election

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sligo-Leitrim (Dail constituency) Dáil constituencies Politics of County Sligo Politics of County Leitrim 1948 establishments in Ireland 2007 disestablishments in Ireland Constituencies established in 1948 Constituencies disestablished in 2007 2016 establishments in Ireland Constituencies established in 2016