Sligo–Leitrim 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 ...

that has been 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 ...

, from the 2016 general election. 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). The constituency previously existed from 1923 to 1937 (then titled Leitrim–Sligo) and from 1948 to 2007.

History and boundaries

1923–1937 and 1948–2007

The constituency was defined in the Electoral Act 1923 as: :"The administrative counties of Leitrim and

Sligo Sligo ( ; ga, Sligeach , 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 approximately 20,000 in 2016, it is the largest urban ce ...

." This was the first time that the Dáil had not used constituencies defined under British law. Leitrim–Sligo replaced the old Leitrim–Roscommon North and Sligo–Mayo East constituencies, which had been created under the Government of Ireland Act 1920. The constituency was first used at the 1923 general election. Under the Electoral (Revision of Constituencies) Act 1935, the Leitrim–Sligo constituency was abolished, and replaced for the 1937 general election by two separate 3 seat constituencies:

and Leitrim. The territory was reunited as Sligo–Leitrim under 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 ...

, in operation from the 1948 general election. 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 recreated following a recommendation of the

Constituency Commission The Constituency Commission ( ga, An Coimisiún um Thoghlaigh) is an independent commission in Ireland which advises on redrawing of constituency boundaries of Dáil constituencies for the election of members to Dáil Éireann (the lower house o ...

its 2012 report. The change was implemented by the

Electoral (Amendment) (Dáil Constituencies) Act 2013 The Electoral (Amendment) (Dáil Constituencies) Act 2013 (No. 7) is a law of Ireland which revised Dáil constituencies in light of the 2011 census and a requirement to reduce the number of Dáil seats. The new constituencies took effect on t ...

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

County Sligo County Sligo ( , gle, Contae Shligigh) is a county in Ireland. It is located in the Border Region and is part of the province of Connacht. Sligo is the administrative capital and largest town in the county. Sligo County Council is the local ...

; all of

County Leitrim County Leitrim ( ; gle, Contae Liatroma) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Connacht and is part of the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the village of Leitrim. Leitrim County Council is the local authority for the ...

; nine electoral divisions of southern

County Donegal County Donegal ( ; ga, Contae Dhún na nGall) is a county of Ireland in the province of Ulster and in the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town of Donegal in the south of the county. It has also been known as County Tyrcon ...

, and thirty-six electoral divisions of western

County Cavan County Cavan ( ; gle, Contae an Chabháin) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Ulster and is part of the Border Region. It is named after the town of Cavan and is based on the historic Gaelic territory of East Breffny (''Bréifn ...

. It took effect at the 2016 general election. This change proved controversial, and created an unusual cross-

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

constituency taking in all or parts of four counties. Some Cavan and Donegal voters felt unrepresented. One man shared a picture online of his

spoiled ballot In voting, a ballot is considered spoilt, spoiled, void, null, informal, invalid or stray if a law declares or an election authority determines that it is invalid and thus not included in the vote count. This may occur accidentally or deliberat ...

in the 2016 election, which read "I LIVE IN CAVAN!" Local newspaper

The Anglo-Celt ''The Anglo-Celt'' () is a weekly local newspaper published every Thursday in Swellan, Cavan, Ireland, founded in 1846. It exclusively contains local news about Cavan and surroundings. The news coverage of the paper is mainly based on the pa ...

reported that several people had similarly spoiled their ballots, using the column of boxes to spell out the same message.Irish election: Spoiled ballots and lost rings among sights at count centres
from

BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broadc ...

At the 2020 general election, the electoral divisions in

were transferred to the

Cavan–Monaghan Cavan Monaghan (known as Cavan-Millbrook-North Monaghan until 2007) is a township in Peterborough County in central-eastern Ontario, Canada, southwest of the city of Peterborough. History The original townships of Cavan and Monaghan were surve ...

constituency, and Sligo–Leitrim instead took in parts of Roscommon–Galway constituency. The Electoral (Amendment) (Dáil Constituencies) Act 2017 defines the constituency as:

TDs

TDs 1923–1937

TDs 1948–2007

TDs since 2016

Elections

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

John Ellis topped the poll on the first count, but unusually he was not elected.

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

Following the death of Fianna Fáil TD Stephen Flynn on 24 November 1960, a by-election was held on 1 March 1961.

1957 general election

1954 general election

1951 general election

1948 general election

1933 general election

1932 general election

The vote was delayed two weeks in Leitrim–Sligo due to the assassination of Patrick Reynolds TD two days before the election was to take place. His widow Mary took his place on the ballot and was elected.

1929 by-election

Following the death of Fianna Fáil TD Samuel Holt on 18 April 1929, a

by-election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, a bye-election in Ireland, a bypoll in India, or a Zimni election ( Urdu: ضمنی انتخاب, supplementary election) in Pakistan, is an election used to ...

was held on 7 June 1929.

September 1927 general election

June 1927 general election

1925 by-election

Following the resignations of Cumann na nGaedheal TDs Thomas Carter and Alexander McCabe on 30 October 1924, a by-election for both seats was held on 11 March 1925.

1923 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