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

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

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