Donegal–Leitrim was a
parliamentary constituency
An electoral (congressional, legislative, etc.) district, sometimes called a constituency, riding, or ward, is a geographical portion of a political unit, such as a country, state or province, city, or administrative region, created to provi ...
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 1969 to 1977. The constituency elected 3 deputies (
Teachtaí Dála, commonly known as TDs) to the Dáil, 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).
History and boundaries
The constituency was created under the
Electoral (Amendment) Act 1969
The Electoral (Amendment) Act 1969 (No. 3) was a law of Ireland which revised Dáil constituencies. It took effect on the dissolution of the 18th Dáil on 22 May 1969 and a general election for the 19th Dáil on the revised constituencies took ...
, and first used at the
1969 general election to the
19th Dáil
The 19th Dáil was elected at the 1969 Irish general election, 1969 general election on 18 June 1969 and met on 2 July 1969. The members of Dáil Éireann, the house of representatives of the Oireachtas (legislature) of Republic of Ireland, Ire ...
. It was used again for the
1973 general election to the
20th Dáil
The 20th Dáil was elected at the 1973 general election on 28 February 1973 and met on 14 March 1973. The members of Dáil Éireann, the house of representatives of the Oireachtas (legislature) of Ireland, are known as TDs. It sat with the 13 ...
.
The constituency was used for one electoral revision only, being abolished under the
Electoral (Amendment) Act 1974
The Electoral (Amendment) Act 1974 (No. 7) was a law in Ireland which revised Dáil constituencies. It was a review of parliamentary constituencies passed in Ireland by the governing Fine Gael– Labour Party National Coalition. It was intended ...
. The areas in County Donegal were mostly incorporated into the new
Donegal constituency, while the more northerly Leitrim territories and the southern area of Donegal (around
Bundoran
Bundoran () is a town in County Donegal, Ireland. The town is located near the N15 road near Ballyshannon, and is the most southerly town in Donegal. The town is a tourist seaside resort, and tourism has been at the heart of the local economy s ...
and
Ballyshannon
Ballyshannon () is a town in County Donegal, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is located at the southern end of the county where the N3 road (Ireland), N3 from Dublin ends and the N15 road (Ireland), N15 crosses the River Erne. The town was inc ...
), were incorporated into the substantially revised
Sligo–Leitrim constituency.
It was defined in the 1969 Act as:
TDs
Elections
1973 general election
1970 by-election
Following the death of
Fine Gael
Fine Gael ( ; ; ) is a centre-right, liberal-conservative, Christian democratic political party in Ireland. Fine Gael is currently the third-largest party in the Republic of Ireland in terms of members of Dáil Éireann. The party had a member ...
TD
Patrick O'Donnell, a by-election was held on 2 December 1970. The seat was won by the
Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil ( ; ; meaning "Soldiers of Destiny" or "Warriors of Fál"), officially Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party (), is a centre to centre-right political party in Ireland.
Founded as a republican party in 1926 by Éamon de ...
candidate Patrick Delap.
1969 general election
See also
*
Dáil constituencies
There are 43 multi-member electoral districts, known as Dáil constituencies, to elect 174 Teachta Dála, TDs to Dáil Éireann, the house of representatives of the Oireachtas, Republic of Ireland, Ireland's parliament, on the system of propor ...
*
Politics of the Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland, Ireland is a parliamentary system, parliamentary, representative democracy, representative democratic republic and a member state of the European Union. While the head of state is the popularly elected President of Irelan ...
*
Historic Dáil constituencies
This page lists Dáil constituencies that have been used for elections to Dáil Éireann from the 1918 election to the 2024 general election.
Overview of legislation and seat distribution
In the case of the First Dáil, the constituencies were ...
*
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 government ...
References
External links
Oireachtas Members Database
{{DEFAULTSORT:Donegal-Leitrim (Dail constituency)
Dáil constituencies in the Republic of Ireland (historic)
Historic constituencies in County Donegal
Historic constituencies in County Leitrim
1969 establishments in Ireland
1977 disestablishments in Ireland
Constituencies established in 1969
Constituencies disestablished in 1977