Dublin South-West is a
parliamentary constituency 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 ...
. The constituency elects five 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).
Constituency profile
The constituency leans towards left-wing parties such as the
Labour Party and
Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin ( ; ; ) is an Irish republican and democratic socialist political party active in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.
The History of Sinn Féin, original Sinn Féin organisation was founded in 1905 by Arthur Griffit ...
. Both Labour Party TDs elected in 2011 had been members of other left-wing parties: Pat Rabbitte of the
Workers' Party and
Democratic Left, and
Eamonn Maloney was a member of the
Jim Kemmy's
Democratic Socialist Party. With the departure of
Brian Hayes in 2014, upon the election of
Paul Murphy of the
Anti-Austerity Alliance
Solidarity (), formerly known as the Anti-Austerity Alliance (AAA), is a Trotskyist political party in Ireland, launched in 2014. It had been registered as a political party to contest local elections, and ran at least forty candidates in the 20 ...
in the
2014 by-election, the constituency was entirely represented by four left-of-centre TDs until the 2016 election.
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 in 2011.
History and boundaries
The first constituency of this name was created by the
Electoral (Amendment) Act 1947. It was based in
Dublin
Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...
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, 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
County Dublin ( or ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland, and holds its capital city, Dublin. It is located on the island's east coast, within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster. Until 1994, County Dubli ...
(
South Dublin, after the division of County Dublin in 1994), in the areas of
Clondalkin,
Newcastle,
Rathcoole,
Saggart,
Tallaght,
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
Templeogue is from Dublin city centre t ...
, and parts of
Terenure.
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, Tallaght, and Templeogue, with the surrounding suburbs of
Ballyboden,
Ballyroan, Butterfield,
Firhouse,
Greenhills,
Knocklyon, 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.
The Constituency Review Report 2023 of 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 at the
next general election Dublin South-West be altered by the transfer of territory from Dublin South-Central and the transfer of territory to Dublin Mid-West.
For the
2024 general election, the
Electoral (Amendment) Act 2023 defines the constituency as:
TDs
TDs 1948–1977
TDs since 1981
''Note that the boundaries of Dublin South-West from 1981 onwards share no common territory with the pre-1977 boundaries. See
§History and boundaries''
Elections
2024 general election
2020 general election
2016 general election
2014 by-election
Brian Hayes was elected for
Dublin
Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...
at the
2014 European Parliament election on 23 May 2014, vacating his Dáil seat. A
writ of election
A writ of election is a writ issued ordering the holding of an election. In Commonwealth countries writs are the usual mechanism by which general elections are called and are issued by the head of state or their representative. In the United S ...
to fill the vacancy was moved on 17 September 2014. A by-election was held on 10 October 2014.
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
Fianna Fáil TD
Noel Lemass died on 13 April 1976. A by-election was held to fill the vacancy on 10 June 1976.
1973 general election
1970 by-election
Labour Party TD
Seán Dunne died on 25 June 1969, before the first sitting of the
19th Dáil on 2 July. A by-election was held on 4 March 1970.
1969 general election
1965 general election
1961 general election
1959 by-election
Fianna Fáil TD
Bernard Butler died on 13 March 1959. A by-election was held to fill the vacancy on 22 July 1959.
1957 general election
1956 by-election
Fine Gael TD
Peadar Doyle died on 4 August 1956. A by-election to fill the vacancy was held on 14 November 1956.
1954 general election
1951 general election
1948 general election
See also
*
Elections in the Republic of Ireland
*
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 ...
*
List of Dáil by-elections
*
List of political parties in the Republic of Ireland
There are a number of political party, political parties in Republic of Ireland, Ireland, and coalition governments are common. The two historically largest parties, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, arose from a split in the original History of Sinn ...
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