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

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

References

External links

Oireachtas Constituency Dashboards

Oireachtas Members Database

Government 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