Limerick East 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 1948 to 2011. The method of election was

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 1947 and first used at the 1948 general election. It succeeded the constituency of

Limerick Limerick ( ; ) is a city in western Ireland, in County Limerick. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and is in the Mid-West Region, Ireland, Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. W ...

, which was divided between Limerick East and Limerick West. At its abolition, it encompassed the whole of

Limerick City Limerick ( ; ) is a city in western Ireland, in County Limerick. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and is in the Mid-West Region, Ireland, Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. W ...

, together with the Castleconnell electoral area part of the

Bruff Bruff () is a town in east County Limerick, in the midwest of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, located on the old Limerick–Cork (city), Cork road (R512 road (Ireland), R512). The town lies on the River Maigue, Morning Star river, with two bridg ...

electoral area of

County Limerick County Limerick () is a western Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and is located in the Mid-West Region, Ireland, Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Reg ...

and the Ballyglass

electoral division 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 provid ...

County Clare County Clare () is a Counties of Ireland, county in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster in the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern part of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, bordered on the west by the Atlantic Ocean. Clare County Council ...

. The constituency elected 4 deputies ( Teachtaí Dála, commonly known as TDs) from 1948 to 1981, and 5 deputies from 1981 to 2011. While support for left-wing parties has usually been strong in the city of Limerick, the constituency also elected at least one

Progressive Democrats The Progressive Democrats (, literally "The Democratic Party"), commonly referred to as the PDs, were a conservative liberal political party in Ireland. The party's history spanned 24 years, from its formation in 1985 to its dissolution in 20 ...

TD in all general elections from 1987 until 2007. The

Constituency Commission The Constituency Commission () is an independent commission in Ireland which had advised on redrawing of constituency boundaries of Dáil constituencies for the election of members to Dáil Éireann (the house of representatives of the Oireacht ...

published its final recommendations on 23 October 2007. As a result of population decline, Limerick East was replaced by a 4-seat

constituency at the 2011 general election. Most of the rural parts of Limerick East were transferred to the new

constituency. File:Limerick East Dáil constituency 1948-1961.png, 1948–1961 File:Limerick East Dáil constituency 1961-1969.png, 1961–1969 File:Limerick East Dáil constituency 1969-1981.png, 1969–1981 File:Limerick East (Dáil Éireann constituency).png, 1981–2011

TDs

Elections

2007 general election

2002 general election

1998 by-election

Following the death of Labour Party TD

Jim Kemmy James Joseph Oliver Mary Kemmy (14 September 1936 – 25 September 1997) was an Irish socialist politician from Limerick, who started his political career in the Labour Party. He later left Labour, was elected as an independent Teachta Dála (T ...

, a by-election was held on 11 March 1998. The seat was won by the Labour Party candidate Jan O'Sullivan.

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 Fianna Fáil TD Donogh O'Malley, a by-election was held on 22 May 1968. The seat was won by the Fianna Fáil candidate Desmond O'Malley, nephew of the deceased TD.

1965 general election

1961 general election

1957 general election

1954 general election

1952 by-election

Following the death of Fianna Fáil TD Daniel Bourke, a by-election was held on 26 June 1952. The seat was won by the Fine Gael candidate John Carew.

1951 general election

1948 general election

References

External links

Oireachtas Members Database
{{DEFAULTSORT:Limerick East (Dail constituency) Historic constituencies in County Limerick Dáil constituencies in the Republic of Ireland (historic) Politics of Limerick (city) 1948 establishments in Ireland 2011 disestablishments in Ireland Constituencies established in 1948 Constituencies disestablished in 2011