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THE DÁIL CONSTITUENCIES are to see a massive overhaul following a review of their boundaries by the new Electoral Commission.
The report published today recommends adding 14 more TDs, bringing the total number to 174, to represent the growing population.
Four new constituencies are to be created, with Dublin Fingal being split into two three-seaters – East and West.
The report recommends a new three-seat Wicklow-Wexford constituency, while keeping both constituencies of Wicklow and Wexford as well.
Offaly will also be its own constituency, with three seats, breaking away from the pre-existing Laois-Offaly constituency, while Tipperary will be split into Tipperary North and Tipperary South
Each constituency must have three, four or five TDs, with the number of three-seaters going from nine to 13.
The constituencies of Clare, Cork South-West, Donegal, Dublin Central, Kerry, Limerick County, and Waterford are to remain unchanged.
Here’s how other areas will be affected.
Carlow-Kilkenny
Carlow-Kilkenny will maintain its five seats, while 13 electoral divisions to the west of the constituency will be transferred to the new Tipperary North. These include Lisdowney, Urlingford and Ballybeagh.
The continuation of the Carlow-Kilkenny constituency maintains the ‘historical electoral link’ between the two counties since 1948.
Cavan–Monaghan
Cavan-Monaghan will keep its five TDs, while seven of its divisions, including Kilmainham and Drumcondrath, will be transferred to Meath East.
This recommendation returns the configuration to that which was in place for the constituency from 1980 to 2013.
Cork East
Three divisions of Cork East will be transferred to Cork North-Central, and a further five will go to Cork North-West.
Cork North-Central
Cork North-Central is to get an extra seat, to make a total of five representatives.
The division of Ballincollig transfers from the Cork North-West constituency, and three divisions in the Mallow area with a population of 14,408 transfer from Cork East.
Cork North-West
Cork North-West will remain a three-seat constituency.
It will gain five electoral divisions from Cork East, while some 20,497 people in Cork North-West will be transferred to Cork North-Central.
Cork South-Central
Cork South-Central, which currently has four TDs, will get an extra one. Additionally, it will gain five divisions from the Cork North-Central constituency.
Dublin Bay North
Dublin Bay North keeps its five seats. Balgriffin will transfer from the current Dublin Fingal constituency into Dublin Bay North. Three Dublin Bay North divisions will move to Dublin North-West.
Dublin Bay South
Dublin Bay South will maintain its four seats. Kimmage C will be moved to the Dublin South-Central constituency.
Dublin Fingal
Currently a singular five-seat constituency, Dublin Fingal is the fastest-growing constituency in Dublin with a population of just over 170,000. It is to be split in two.
Dublin Fingal East, consisting of Swords, Donabate, Kinsealy, Malahide and Portmarnock, will have three TDs.
Dublin Fingal West will get three TDs, and will cover the more rural parts of the constituency, including Lusk, Rush, Skerries and Balbriggan.
Three electoral areas that were in Dublin North West up until now will be moved into Dublin Fingal West: Dubber, Turnapin and the Airport.
Dublin Fingal is to be separated into two new constituencies - Dublin Fingal East and Dublin Fingal West - under the Electoral Commission's recommendations #ConstituencyReview23 pic.twitter.com/lC3dKvXt42
— TheJournal.ie (@thejournal_ie) August 30, 2023
Dublin Mid-West
Dublin Mid-West is to go from four seats to five, the maximum allowed. Part of Clondalkin-Monastery, to the north of the M50, will be transferred from Dublin South-West to Dublin Mid-West.
Dublin North-West
Dublin North-West will maintain its three seats, but will lose the areas of Dubber, Turnapin and the Airport. It will gain the electoral districts of Beaumont B, Beaumont F and Kilmore A from Dublin Bay North.
Dublin Rathdown
Dublin Rathdown currently has three TDs but it is to be increased to four. The constituency will gain the electoral districts of Stillorgan-Leopardstown, Foxrock-Torquay and Foxrock-Carrickmines from Dún Laoghaire.
Dublin South-Central
Dublin South-Central will remain a four-seat constituency, with Kimmage C added to it. Part of the Clondalkin-Monastery division will be transferred to the Dublin Mid-West constituency.
Dublin South-West
Dublin South-West will hang on to its five TDs. It will also gain the districts of Templeogue-Kimmage Manor, Terenure-Greentrees, Terenure-Cherryfield from Dublin South Central.
Meanwhile, the district of Kimmage C will move from Dublin Bay South to Dublin South-Central.
Dublin West
Dublin West will go from four to five seats. Around 2,300 people living in The Ward and Blanchardstown-Abbotstown will be moved out of the constituency and into Dublin North-West instead.
Dún Laoghaire
Dún Laoghaire will remain a four-seat constituency, but around 12,000 people will move out of the constituency into Dublin-Rathdown. This impacts people in Stillorgan-Leopardstown, Foxrock-Torquay and Foxrock-Carrickmines, as well as part of Glencullen.
Galway East
Galway East is to get an extra representative, bringing the total to four. It will also gain a significant portion of Roscommon-Galway – a total of 32 divisions – stretching from Templetogher to Clontuskert.
Galway West
Galway West will maintain its five seats, while part of the northeast of the constituency will be moved to Mayo.
Kildare North
Kildare North, which had the largest population increase of any constituency, will increase its four seats to the five-seat maximum. Donore, Carragh, Ladytown and Killashee will be transferred over from Kildare South.
Kildare South
Kildare South will maintain its four TDs.
Aside from the transfers to Kildare North, Portarlington North is to be transferred to the new Offaly constituency, while Portarlington South, Jamestown, Kilmullen and Ballybrittas will go to Laois.
Laois-Offaly
The existing five-seat constituency of Laois-Offaly is being broken up into two three-seat constituencies – Laois and Offaly, which will not breach any county boundaries in the way that the old constituency did.
The Portarlington North electoral district from Kildare South will be moved into Offaly, while four electoral districts from Kildare South will be moved into Laois.
The Electoral Commission noted that most of the submissions they received were in favour of splitting the constituency into two three-seat constituencies.
The former five-seater constituency of Laois-Offaly has been replaced by two separate constituencies with three seats each #ConstituencyReview23 pic.twitter.com/kDT8hc5pxX
— TheJournal.ie (@thejournal_ie) August 30, 2023
Limerick City
Three divisions, Newport, Kilcomenty and Birdhill, will be transferred from Limerick City to the new Tipperary North, thereby making the Limerick constituencies contiguous with the county boundary.
Limerick City will remain a four-seat constituency.
Longford–Westmeath
Longford-Westmeath will gain an additional seat, to make a total of five representatives for the area.
Louth
Louth will maintain its five seats, while losing the southerly tip, which includes Julianstown, to Meath East.
Mayo
Mayo will reach the maximum of five TDs, up from four. It will also gain a portion of Galway East, which includes Dalgan, Shrule and Cong.
Meath East
Meath East will go from three to four TDs. It will gain parts of Cavan-Monaghan, including Ardagh, Drumcondrath and Kilmainham. Meath East will have the Julianstown area, which used to be part of the Louth constituency, added to it.
Meath West
Meath West remains a three-seater, while the boundaries will narrow to exclude part of the west which stretches from Hilltown down to Riverdale. This area will be transferred to Longford-Westmeath.
For the first time since the Meath West constituency was formed in 2005, it is to solely comprise areas of Co. Meath.
Roscommon–Galway
Roscommon-Galway will remain a three-seat constituency. Parts of the southeast region, including Dunmore, Mountbellew and Clontuskert, will be transferred to Galway East.
Sligo–Leitrim
The current Sligo-Leitrim constituency is unique in that it currently comprises electoral divisions from four counties – Sligo, Leitrim, Donegal and Roscommon.
The 18 divisions from the northern part of Co. Roscommon transfer to the Roscommon-Galway constituency.
Sligo-Leitrim will maintain its four seats.
Tipperary
The five-seater Tipperary constituency is being divided into two 3-seaters: Tipperary North and Tipperary South.
Tipperary North will be made up of the northern part of Tipperary, from Annacarty up, along with 13 electoral districts from Kilkenny.
Tipperary South will be exclusively made up of electoral areas from the county, without breaching any county lines.
The constituency of Tipperary, which elected five TDs in 2020, has been divided into two new constituencies: Tipperary North and Tipperary South, each with three seats #ConstituencyReview23 pic.twitter.com/cFfNctT5a8
— TheJournal.ie (@thejournal_ie) August 30, 2023
Wexford, Wexford and Wexford-Wicklow
In one of the biggest changes, Wicklow and Wexford will both move from being five-seaters to being four-seaters, while a brand new constituency of Wicklow-Wexford will have three seats.
The Electoral Commission described this recommendation to create an inter-county constituency as a ‘novel approach’, but said it believes it was appropriate to the specific local circumstances.
Some 41 electoral districts in north Wexford will transfer to the new Wicklow-Wexford constituency, including Gorey, Ferns, Courtown and Ardamine, along with 31 electoral areas from south Wicklow, including Arklow, Rathdrum and Carnew.
Wexford and Wicklow will both move from being 5-seater constituencies to being 4-seater constituencies, while a brand new constituency called Wicklow-Wexford will have 3 seats #ConstituencyReview23 pic.twitter.com/zk5sZKAkq8
— TheJournal.ie (@thejournal_ie) August 30, 2023
With additional reporting by Christine Bohan
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