Dún Laoghaire (Dáil Éireann constituency)

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Dún Laoghaire Area
Map showing the Dún Laoghaire area.

Dún Laoghaire is a constituency represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas. The constituency has an electorate of 91,522 and at present is served by 5 Teachtaí Dála (TDs). The method of election is the Single Transferable Vote. The constituency is located in the eastern area of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown county, Ireland, consisting of the area around the town of Dún Laoghaire.

One of the most high profile TDs in the constituency is the current Minister for Education and Science, Mary Hanafin. Long-time Labour Party TD Eamon Gilmore was re-elected in the 2002 general election, together with new-comers Fiona O'Malley of the PDs (daughter of Desmond O'Malley), Barry Andrews of Fianna Fail (son of former TD David Andrews), and Ciaran Cuffe of the Green Party.

The 2007 general election will see all sitting TDs seeking re-election. Fine Gael, which used to hold three seats in Dun Laoghaire but fell from two to none in 2002, will be represented by Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown Cathaoirleach, Councillor Eugene Regan, former GAA Dublin County Chair Cllr John Bailey and former TD and former Minister for Defence and the Marine Seán Barrett.

The Labour Party have recently announced that Rathmines councillor Oisin Quinn will run alongside sitting Gilmore. Quinn has received the support of former TD and Minister for Education Niamh Bhreathnach. Trinity College Professor Ivana Bacik had been tipped to run alongside Gilmore, but has recently launched her campaign for a Dublin University seat in Seanad Éireann.

Recent Census figures suggest that the constituency should be represented by only four TDs, in the absence of boundary changes. The Central Statistics Office's preliminary report states that the total population has declined from 116,286 persons in 2002 to 113,936 in 2006, representing a decrease per Dáil member of 470. As the constituency now deviates substantially from the mean (the State population having increased by 8.1% during the period 2002-06 whilst the constituency population declined by 2%), concerns have been raised that a reduction in the number of Deputies, or some redrawing of the constituency, may be required. The Attorney General is currently reviewing the impact of the Census on constituency boundaries throughout the country.

[edit] Recent results

2002 General Election: Dún Laoghaire
Candidate Party 1st Pref % Seat Count
Mary Hanafin Fianna Fáil 8,818 16.44 1 4
Eamon Gilmore Labour Party 8,271 15.42 2 8
Fiona O'Malley Progressive Democrats 7,166 13.36 3 11
Barry Andrews Fianna Fáil 7,425 13.84 4 11
Ciarán Cuffe Green Party 5,002 9.33 5 11
Niamh Bhreathnach Labour Party 3,893 7.26
Helen Keogh Fine Gael 3,229 6.02
Liam T. Cosgrave Fine Gael 3,135 5.85
Michael O'Brien Sinn Féin 2,159 4.03
John Bailey Fine Gael 1,705 3.18
Richard Boyd Barrett SWP 876 1.63
Patrick O'Keefe Independent 593 1.11
Denis O'Buachalla Independent 346 0.65
Vincent MacDowell Independent 345 0.64
Heather Williams Independent 319 0.59
Michael Redmond Christian Solidarity 265 0.49
Barbara Hyland Independent 86 0.16

[edit] Former TDs

[edit] See also

Parliamentary constituencies in the Republic of Ireland Government of Ireland

Carlow-Kilkenny | Cavan-Monaghan | Clare | Cork East | Cork North Central | Cork North West | Cork South Central | Cork South West | Donegal North East | Donegal South West | Dublin Central | Dublin Mid West | Dublin North | Dublin North Central | Dublin North East | Dublin North West | Dublin South | Dublin South Central | Dublin South East | Dublin South West | Dublin West | Dún Laoghaire | Galway East | Galway West | Kerry North | Kerry South | Kildare North | Kildare South | Laois-Offaly | Limerick East | Limerick West | Longford-Roscommon | Louth | Mayo | Meath | Sligo-Leitrim | Tipperary North | Tipperary South | Waterford | Westmeath | Wexford | Wicklow

in use 2007 general election:
Longford-Westmeath | Meath East | Meath West | Roscommon-South Leitrim | Sligo-North Leitrim