Louth (Dáil Éireann constituency)

Dáil Éireann constituency infobox
Name = Louth
Entity = Ireland


Year = 1923
TDs = 4
Counties = County Louth
EP = East

Louth is a constituency represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas. The constituency has an electorate of 81,952 (2006) and at present is served by 4 Teachtaí Dála (TDs). The constituency boundaries were amended in October 2007 to include an area of County Meath adjacent to the town of Drogheda, and in the next general election 5 TDs will be returned. [http://www.rte.ie/news/2007/1023/dail.html New Boundaries for Dáil Constituencies] [http://www.constituency-commission.ie/docs%5Ccon2007.pdf Constituency Commission Report 2007] The method of election is the Single Transferable Vote. The constituency spans the entire area of the smallest county in Ireland and a portion of County Meath, taking in Drogheda, Dundalk and Ardee.

Louth was a constituency in the first Dáil election in December 1918 when Sinn Féin won by 255 votes, it's narrowest margin of victory in that election. John J. O'Kelly, a native of Kerry, resident in Glasnevin (Dublin), was Louth's first TD. The constituency was merged with Meath to form the 5 seat Louth-Meath constituency for the 2nd and 3rd Dála. In 1923 Louth became a 3 seat constituency.

Presently, the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Dermot Ahern is one of the most high profile TDs representing the constituency.

2007 Election result

Irish Election box begin
title=2007 General Election: LouthIrish Election box candidate with party link
party = Fianna Fáil
candidate = Séamus Kirk
votes = 10,190
percentage = 18.5
seat = 1
count = 5Irish Election box candidate with party link
party = Fianna Fáil
candidate = Dermot Ahern
votes = 9,982
percentage = 18.1
seat = 2
count = 5Irish Election box candidate with party link
party = Fine Gael
candidate = Fergus O'Dowd
votes = 8,387
percentage = 15.2
seat = 3
count = 5Irish Election box candidate with party link
party = Sinn Féin
candidate = Arthur Morgan
votes = 8,274
percentage = 15.0
seat = 4
count = 6Irish Election box candidate with party link
party = Fine Gael
candidate = Mairead McGuinness
votes = 5,199
percentage = 9.5
seat =
count = Irish Election box candidate with party link
party = Green Party (Ireland)
candidate = Mark Dearey
votes = 4,172
percentage = 7.6
seat =
count = Irish Election box candidate with party link
party = Fianna Fáil
candidate = Frank Maher
votes = 3,009
percentage = 5.5
seat =
count = Irish Election box candidate with party link
party = Labour Party (Ireland)
candidate = Gerald Nash
votes = 2,739
percentage = 5.0
seat =
count = Irish Election box candidate with party link
party = Fine Gael
candidate = Jim D'Arcy
votes = 2,573
percentage = 4.7
seat =
count = Irish Election box candidate with party link
party = Workers Party (Ireland)
candidate = Peter Short
votes = 193
percentage = 0.4
seat =
count = Irish Election box candidate with party link
party = Fathers Rights-Responsibility Party
candidate = Luke Martin
votes = 169
percentage = 0.3
seat =
count = Irish Election box candidate with party link
party = Independent (politician)
candidate = Dermot Duke
votes = 127
percentage = 0.2
seat =
count =

2002 Election result

Irish Election box begin
|title=2002 General Election: LouthIrish Election box candidate with party link
|candidate = Dermot Ahern
party = Fianna Fáil
votes = 9,603
percentage = 20.16
seat = 1
count = 1Irish Election box candidate with party link
|candidate = Fergus O'Dowd
party = Fine Gael
votes = 5,505
percentage = 11.56
seat = 2
count = 8Irish Election box candidate with party link
|candidate = Séamus Kirk
party = Fianna Fáil
votes = 6,495
percentage = 13.64
seat = 3
count = 8Irish Election box candidate with party link
|candidate = Arthur Morgan
party = Sinn Féin
votes = 7,121
percentage = 14.95
seat = 4
count = 8Irish Election box candidate with party link
|candidate = Frank Maher
party = Fianna Fáil
votes = 4,653
percentage = 9.77
seat =
count = Irish Election box candidate with party link
|candidate = Terry Brennan
party = Fine Gael
votes = 4,130
percentage = 8.67
seat =
count = Irish Election box candidate with party link
|candidate = Michael Bell
party = Labour Party (Ireland)
votes = 3,185
percentage = 6.69
seat =
count = Irish Election box candidate
|candidate = Mary Grehan
party = Independent
votes = 2,384
percentage = 5.01
seat =
count = Irish Election box candidate with party link
|candidate = Bernadette Martin
party = Green Party (Ireland)
votes = 1,979
percentage = 4.16
seat =
count = Irish Election box candidate
|candidate = Martin Bellew
party = Independent
votes = 1,307
percentage = 2.74
seat =
count = Irish Election box candidate
|candidate = Frank Godfrey
party = Independent
votes = 473
percentage = 0.99
seat =
count = Irish Election box candidate
|candidate = Aidan Mahon
party = Independent
votes = 294
percentage = 0.62
seat =
count = Irish Election box candidate
|candidate = Liam Ó Gogain
party = Independent
votes = 239
percentage = 0.50
seat =
count = Irish Election box candidate with party link
|candidate = Peter Short
party = Workers Party of Ireland
votes = 176
percentage = 0.37
seat =
count = Irish Election box candidate with party link
|candidate = Michael Maguire
party = Christian Solidarity Party
votes = 79
percentage = 0.17
seat =
count =

November 1982 - 2002 full election results

Online at [http://www.election.polarbears.com/online/da2002.htm]

February 1982 full result

1981 full result

As Ceann Comhairle, Faulkner was returned automatically

Former TDs

* Frank Aiken
* Paddy Donegan
* John J. O'Kelly (An Sceilg)

ee also

* Politics of the Republic of Ireland
* List of political parties in Ireland
* List of Irish by-elections
* Elections in Ireland

References