Electoral (Amendment) Act 1947

The Electoral (Amendment) Act, 1947 (No. 31/1947) was a law in Ireland which provided for parliamentary constituencies in the 13th Dáil Éireann.[1] The 13th Dáil was elected at the 1948 general election on 4 February 1948 and dissolved on 7 May 1951.

This Act replaced the Electoral (Revision of Constituencies) Act 1935, which defined the constituencies used for the 9th Dáil (1937–38), 10th Dáil (1938–43), 11th Dáil (1943–44) and 12th Dáil (1944–48). It was itself replaced by the Electoral (Amendment) Act 1961, which created a new pattern of constituencies for the 17th Dáil (elected in 1961).

It also increased the number of seats in the Dáil by 9 from 138 to 147.

Background

In 1947 the rapid rise of new party Clann na Poblachta threatened the position of the governing party Fianna Fáil. The government of Éamon de Valera introduced the Act, which increased the size of the Dáil from 138 to 147 and increased the number of three-seat constituencies from fifteen to twenty-two. The result was described by the journalist and historian Tim Pat Coogan as "a blatant attempt at gerrymander which no Six County Unionist could have bettered."[2] The following February the 1948 general election was held and Clann na Poblachta secured ten seats instead of the nineteen they would have received proportional to their vote.[2] No Dáil constituency has had more than five seats since 1947. The Constitutional Convention's 2013 recommendation to increase proportionality by having larger constituencies was rejected by the Fine Gael–Labour government on the grounds that "the three, four or five seat Dáil constituency arrangement has served the State well since 1948."[3]

Summary of changes

This list, and those below, summarises the changes in representation. It does not address revisions to the boundaries of constituencies.

Constituency Created Seats Change
Athlone–Longford 1937 3 abolished
Carlow–Kildare 1937 3 abolished
Carlow–Kilkenny 1948 5 new constituency
Clare 1921 4 loses 1 seat
Cork Borough 1921 5 gains 1 seat
Cork East 1948 3 new constituency
Cork North 1923 3 loses 1 seat
Cork South 1948 3 new constituency
Cork South-East 1937 3 abolished
Cork West 1923 3 loses 2 seats
Dublin County 1921 3 loses 2 seats
Dublin North-Central 1948 3 new constituency
Dublin North-East 1937 5 gains 2 seats
Dublin North-West 1921 3 loses 2 seats
Dublin South 1921 7 abolished
Dublin South-Central 1948 5 new constituency
Dublin South-East 1948 3 new constituency
Dublin South-West 1948 5 new constituency
Dublin Townships 1937 3 abolished
Dún Laoghaire and Rathdown 1948 3 new constituency
Galway East 1937 4 abolished
Galway North 1948 3 new constituency
Galway South 1948 3 new constituency
Kildare 1948 3 new constituency
Kilkenny 1937 3 abolished
Leitrim 1937 3 abolished
Limerick 1923 7 abolished
Limerick East 1948 4 new constituency
Limerick West 1948 3 new constituency
Longford–Westmeath 1948 5 new constituency
Mayo South 1923 4 loses 1 seat
Meath 1948 3 new constituency
Meath–Westmeath 1937 5 abolished
Roscommon 1923 4 gains 1 seat
Sligo 1937 3 abolished
Sligo–Leitrim 1948 5 new constituency
Tipperary 1923 7 abolished
Tipperary North 1948 3 new constituency
Tipperary South 1948 4 new constituency

List of constituencies for the 13th Dáil

Explanation of columns

  • No.: The number of the constituency (in alphabetical order).
  • Constituency: The name of the constituency. Compass points follow the area name in this list, which is not always the case in the official version of the name.
  • Created: The year of the election when a constituency of the same name was last created.
  • Seats: The number of TDs elected from the constituency under the Act.
  • Change: Change in the number of seats since the last distribution of seats (which took effect in 1937).
No. Constituency Created Seats Change
01 Carlow–Kilkenny 1948 5 plus 5
02 Cavan 1921 4 none
03 Clare 1921 4 minus 1
04 Cork Borough 1921 5 plus 1
05 Cork East 1948 3 plus 3
06 Cork North 1923 3 minus 1
07 Cork South 1948 3 plus 3
08 Cork West 1923 3 minus 2
09 Donegal East 1937 4 none
10 Donegal West 1937 3 none
11 Dublin County 1921 3 minus 2
12 Dublin North-Central 1948 3 plus 3
13 Dublin North-East 1937 5 plus 2
14 Dublin North-West 1921 3 minus 2
15 Dublin South-Central 1948 5 plus 5
16 Dublin South-East 1948 3 plus 5
17 Dublin South-West 1948 5 plus 5
18 Dún Laoghaire and Rathdown 1948 3 plus 3
19 Galway North 1948 3 plus 3
20 Galway South 1948 3 plus 3
21 Galway West 1937 3 none
22 Kerry North 1937 4 none
23 Kerry South 1937 3 none
24 Kildare 1948 3 plus 3
25 Leix–Offaly 1921 5 none
26 Limerick East 1948 4 plus 4
27 Limerick West 1948 3 plus 3
28 Longford–Westmeath 1948 5 plus 5
29 Louth 1923 3 none
30 Mayo North 1923 3 none
31 Mayo South 1923 4 minus 1
32 Meath 1948 3 plus 3
33 Monaghan 1921 3 none
34 Roscommon 1923 4 plus 1
35 Sligo–Leitrim 1948 5 plus 5
36 Tipperary North 1948 3 plus 3
37 Tipperary South 1948 4 plus 4
38 Waterford 1923 4 none
39 Wexford 1921 5 none
40 Wicklow 1923 3 none

Constituencies abolished
Constituency Created Seats Change
Athlone–Longford 1937 3 minus 3
Carlow–Kildare 1937 3 minus 3
Cork South-East 1937 3 minus 3
Dublin South 1921 7 minus 7
Dublin Townships 1937 3 minus 3
Galway East 1937 4 minus 4
Kilkenny 1937 3 minus 3
Leitrim 1937 3 minus 3
Limerick 1923 7 minus 7
Meath–Westmeath 1937 5 minus 5
Sligo 1937 3 minus 3
Tipperary 1923 7 minus 7

See also

References
  1. "Electoral (Amendment) Act, 1947". Irish Statute Book. Retrieved 21 March 2013.
  2. Tim Pat Coogan, De Valera: Long Fellow, Long Shadow (Hutchinson, London, 1993) hardback. page 637 ISBN 0-09-175030-X
  3. "Fourth Report of the Constitutional Convention on the Dáil Electoral System: Statements (Continued)". Dáil Éireann debates. Oireachtas. 18 December 2014. pp. no.47. Retrieved 27 January 2015.
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