| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
949 County and City Council Seats | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Opinion polls | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
The 2024 Irish local elections are set to be held in all local authorities in Ireland on Friday, 7 June 2024. European Parliament elections are set for the same date. [1] Each local government area (a city, a county, or a city and county) is divided into local electoral areas (LEAs) where three to seven councillors are elected on the system of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote (PR-STV). [2] It will include the 2024 Limerick mayoral election, the first directly elected mayor in Ireland. [3] [4]
On 8 May, Fingal councillor Tania Doyle and her husband, while erecting election posters, were assaulted by a man shouting anti-immigration and anti-Muslim rhetoric while an accomplice filmed it. Her husband was left bleeding and knocked to the ground by the assault which also saw Doyle herself punched in the head after she attempted to shield her husband. The assault lasted 15 minutes and only ended when the accomplice pulled the assaulter away from kicking Doyle's husband while on the ground. Doyle stated she feared for their lives and going forward would not be canvassing for the remainder of the election. [5] The gardaí have stated that they are investigating the matter. [5]
Concurrently on 8 May, Dublin City Councillor Janet Horner of the Green Party and a colleague claim she was assaulted by a man who said "Dublin 1 is for the far-right". Horner was erecting election posters when she claimed she was confronted by a man who threatened to kill her. She claims the man confiscated her posters and struck her when she resisted. Horner contacted the Gardaí afterwards and resolved to continue to canvass despite the event. [6]
In another incident on 8 May, two women placing posters up in the Smithfield area of Dublin for Social Democrats candidate Ellen O'Doherty were threatened with a knife by a man demanding they remove the posters, who was then joined by another man. The women managed to escape when a local woman came from a nearby house and begged the men to stop. The campaigners reported the incident to the Gardai and said they would not canvass in future nor return to the area. [7] [8]
On 15 May Fianna Fail candidate Suzzie O'Deniyi was canvassing with members of her team in the Caherdavin area of Limerick when a man is alleged to have begun screaming racist and sexist slurs about O'Deniyi at her supporters. The man recorded himself doing so on his phone. [9] A man, Aaron Daly of Caherdavin, was arrested by Gardaí and charged with two counts of using threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour, contrary to section 6 of the Criminal Justice (Public order) Act 1994 before being released on bail. Daly was ordered to have no contact of any kind with O'Deniyi and that he is to report to the Gardai regularly until his trial, which is scheduled for 6 September 2024. [10]
On 17 May, Fine Gael candidate in Artane–Whitehall Linkwinstar Mattathil Mathew and his campaign team were forced to take down posters after they were racially abused and intimated by a group of men. The perpetrators filmed the incident and posted it to social media. [11]
On 16 May Tánaiste Micheál Martin addressed the targeting of candidates, denouncing it and noting that the large majority of those targeted are from minority backgrounds. Martin stated the right to run in elections is a pillar of liberal democracy, regardless of background. [12]
Party | Councillors | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
2019 result | Current seats | Change | ||
Fianna Fáil | 279 | 276 | 3 | |
Fine Gael | 255 | 254 | 1 | |
Sinn Féin | 81 | 81 | ||
Labour | 57 | 55 | 2 | |
Green | 49 | 45 | 4 | |
Social Democrats | 19 | 22 | 3 | |
Independent Ireland | — | 13 | 13 | |
PBP–Solidarity | 11 | 10 | 1 | |
Aontú | 3 | 3 | ||
Inds. 4 Change | 3 | 2 | 1 | |
Right to Change | — | 2 | 2 | |
Rabharta | — | 1 | 1 | |
KIA | 1 | 1 | ||
Republican Sinn Féin | 1 | 1 | ||
Workers' Party | 1 | 1 | ||
WUA | 1 | 1 | ||
Independent | 185 | 181 | 4 |
Party | Candidates | Seats | ± | 1st pref. | FPv% | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Fianna Fáil | 366 | ||||||
Fine Gael | 339 | ||||||
Sinn Féin | 335 | ||||||
Labour | 109 | ||||||
Green | 129 | ||||||
Social Democrats | 77 | ||||||
Aontú | 66 | ||||||
People Before Profit [lower-alpha 1] | 45 | ||||||
Solidarity [lower-alpha 1] | 8 | ||||||
Inds. 4 Change | 2 | ||||||
WUA | 2 | ||||||
Workers' Party | 3 | ||||||
KIA | 1 | ||||||
Independent Left | 1 | ||||||
Republican Sinn Féin [lower-alpha 2] | 1 | ||||||
100% Redress | 6 | New | New | ||||
Farmers' Alliance | 2 | New | New | ||||
Glór | 1 | ||||||
Independent Ireland | 61 | New | New | ||||
Ireland First | 8 | ||||||
Irish Freedom | 28 | New | New | ||||
The Irish People | 57 | New | New | ||||
National Party | 15 | New | New | ||||
Party for Animal Welfare | 5 | New | New | ||||
Rabharta [lower-alpha 3] | 4 | New | New | ||||
Right to Change | 2 | New | New | ||||
Wexford Ind. Alliance [lower-alpha 2] | 12 | ||||||
Independent | 487 | ||||||
Total | 2172 | 949 | — | — | — |
Last date of polling | Polling firm / Commissioner | Sample size | SF Left | FF Renew | FG EPP | GP G/EFA | Lab S&D | SD | PBP–S | Aon | O/I |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
22 May 2024 | Red C/Business Post [14] | 1,021 | 21 | 15 | 19 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 26 [nb 1] |
15 May 2024 | The Irish Times/Ipsos B&A [15] | 1,500 | 18 | 20 | 21 | 5 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 23 |
8 February 2020 | 2020 general election | — | 24.5 | 22.2 | 20.9 | 7.1 | 4.4 | 2.9 | 2.6 | 1.9 | 13.5 |
24 May 2019 | 2019 local elections | — | 9.5 | 26.9 | 25.6 | 5.6 | 5.7 | 2.3 | 1.9 | 1.5 | 24.1 |
Michael McDowell is an Irish independent politician and barrister who serves in Seanad Éireann as a senator for the National University. He formerly served as Attorney General of Ireland, as Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, as Tánaiste, and as leader of the Progressive Democrats.
Mary Louise McDonald is an Irish politician who has served as Leader of the Opposition in Ireland since June 2020 and president of Sinn Féin since February 2018. She has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Dublin Central constituency since 2011. She previously served as vice president of Sinn Féin from 2009 to 2018 and a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for the Dublin constituency from 2004 to 2009.
Justin Barrett is an Irish far-right politician, conspiracy theorist and anti-abortion activist. As of April 2024, he was the leader of a group called Clann Éireann. He was leader of the National Party from 2016 until a leadership rift in July 2023 with his former deputy leader James Reynolds led to a dispute with both men claiming to be leader of the party.
Joan Burton is an Irish former Labour Party politician who served as Tánaiste and Leader of the Labour Party from 2014 to 2016, Minister for Social Protection from 2011 to 2016, Deputy leader of the Labour Party from 2007 to 2014, Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs from 1994 to 1997 and Minister of State at the Department of Social Welfare from 1993 to 1994. She served as a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Dublin West constituency from 1992 to 1997 and 2002 to 2020.
Frances Fitzgerald is an Irish politician who has been a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from Ireland for the Dublin constituency since July 2019. She is a member of Fine Gael, part of the European People's Party. She previously served as Tánaiste from 2016 to 2017, Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation from June 2017 to November 2017, Minister for Justice and Equality from 2014 to 2016, Minister for Children and Youth Affairs from 2011 to 2014 and Leader of Fine Gael in the Seanad from 2007 to 2011. She served as a Teachta Dála (TD) from 1992 to 2002 and 2011 to 2019. She was also a Senator for the Labour Panel from 2007 to 2011.
Joan Collins is an Irish Right to Change politician who has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Dublin South-Central constituency since the 2011 general election.
Paul Murphy is an Irish People Before Profit–Solidarity politician who has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Dublin South-West constituency since the 2014 Dublin South-West by-election. He served as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for the Dublin constituency from 2011 to 2014.
James Heffernan is an Irish former Labour Party politician.
Gemma O'Doherty is an Irish far-right activist and conspiracy theorist. She began her career as a staff writer for the Irish Independent, contributing articles on travel, the criminal justice system and corruption, but was dismissed in 2013. She attempted to run as a candidate in the 2018 Irish presidential election, but failed to secure the minimum qualifying number of nominations required to be added to the ballot. O'Doherty was unsuccessful in the 2019 European Parliament election in Ireland, receiving 1.85% of first preference votes in the Dublin constituency. She unsuccessfully ran in the 2020 Irish general election receiving just under 2% of first preference votes.
Kate O'Connell is an Irish former Fine Gael politician who served as a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Dublin Bay South constituency from 2016 to 2020. During her time in the Dáil, O'Connell campaigned in favour of abortion rights as well as pushing for more funding for healthcare services in Ireland.
The 2019 Irish local elections were held in all local authorities in Ireland on Friday, 24 May 2019, on the same day as the 2019 European Parliament election and a referendum easing restrictions on divorce. Each local government area is divided into local electoral areas (LEAs) where three to seven councillors are elected on the electoral system of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote.
An election to all 31 seats on Cork City Council was held in Cork city in Ireland on 24 May 2019 as part of that year's local elections. Councillors were elected from five local electoral areas (LEAs) on the electoral system of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote (PR-STV). This election coincided with an increase in the city area. Several outgoing members of Cork County Council, based in areas transferred to the city, stood for election to the city council. As well as the extension of all LEAs into the former county area, the former LEA of North Central was abolished and its area divided between North West and North East.
An election to all 40 seats on Limerick City and County Council was held on 24 May 2019 as part of the 2019 Irish local elections. Limerick City and County was divided into 6 local electoral areas (LEAs) to elect 40 councillors for a five-year term of office on the electoral system of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote (PR-STV).
Hazel Chu is an Irish Green Party politician who has been a member of Dublin City Council since May 2019. She was elected Cathaoirleach (chairperson) of the Irish Green Party in December 2019, and was succeeded by Senator Pauline O'Reilly in December 2021. She was the first Irish-born person of Chinese descent elected to political office on the island of Ireland. She served as Lord Mayor of Dublin from 2020 to 2021, and in doing so became the first person of Chinese ethnicity to be mayor of a European capital.
Jennifer Carroll MacNeill is an Irish Fine Gael politician who has served as Minister of State for European Affairs since 2024. She previously served as Minister of State at the Department of Finance from 2022 to 2024. She has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Dún Laoghaire constituency since the 2020 general election. She has worked as a solicitor and barrister within the public service and also a government special advisor.
Neasa Hourigan is an Irish Green Party politician who has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Dublin Central constituency since the 2020 general election. She was Chair of the Committee on Budgetary Oversight from September 2020 until being suspended from the parliamentary party in March 2023.
Events during the year 2021 in Ireland. As in most of the world, the COVID-19 pandemic has dominated events in Ireland during this year.
A by-election was held in the Dáil Éireann constituency of Dublin Bay South in Ireland on Thursday, 8 July 2021, to fill the vacancy left by the resignation of the Fine Gael TD Eoghan Murphy. The by-election was won by Senator Ivana Bacik of the Labour Party.
Rabharta, previously An Rabharta Glas – Green Left, is a registered Irish political party, launched on 5 June 2021 as a split from the Green Party. At launch, it had two councillors, who had previously been elected as Green Party members — Lorna Bogue, on Cork City Council, and Liam Sinclair, on South Dublin County Council. Its outlook has been described as "eco-socialist".
An election to all 40 seats on Fingal County Council will be held on 7 June 2024 as part of the 2024 Irish local elections. Fingal is divided into 7 local electoral areas (LEAs) to elect councillors for a five-year term of office on the electoral system of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote (PR-STV).