| Election Name: | 1994 European Parliament election in Ireland |
| Country: | Ireland |
| Type: | parliamentary |
| Previous Election: | 1989 European Parliament election in Ireland |
| Previous Year: | 1989 |
| Previous Mps: | List of members of the European Parliament for Ireland, 1989–94 |
| Next Election: | 1999 European Parliament election in Ireland |
| Next Year: | 1999 |
| Seats For Election: | 15 seats to the European Parliament |
| Election Date: | 9 June 1994 |
| Turnout: | 1,157,296 (44.0% 24.3pp) |
| Leader1: | Albert Reynolds |
| Leader Since1: | 6 February 1992 |
| Party1: | Fianna Fáil |
| Alliance1: | EDA |
| Last Election1: | 31.5%, 6 seats |
| Seat Change1: | 1 |
| Popular Vote1: | 398,066 |
| Percentage1: | 35.0% |
| Swing1: | 3.5% |
| Leader Since2: | 20 November 1990 |
| Party2: | Fine Gael |
| Alliance2: | EPP |
| Last Election2: | 21.6%, 4 seats |
| Seat Change2: | 2 |
| Popular Vote2: | 276,095 |
| Percentage2: | 24.3% |
| Swing2: | 2.7% |
| Image3: | Green |
| Leader3: | None |
| Leader Since3: | 6 November 2001 |
| Party3: | Green Party (Ireland) |
| Alliance3: | Green Group |
| Last Election3: | 7.9%, 2 seats |
| Seat Change3: | 0 |
| Popular Vote3: | 90,046 |
| Percentage3: | 7.9% |
| Swing3: | 4.2% |
| Leader4: | Dick Spring |
| Leader Since4: | 1 November 1982 |
| Party4: | Labour Party (Ireland) |
| Alliance4: | PES |
| Last Election4: | 9.5%, 1 seats |
| Seat Change4: | 0 |
| Popular Vote4: | 124,972 |
| Percentage4: | 11.0 % |
| Swing4: | 1.5% |
| Leader5: | Mary Harney |
| Leader Since5: | 12 October 1993 |
| Party5: | Progressive Democrats |
| Alliance5: | ELDR |
| Last Election5: | 12.0%, 1 seats |
| Seat Change5: | 1 |
| Popular Vote5: | 73,696 |
| Percentage5: | 6.5 % |
| Swing5: | 5.5% |
| Leader Since6: | 1992 |
| Party6: | Democratic Left (Ireland) |
| Last Election6: | New |
| Seat Change6: | New |
| Popular Vote6: | 39,706 |
| Percentage6: | 3.5% |
| Swing6: | New |
| Leader7: | Gerry Adams |
| Leader Since7: | 13 November 1983 |
| Party7: | Sinn Féin |
| Alliance7: | NI |
| Last Election7: | 2.2%, 0 seats |
| Popular Vote7: | 33,823 |
| Percentage7: | 3.0% |
| Swing7: | 0.8% |
| Image8: | Workers' |
| Leader Since8: | 11 November 1988 |
| Party8: | Workers' Party (Ireland) |
| Last Election8: | 7.7%, 1 seats |
| Seat Change8: | 1 |
| Popular Vote8: | 22,100 |
| Percentage8: | 1.9% |
| Swing8: | 5.8% |
| Outgoing Members: | elected members |
| Elected Members: | elected members |
The 1994 European Parliament election in Ireland was the Irish component of the 1994 European Parliament election. The election was conducted under the single transferable vote. Local elections were held on the same day for borough councils, urban district councils and town commissioners.
In 1992, a general election in Ireland led to the Labour Party's best results to date, paving the way for Dick Spring to lead his party into coalition with Fianna Fáil. The 1994 local and European elections were seen in some quarters as a mid-term report on that coalition's performance. The strong result by the Green Party in particular was interpreted as a warning that left-leaning middle class voters were moving away from Labour.[1]
The election was notable for how some parties ran "parachute candidates" (like Orla Guerin for Labour) who did not resonate with voters as well as incumbent, grassroots campaigners.[2]
The popularity of President Mary Robinson led to parties presenting more female candidates than usual, four of whom became MEPs on this occasion.[3]
| Party | European party | Party Leader | 1st Pref Vote | % | ±% | Seats | ± | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fianna Fáil | EDA | Albert Reynolds | 398,066 | 35.0 | +3.5 | 7 | 1 | ||
| Fine Gael | EPP | John Bruton | 276,095 | 24.3 | +2.7 | 4 | |||
| Green Party | Green Group | none | 90,046 | 7.9 | +4.2 | 2 | 2 | ||
| Labour Party | PES | Dick Spring | 124,972 | 11.0 | +1.5 | 1 | |||
| Progressive Democrats | ELDR | Mary Harney | 73,696 | 6.5 | −5.5 | 0 | 1 | ||
| Democratic Left | Proinsias De Rossa | 39,706 | 3.5 | +3.5 | 0 | New | |||
| Sinn Féin | Gerry Adams | 33,823 | 3.0 | +0.8 | 0 | ||||
| Workers' Party | Marian Donnelly | 22,100 | 1.9 | −5.8 | 0 | 1 | |||
| Independent | 78,986 | 6.9 | −1.7 | 1 | |||||
| Total | 1,137,490 | 100.0 | — | 15 | |||||
See main article: List of members of the European Parliament for Ireland, 1994–1999.
| Constituency | Name | Party | EP group | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Connacht–Ulster | Pat "the Cope" Gallagher | ||||
| Mark Killilea | |||||
| Joe McCartin | |||||
| Dublin | Patricia McKenna | ||||
| Mary Banotti | |||||
| Niall Andrews | |||||
| Bernie Malone | |||||
| Leinster | Liam Hyland | ||||
| Alan Gillis | |||||
| Jim Fitzsimons | |||||
| Nuala Ahern | |||||
| Munster | Brian Crowley | ||||
| Gerry Collins | |||||
| John Cushnahan | |||||
| Pat Cox | |||||
| Constituency | Electorate | Turnout | Spoilt | Valid Poll | Quota | Seats | Candidates | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Connacht–Ulster | 496,352 | 237,601 (47.8%) | 4,971 (2.1%) | 232,630 | 58,158 | 3 | 9 | |
| Dublin | 755,486 | 280,761 (37.2%) | 2,917 (1.1%) | 277,844 | 55,569 | 4 | 15 | |
| Leinster | 624,561 | 269,044 (43.1%) | 6,599 (2.4%) | 262,445 | 52,490 | 4 | 12 | |
| Munster | 755,176 | 369,890 (48.9%) | 5,319 (1.4%) | 364,571 | 72,915 | 4 | 16 | |
| Total | 2,631,575 | 1,157,296 (43.9%) | 19,806 (1.7%) | 1,137,490 | — | 15 | 52 |