| Carlow–Kilkenny | |
| Type: | Dáil |
| Year: | 1948 |
| Map4: | Carlow–Kilkenny (Dáil constituency) 2025.svg |
| Map Entity: | Ireland |
| Map Size: | 200px |
| Members Label: | TDs |
| Seats: | 5 |
| Local Council Label: | Local government areas |
| Blank1 Name: | EP constituency |
| Blank1 Info: | South |
| Carlow–Kilkenny | |
| Type: | Dáil |
| Year: | 1921 |
| Abolished: | 1937 |
| Local Council Label: | Local government areas |
Carlow–Kilkenny is a parliamentary constituency represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas. The constituency elects five deputies (Teachtaí Dála, commonly known as TDs) on the system of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote (PR-STV).
The constituency of Carlow–Kilkenny first existed at the election of the Second Dáil at the 1921 general election, combining the UK parliament constituencies of County Carlow, Kilkenny North and Kilkenny South, which had elected members of the First Dáil. Carlow–Kilkenny did not exist between 1937 and 1948, when it was replaced by the constituencies of Carlow–Kildare and Kilkenny. The constituency has continued in existence since 1948.
From the 2020 general election, the constituency has spanned the entire area of County Kilkenny and the entire area of County Carlow, taking in the parts of Carlow which had been in the Wicklow constituency since the 1997 general election. The Electoral (Amendment) (Dáil Constituencies) Act 2017 defines the constituency as:[1]
The 2023 Report of the Electoral Commission recommended that at the next general election, Carlow–Kilkenny remain as a five-seat constituency, with the transfer of a population of 6,431 to the new constituency of Tipperary North.[2]
For the next general election, the Electoral (Amendment) Act 2023 defines the constituency as:[3]
| +Changes to the Carlow–Kilkenny constituency | ||||
| Years | TDs | Boundaries | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1921–1923 | 4 | The counties of Carlow and Kilkenny.[4] | Constituency created from County Carlow, Kilkenny North and Kilkenny South | |
| 1923–1937 | 5 | The counties of Carlow and Kilkenny.[5] | Increase in number of TDs from 128 to 153. | |
| 1937–1948 | Constituency disestablished.[6] | Decrease in number of TDs from 153 to 138. Replaced by Carlow–Kildare (4 seats) and Kilkenny (3 seats) | ||
| 1948–1961 | 5 | The counties of Carlow and Kilkenny.[7] | Increase in number of TDs from 138 to 147 | |
| 1961–1981 | 5 | The counties of Carlow and Kilkenny; and in the county of Wexford, the district electoral divisions of: Kilrush, Kiltealy, Moyacomb, Newtownbarry, Rossard, St. Mary's, Tombrack in the former rural district of Enniscorthy; Ballybeg, in the former rural district of Gorey.[8] [9] [10] | Decrease in number of TDs from 147 to 144 Increase in 1977 from 144 to 148 | |
| 1981–1997 | 5 | The counties of Carlow and Kilkenny.[11] [12] [13] | Increase in number of TDs from 148 to 166 | |
| 1997–2020 | 5 | The county of Carlow, except the part thereof which is comprised in the constituency of Wicklow; and the county of Kilkenny.[14] [15] [16] [17] [18] | Dáil size stayed at 166, until a reduction to 158 TDs in 2016 | |
| 2020– | 5 | The counties of Carlow and Kilkenny. | Increase in number of TDs from 158 to 160 |
| || Vacant
Séamus Pattison was Ceann Comhairle at the dissolution of the 28th Dáil and therefore deemed to be returned automatically. The constituency was treated as a four-seater for the purposes of calculating the quota.
Following the death of Fine Gael TD Joseph Hughes, a by-election was held on 23 June 1960. The Elections Act 1960 enabled the election to be held the same day as the 1960 local elections, using the same administrative apparatus.[19] The Dáil seat was won by the Fianna Fáil candidate Patrick Teehan.
Following the death of Fianna Fáil TD Thomas Walsh, a by-election was held on 14 November 1956. The seat was won by Fianna Fáil candidate Martin Medlar.
The surplus votes of the elected candidate were distributed after being declared elected because there was a possibility another candidate could have reached the threshold of a third of a quota which would have meant their election deposit was returned to them.
The poll was postponed due to the death of outgoing Fine Gael TD Eamonn Coogan during the campaign.
W. T. Cosgrave was also elected for the Cork Borough constituency and resigned his seat in Carlow–Kilkenny following the election. A by-election was held on 3 November 1927 and the seat was won by the Cumann na nGaedheal candidate Denis Gorey.
Following the resignation of Cumann na nGaedheal TD Seán Gibbons, a by-election was held on 11 March 1925. The seat was won by the Cumann na nGaedheal candidate Thomas Bolger.
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