| Midlands–North-West | |
| Locationmap2020: | IE-nw |
| Coordinates: | 53.75°N -8.5°W |
| Map: | Eire-Midlands-NW-European-Parliament-Constit-2014.svg |
| Mapcaption: | Midlands–North-West shown within Ireland (2014–2019, 2024– boundaries) |
| Created: | 2014 |
| Memberstate: | Ireland |
| Memberstatelink: | Republic of Ireland |
| Memberstatelink2: | Ireland |
| Sources: | http://www.elections2014.eu/en/ |
| Electorate Population: | 1,224,888 |
Midlands–North-West is a European Parliament constituency in Ireland. It elects 5 Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) on the electoral system of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote.
Midlands–North-West was created for the 2014 European Parliament election when Ireland's allocation of seats was reduced from 12 to 11 due to the accession of Croatia to the European Union. It followed a recommendation of a 2013 Constituency Commission report on European Parliament constituencies in Ireland. It consisted of the old North-West constituency, except for County Clare which was moved to the South constituency; as well the northern and central Leinster part of the East constituency.[1] [2] The Irish Times criticised the wide geographic spread of the constituency, calling it "a heterogeneous mish-mash of counties with little historic or cultural connection to each other". It was nicknamed "Malin M50" for its wide spread, from the suburbs of Dublin to the Atlantic seaboard.[3]
For the 2019 European Parliament election, a reapportionment following Brexit and the loss of 73 MEPs from the United Kingdom gave two additional seats to Ireland. Following a recommendation of the Constituency Commission, counties Laois and Offaly were moved to the South constituency, with Midlands–North-West maintaining its 4 seats.[4] [5]
At the 2024 European Parliament election, Midlands–North-West increased to 5 seats, with the transfer of County Laois and County Offaly from South.[6] This followed a recommendation of the Electoral Commission, where Ireland had been allocated one additional MEP. This gives the new constituency a population of 1,831,741, as of the 2022 census[7] [8]
The constituency comprises the counties of Cavan, Donegal, Galway, Kildare, Laois, Leitrim, Longford, Louth, Mayo, Meath, Monaghan, Offaly, Roscommon, Sligo and Westmeath; and the city of Galway.
The main urban areas of Midlands–North-West (by population size) are Galway, Drogheda, Dundalk, Navan, Newbridge, Naas, Portlaoise, Athlone, Mullingar, Letterkenny, Celbridge, Sligo, Maynooth, Leixlip, Ashbourne and Tullamore.
| Election | Area | Seats | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Counties of Cavan, Donegal, Galway, Kildare, Laois, Leitrim, Longford, Louth, Mayo, Meath, Monaghan, Offaly, Roscommon, Sligo and Westmeath; and the city of Galway.[9] | 4 | |
| 2019 | Loss of Laois and Offaly to South[10] | ||
| 2024 | Transfer of Laois and Offaly from South | 5 |