South (European Parliament constituency) should not be confused with Southern Italy (European Parliament constituency).
| South | |
| Locationmap2020: | IE-s |
| Coordinates: | 52.3°N -8.25°W |
| Map: | Eire-South-European-Parliament-Constit-2014.svg |
| Mapcaption: | South shown within Ireland (2014–2019, 2024– boundaries) |
| Created: | 2004 |
| Memberstate: | Ireland |
| Memberstatelink: | Republic of Ireland |
| Memberstatelink2: | Ireland |
| Sources: | http://www.europarl.europa.eu/elections2004/ep-election/sites/en/yourvoice/index.html |
South is a European Parliament constituency in Ireland. It elects 5 Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) using proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote.
It was created in 2004 with the same area as the old Munster constituency, except for County Clare which was then in North-West.[1] [2] It was expanded in 2014 when it took in counties of southern Leinster from the disbanded East constituency and became a 4-seat constituency.[3] In 2016, 74.1% of the constituency's population lived in Munster, while the southern Leinster counties accounted for 25.9%.[4]
The constituency is often referred to by media sources and candidates as "Ireland South" during news reports or candidate remarks.[5] [6]
At 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, South gained territory and an additional seat, from 4 to 5.[7] [8] [9] However, the last candidate elected, would not take her seat until after the United Kingdom left the European Union.[10]
At the 2024 European Parliament election, the counties of Laois and Offaly were transferred to Midlands–North-West, while South remains a 5-seat constituency.[11] This followed a recommendation of the Electoral Commission, where Ireland had been allocated one additional MEP.[12] [13]
It comprises the counties of Carlow, Clare, Cork, Kerry, Kilkenny, Limerick, Tipperary, Waterford, Wexford, and Wicklow; the cities of Cork, Limerick, and Waterford.
The main urban areas (by population size) are Cork, Limerick, Waterford, Bray, Kilkenny, Ennis, Carlow, Tralee, and Wexford.
| Elections | Area | Seats | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004, 2009 | Counties of Cork, Kerry, Limerick, Tipperary and Waterford; and the cities of Cork, Limerick and Waterford. | 3[14] | |
| 2014 | Addition of counties Carlow, Kilkenny, Wexford and Wicklow from East; and Clare from North-West. | 4[15] | |
| 2019 | Addition of counties Laois and Offaly from Midlands–North-West | 4/5 | |
| 2024 | Loss of Laois and Offaly to Midlands–North-West | 5 |
Ireland South elected 5 MEPs but the 5th candidate elected, Deirdre Clune, did not take her seat until 31 January 2020, when the United Kingdom had withdrawn from the European Union.
Following a recheck of the votes for O'Sullivan and Ní Riada after the 18th count, a full recount was requested by the Sinn Féin candidate. Returning officer Martin Harvey announced that the recount would begin on 4 June. RTÉ reported that the recount could take up to 28 working days.[16] On 4 June, Ní Riada withdrew the request for a recount.[17] After the transfer of Ní Riada's votes and Mick Wallace's surplus, Grace O'Sullivan and Deirdre Clune were deemed elected, but Clune did not take office as an MEP until Brexit had taken effect.