DUBLIN IS SET to get an additional four TDs, with the current 5-seater constituency of Fingal to be split into two 3-seater constituencies under changes recommended by the Electoral Commission.

The Electoral Commission published its Constituency Review report this morning. The commission recommends changes which will lead to 14 additional TDs, bringing the total figure to 174.

It has also been recommended that four new constituencies be created.

One of these constituencies will be in Dublin, with a recommendation that the current 5-seater Dublin Fingal, be split into two 3-seater constituencies, Dublin Fingal West and Dublin Fingal East.

Meanwhile, three other Dublin constituencies will gain a TD under the recommendations: Dublin West will change from a 4-seater to a 5-seater; Dublin Rathdown will change from a 3-seater to a 4-seater; and Dublin Mid-West will change from a 4-seater to a 5-seater. 

The remaining Dublin constituencies will not change in terms of seats. There had been some speculation that other constituencies would gain a seat.

This included Dublin Central – the constituency of Public Expenditure Minister Paschal Donohoe and Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald – but this was not recommended by the Electoral Commission.

Boundary changes 

The Commission has recommended a number of boundary changes in Dublin, which will see Electoral Districts move from one constituency to another.

These changes can have significant impacts on sitting TDs re-electability, as they gain or lose voters based on the changes.

For example, former Dublin North-West Fine Gael TD Noel Rock lost his seat in the 2020 General Election following boundary changes which he said has lost him 20% of his voters “at the stroke of a pen”.

The changes saw large swathes of Dublin North-West moved into the Dublin Central constituency.  

Here are some of the most significant boundary change recommendations for Dublin, which will see thousands of potential voters moved between constituencies:

Dublin Fingal will be halved and split along east and west into two new 3-seater constituencies.

Dublin North-West will gain the electoral districts of Beaumont B, Beaumont F and Kilmore A from Dublin Bay North. It will also lose areas of Blanchardstown and the Airport area to Dublin West and Dublin Fingal West respectively.

Dublin Rathdown will gain the electoral districts of Stillorgan-Leopardstown, Foxrock-Torquay and Foxrock-Carrickmines from Dún Laoghaire.

The district of Tallaght-Fettercairn will move from Dublin South-West to Dublin Mid-West.

Dublin South-West will gain the districts of Templeogue-Kimmage Manor, Terenure-Greentrees, Terenure-Cherryfield from Dublin South Central.

Meanwhile, the district of Kimmage C will move from Dublin Bay South to Dublin South-Central.