A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | CH | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9
| Carlow–Kilkenny | |
|---|---|
| Dáil constituency | |
_2025.svg) Location of Carlow–Kilkenny within Ireland | |
| Major settlements | |
| Current constituency | |
| Created | 1948 |
| Seats | 5 |
| TDs | |
| Local government areas | |
| Created from | |
| EP constituency | South |
| Carlow–Kilkenny | |
|---|---|
| Former Dáil constituency | |
| Former constituency | |
| Created | 1921 |
| Abolished | 1937 |
| Seats |
|
| Local government areas | |
| Created from | |
| Replaced by | |
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).
History and boundaries
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 county of Carlow and the county of Kilkenny."
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]
"The county of Carlow;
and the county of Kilkenny except the parts thereof which are comprised in the constituency of Tipperary North."
| 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:
|
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; |
Dáil size stayed at 166, until a reduction to 158 TDs in 2016 |
| 2020– | 5 | The counties of Carlow and Kilkenny.[1] | Increase in number of TDs from 158 to 160 |
TDs
TDs 1921–1937
Note: The columns in this table are used only for presentational purposes, and no significance should be attached to the order of columns. For details of the order in which seats were won at each election, see the detailed results of that election.