County Galway’s two constituencies look set to undergo major changes in advance of the next General Election, with Galway West likely to lose one of its five Dáil seats and Galway East to become a geographically larger constituency.
On Wednesday, the Minister for the Environment Phil Hogan announced plans by the Government to reduce the number of TDs in the next Dáil and hold all by-elections within six months.
Minister Hogan said a new Constituency Commission will be established to look at reducing the number of seats and redrawing constituency boundaries. Under existing law, a Constituency Commission is set up after each Census to decide the boundaries of each constituency and the number of TDs to be elected.
It is understood that Fine Gael is interested in cutting the number of TDs by 20, bringing down the number of parliamentary representatives from 166 to 146.
County Galway, which currently has nine TDs and two constituencies, is highly likely to be among those most affected by any changes proposed by the Constituency Commission, which will have completed its report by June 2012.
It is understood that the population of Galway East is less than the number which warrants four seats, while Galway West has a population which is too small to justify keeping its five seats. As a result, Galway East and West are among the constituencies the Government is keen to see changed.
According to a Fine Gael source, there are two main ideas being discussed within Leinster House regarding Galway’s constituencies.
The first scenario is to move part of Galway East, the regions between Athenry and Headford, into Galway West, thereby increasing the population of Galway West to justify it keeping five seats. Galway East would then become a smaller constituency and be reduced to three seats.
However the preferred idea is to make County Galway into two four seat constituencies. This would involve transferring the Oranmore, Clarinbridge, Turloughmore, and Annaghdown region into Galway East.
This would raise Galway East’s population to a level that justified it having four Dáil seats, while the drop in population in Galway West would bring it into line with having four seats as well.
While the ‘two sets of four’ option is understood to be the Governments preferred outcome, the Constituency Commission itself will be independent and be guided in its work by the 2011 Census figures.
The altering of Galway’s constituency boundaries has happened numerous times over the decades. From Independence to 1937 the county was one constituency. Galway East and Galway West were then created, only for Galway East to be divided into Galway South and Galway North East from 1948 to 1961.
Galway East was reunited from 1961 to 1969 but split into Galway North East and Clare-Galway South, while Galway West reduced in size. By 1977 Galway East’s boundaries were close to what they are now, but Galway West extended into Clare and covered all the Burren.
There were further revamps in 1981 with Galway East halved and Galway West taking over large areas including Gort and the region around Headford up to the border with Mayo. So it remained until 1997 when the constituencies were given their present configuration.
If the ‘two sets of four’ option becomes a reality it will have the greatest impact on Galway West, and on TD Noel Grealish and Fine Gael Sen Fidelma Healy Eames, should she run again for a Dáil seat, as they would lose their city and Connemara votes
