Donnelly and Sherlock among politicians who face fight to retain seat

Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly. Picture: Gareth Chaney/ Collins Photos

The starting gun has been fired for the next general election, with some high-profile politicians facing a dogfight to retain their seats after the new constituency boundaries were announced.

The number of TDs in the next Dáil will increase by 14 — from 160 to 174 — the Electoral Commission announced on Wednesday. However, that decision is being seen as ‘conservative’, given that the commission had the scope to increase it to 181.

The changes have also left 16 constituencies under-represented, politicians from across the board have said.

The electoral watchdog also made a series of changes to boundaries and increased the number of constituencies from 39 to 43. Among those likely to be negatively impacted by the boundary changes are Health Minister Stephen Donnelly in Wicklow, Labour TD in Cork East Sean Sherlock and Fine Gael minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill.

Mr Donnelly may face additional difficulties with the removal of more rural parts of Wicklow, which have been added into a new three-seater: Wicklow-Wexford.

Seán Sherlock. Picture: Sam Boal/Rollingnews.ie

These rural areas helped push him over the line in 2020, with transfers from his running mate Pat Casey giving him enough momentum to take the fourth seat.

While most at risk will likely be the Green Party’s Stephen Matthews, Mr Donnelly will face a particular challenge with the likelihood of a second Sinn Féin candidate running with John Brady.

The change to Cork East, with the removal of Mallow to Cork North-Central, has dealt a major blow to Labour’s Seán Sherlock. In a statement to the Irish Examiner, Mr Sherlock, who has held the seat since 2007, said he is assessing the “seismic shift” in the landscape. 

However, he indicated that he may move constituency, saying: "Mallow is my hometown so one way or another, Mallow is where I’m staying."

Junior minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill has lost a significant number of Fine Gael votes out of her constituency of Dún Laoghaire with the transfer of territory around Foxrock and Stillorgan into Dublin Rathdown.

Fine Gael TD for the current Wexford constituency Paul Kehoe is said to be “disappointed” by the boundary decision. Areas containing almost 50,000 people around Gorey and Enniscorthy, where Mr Kehoe is based, will be transferred to Wicklow-Wexford.

In Cork, Fianna Fáil ministers Micheál Martin and Michael McGrath, and Fine Gael Minister Simon Coveney, have been buoyed by an additional seat in Cork-South Central.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar’s constituency in Dublin West also gained an extra seat which will give him some comfort.

Green Party leader Eamon Ryan will hope to remain secure in Dublin Bay South with minimal changes.