‘New Irish’: Increase in non-Irish born candidates running for local elections

Fifty non-Irish-born candidates will be on the ballot for tomorrow’s local elections, an increase reflective of the wider, non-native population of 810,406, says Ryan O’Neill.

The number of non-Irish candidates for the local elections has risen this year. According to the 2016 census, 810,406 residents in Ireland were born outside the country, an increase of 43,636 on 2011.

Tomorrow, 50 ‘new Irish’ candidates will appear on ballot papers up and down the country: Irish residents born outside of Ireland, or who subsequently gained Irish citizenship after moving. That’s a rise of 40% on the 2014 local elections, and 62% on 2009.