2014 Irish local elections


The 2014 Irish local elections were held in all local government areas of Ireland on Friday, 23 May 2014, on the same day as the European Parliament election and two by-elections. The poll in the Ballybay–Clones LEA on Monaghan County Council was deferred due to the death of a candidate.

Administrative changes

These elections took place after the coming into force of the Local Government Reform Act 2014, under which city and county councils were contested under substantially redrawn local electoral area boundaries, including an overall increase of seats to 949, up from 883 in the 2009 local elections. It also saw the abolition of borough and town councils. Municipal districts were created within counties outside of Dublin. Generally, a municipal district contained a single LEA, though a few districts around larger urban areas contain multiple LEAs.

Overview

The elections took place a little over three years after the last general election, which led to a government of Fine Gael and the Labour Party. The elections were a major setback for Fine Gael and Labour. Fine Gael lost control of many councils, falling behind Fianna Fáil on some. Labour lost more than half of its local authority seats. Fianna Fáil showed a recovery, again becoming the largest party at local level with an increased share of the vote. The party also took control of some councils, while on others it formed alliances with Fine Gael. Sinn Féin was the main winner in this election, becoming the third-largest party at local level. There were also major gains for independents and smaller parties. As a result of its disastrous performance, the Labour leader Eamon Gilmore resigned.

Opinion polls

Poll results are listed in the table below in reverse chronological order, showing the most recent first. Only polls conducted in the period leading up to the election and immediately afterwards are shown.
DateSourcePolling agencyFine GaelLabour PartyFianna FáilSinn FéinGreen PartyAAA–PBPOthers
07 06 2014Sunday IndependentMillward Brown20520262225
23 05 2014European election22.35.322.319.54.93.323.9
23 05 2014Local elections24.07.225.315.21.62.925.5
19 05 2014Sunday IndependentMillward Brown2062123227
01 05 2014The Sunday Business PostRed C2511211825
19 04 2014Sunday IndependentMillward Brown2962220221
19 04 2014The Sunday TimesBehaviour & Attitudes2192020426
03 04 2014The Irish TimesIpsos MRBI258252121
30 03 2014The Sunday Business PostRed C269222122
28 02 2014Sunday IndependentMillward Brown2782122220
22 02 2014The Sunday TimesBehaviour & Attitudes309191824
22 02 2014The Sunday Business PostRed C2911221622
24 01 2014Sunday IndependentMillward Brown30122616115
22 01 2014The Sunday Business PostRed C279231625
09 01 2014Paddy PowerRed C2810221822
15 12 2013The Sunday TimesBehaviour & Attitudes301121153<21

Results by party

Results from the Anti-Austerity Alliance are compared to the Socialist Party in the 2009 local elections. Republican Sinn Féin are not a registered party; therefore, their candidates appear on the ballot as Non-Party.