Dublin South-East
Dublin South-East was a parliamentary constituency represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas, from 1948 to 2016. The method of election was proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote.
Boundaries
The constituency was created under the Electoral (Amendment) Act 1947 and first used at the 1948 general election. It substantially succeeded the previous constituency of Dublin Townships. It included areas such as Ballsbridge, Donnybrook, Harolds Cross, Sandymount, Ranelagh, Rathmines, Ringsend and the central business district of the city.| Years | TDs | Boundaries | Notes |
| 1948–1961 | 3 | Created from Dublin Townships and Dublin South. | |
| 1961–1969 | 3 | Transfer of balance of the Rathfarnham Ward from Dublin South-West; transfer of the balance of Rathmines West Ward to Dublin South-West. | |
| 1969–1977 | 3 | Transfer of Mansion House, St. Kevin's, South Dock and part of Royal Exchange from Dublin South-Central; Transfer of Rathfarnham and part of Rathmines East ward to Dublin South-Central. | |
| 1977–1981 | 3 | and in County Dublin, the DED of Dundrum Number One. | |
| 1981–1987 | 4 | Transfer of Mansion House A and B, Royal Exchange A, Royal Exchange B, Saint Kevin's, South Dock, Wood Quay A, Wood Quay B from Dublin South-Central; transfer from Dublin Rathmines West of Rathfarnham A, Rathmines West A, Rathmines West B, Rathmines West D, Rathmines West E transfer of Pembroke East D to Dublin South. | |
| 1992–1997 | 4 | Transfer of the south inner city area extending generally from the Grand Canal and Donore Avenue to the Liffey from Dublin South-Central. | |
| 1997–2002 | 4 | Transfer of Merchants Quay B, Merchants Quay C, Merchants Quay D, Merchants Quay E to Dublin South-Central; transfer from Dún Laoghaire of Blackrock-Glenomena, Clonskeagh-Belfield and part of Blackrock-Booterstown; transfer of Pembroke East D from Dublin South. | |
| 2002–2016 | 4 | Transfer to Dublin South-Central of population to complete a boundary between the constituencies running from the Liffey at Winetavern Street; transfer to Dún Laoghaire. | |
| 2016 | — | Constituency abolished | Area included in new constituency of Dublin Bay South, with the addition of Kimmage C, and Terenure A, B, C and D transferred from Dublin South-Central |
Constituency profile
By geographical area, Dublin South-East was the smallest constituency in the country. It had a diverse socio-economic profile and a large transient population which was reflected in the turnout: the constituency had one of the lowest turnouts in the country in 2007 and 2011.Notable Dublin South-East TDs include former Taoiseach John A. Costello and Garret FitzGerald, the former leader of the Progressive Democrats Michael McDowell, maverick left-wing politician Noël Browne and former Minister for Finance Ruairi Quinn. Mary McAleese, a former president of Ireland, unsuccessfully contested the constituency for Fianna Fáil in 1987.
The "Rumble in Ranelagh" is a term used by Irish journalists to describe an open argument that took place between candidates Michael McDowell and John Gormley in Ranelagh, while canvassing in the 2007 general election. Gormley twice defeated McDowell to take the last seat, in 1997 and again in 2007, both times by relatively small margins. The 1997 result led to a mammoth recount, the longest in Irish political history, before McDowell conceded defeat.