Longford-Westmeath becomes a five-seater with the return of those parts of East Westmeath that were previously in Meath West.
The constituency first existed from 1921 until 1937, then 1948 until 1992. The constituency had a few “late starters” – Gerry L’Estrange first contested for Fine Gael in 1948 but didn’t win a seat until 1965, while Joe Sheridan (father of Irish Times Journalist Kathy Sheridan) contested unsuccessfully for Fine Gael in 1951, 1954 and 1957 before winning a seat as an Independent in 1961 and holding it for twenty years. Fianna Fáil took three out of five seats in 1948, 1951 and 1954 but lost a seat to Ruairi O’Bradaigh of Sinn Féin in 1957. They also took three out of four seats in 1987. Labour won a seat in both 1927 elections – they had to wait until 1992 for Willie Penrose in the three seat Westmeath to win their next one.
The constituency has existed in its current since 2007. In 2011 Robert Troy was one of only two new Fianna Fáil TDs elected to the Dáil, and in 2020 the party made a gain here against the wind. 2016 produced a very unusual result in that all four TDs were elected from Westmeath and none from Longford – Fine Gael TD James Bannon topped the poll in every single box in Longford in 2011, but still lost his seat in 2016. The absence of Willie Penrose from the ticket cost Labour their seat in 2020 and their vote collapsed.
THE BIGGEST PARTIES PER DED IN 2020
