Dublin Central (Dáil constituency)

Dublin Central is a parliamentary constituency represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas. The constituency elects four deputies (Teachtaí Dála, commonly known as TDs) on the system of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote (PR-STV).

Dublin Central
Dáil constituency
Location of Dublin Central within County Dublin
Major settlements	Cabra Dublin (north inner city) East Wall Drumcondra Phibsborough
Current constituency
Created	1981
Seats	5 (1981–1992) 4 (1992–2016) 3 (2016–2020) 4 (2020–)
TDs	Paschal Donohoe (FG)   Gary Gannon (SD)   Mary Lou McDonald (SF)   Marie Sherlock (Lab)
Local government area	Dublin City
EP constituency	Dublin

Dublin Central
Former Dáil constituency
Former constituency
Created	1969
Abolished	1977
Seats	4
Local government area	Dublin City

Constituency profile

Dublin Central is regarded as one of the most social and ethnically diverse constituencies in Ireland.^[1] It contains Dublin's main shopping district and financial areas. The constituency consists of largely traditional working class areas such as East Wall, North Strand, Summerhill, Ballybough, Sheriff Street and Cabra with more suburban middle class Glasnevin and Lower Drumcondra on the northern fringes of the constituency.

Former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern won the first seat in the constituency at every election from its creation in 1981 until his retirement in 2011. It was a highly competitive constituency with the Labour Party, Sinn Féin and left-wing independents such as Tony Gregory drawing much support. Fianna Fáil has not been represented in the constituency since the 2011 general election.

Boundaries

A Dublin Central constituency was created for the first time in 1969 and used at the 1969 and 1973 general elections. It originally spanned both sides of the River Liffey and took in inner city Dublin. It was abolished in 1977, and recreated with different boundaries in 1981. It is now exclusively on the northside of the Liffey. The Dublin Central constituency is located in the north inner city and suburbs of Dublin and encompasses an area to the north side of the river Liffey including: Stoneybatter, Mountjoy Square, Phibsborough, Cabra, Dorset Street, Henrietta Street, O'Connell Street, Arbour Hill, Navan Road, Glasnevin, North Wall, East Wall and Drumcondra.

The Electoral (Amendment) (Dáil Constituencies) Act 2017 defines the constituency as:^[2]

"In the city of Dublin the electoral divisions of:

Arran Quay A, Arran Quay B, Arran Quay C, Arran Quay D, Arran Quay E, Ballybough A, Ballybough B, Botanic A, Botanic B, Botanic C, Cabra East A, Cabra East B, Cabra East C, Cabra West A, Cabra West B, Cabra West C, Cabra West D, Drumcondra South A, Drumcondra South B, Drumcondra South C, Inns Quay A, Inns Quay B, Inns Quay C, Mountjoy A, Mountjoy B, North City, North Dock A, North Dock B, North Dock C, Rotunda A, Rotunda B."

The Constituency Review Report 2023 of the Electoral Commission recommended that no change be made at the 2024 Irish general election.^[3]

Changes to the Dublin Central constituency

Years	TDs	Boundaries	Notes
1969–1977	4	In the county borough of Dublin, the wards of[4] The Inns Quay, Rotunda, Usher's and Wood Quay wards; that part of Arran Quay ward which is not included in the constituency of Dublin North-West; that part of Merchants Quay ward which is not included in the constituency of Dublin South-West; and that part of Royal Exchange ward lying to the west of a line drawn as follows: commencing at the junction of Suffolk Street with the ward boundary, thence in a north-westerly direction along Suffolk Street to its junction with Andrew Street, thence commencing in a south-westerly direction and proceeding along Andrew Street to its junction with Exchequer Street, thence in a westerly direction along Exchequer Street to its junction with South Great George's Street, thence commencing in a southerly direction and proceeding along South Great George's Street, Aungier Street, Redmond's Hill and Wexford Street to its junction with the ward boundary.	Transfer of Inns Quay, Rotunda and part of Arran Quay from Dublin North-Central; transfer of Usher's, Wood Quay and parts of Merchants Quay and Royal Exchange from Dublin South-Central.[5]
1977–1981	—	Constituency abolished[6]	Transfer of Inns Quay and parts of Arran Quay to Dublin Cabra; transfer of Rotunda to Dublin North-Central; transfer of Usher's, Wood Quay and parts of Merchants Quay and Royal Exchange to Dublin South-Central.
1981–1987	5	In the county borough of Dublin, the wards[7] of[8] Arran Quay A, Arran Quay B, Arran Quay C, Arran Quay D, Arran Quay E, Ballybough A, Ballybough B, Cabra East A, Cabra East B, Cabra East C, Cabra West B, Clontarf West D, Clontarf West E, Drumcondra South A, Drumcondra South B, Drumcondra South C, Glasnevin A, Glasnevin B, Inns Quay A, Inns Quay B, Inns Quay C, Mountjoy A, Mountjoy B, North City, North Dock A, North Dock B, North Dock C, Rotunda A, Rotunda B; and those parts of the wards of Cabra West A and Cabra West C situated east of a line drawn as follows: commencing at the point adjacent to the southern boundary of the Dominican Convent, Cabra, where the boundary of the county borough of Dublin intersects the centre of Ratoath Road, thence in a southerly direction along the centre of Ratoath Road to its junction with the Navan Road, thence in a southerly direction along the imaginary southerly projection of the centre of Ratoath Road to the intersection of the said imaginary projection by the southern boundary of the ward of Cabra West C.	Transfer of Arran Quay A, B, C, D and E, Cabra East A, B and C, Cabra West B, Inns Quay B and C, and parts of Cabra West A and C from Dublin Cabra; Drumcondra South C, Glasnevin A and B, Inns Quay A from Dublin Finglas; and Ballybough A and B, Clontarf West D and E, Drumcondra South A and B, Mountjoy A and B, North City, North Dock A, B and C, Rotunda A and B from Dublin North-Central.
1987–1992	5	In the county borough of Dublin, the wards of[9] Arran Quay A, Arran Quay B, Arran Quay C, Arran Quay D, Arran Quay E, Ballybough A, Ballybough B, Cabra East A, Cabra East B, Cabra East C, Cabra West A, Cabra West B, Cabra West C, Cabra West D, Cabra West E, Clontarf West D, Clontarf West E, Drumcondra South A, Drumcondra South B, Drumcondra South C, Glasnevin A, Glasnevin B, Inns Quay A, Inns Quay B, Inns Quay C, Mountjoy A, Mountjoy B, North City, North Dock A, North Dock B, North Dock C, Rotunda A, Rotunda B.	Transfer of the wards of Cabra West D and E and the balance of the wards of Cabra West A and C from Dublin West.[10]
1992–1997	4	In the county borough of Dublin, the wards[11] of[12] Arran Quay A, Arran Quay B, Arran Quay C, Arran Quay D, Arran Quay E, Ashtown A, Ashtown B, Botanic C, Cabra East B, Cabra East C, Cabra West B, Cabra West C, Cabra West D, Chapelizod, Decies, Inchicore A, Inns Quay A, Inns Quay B, Inns Quay C, Kilmainham A, Kilmainham B, Kilmainham C, Mountjoy A, Mountjoy B, North City, North Dock B, North Dock C, Phoenix Park, Rotunda A, Rotunda B, Ushers A, Ushers F; and those parts of the wards of Cabra East A, and Cabra West A situated south of a line drawn along the Royal Canal.	Transfer to Dublin North-Central of the Marino - Fairview - North Strand area; transfer to Dublin North-West of the area bounded on the south by the Royal Canal, lona Road and St Alphonsus Road and on the east by Drumcondra Road; Transfer from Dublin West of the Ashtown, Phoenix Park, Islandbridge, Kilmainham, Inchicore, Ballyfermot (part) and Chapelizod areas.[13]
1997–2002	4	In the city of Dublin, the electoral divisions of[14] Arran Quay A, Arran Quay B, Arran Quay C, Arran Quay D, Arran Quay E, Ashtown A, Ashtown B, Cabra East B, Cabra East C, Cabra West B, Cabra West C, Cabra West D, Chapelizod, Cherry Orchard A, Cherry Orchard B, Cherry Orchard C, Decies, Drumfinn, Inchicore A, Inns Quay B, Inns Quay C, Kilmainham A, Kilmainham B, Kilmainham C, Kylemore, Mountjoy A, Mountjoy B, North City, North Dock C, Phoenix Park, Rotunda A, Rotunda B, Ushers A, Ushers F; and that part of the ward of Cabra West A situated south of a line drawn along the Royal Canal, and that part of the ward of Inns Quay A situated south of a line drawn along the North Circular Road.	Transfer of the Phibsboro/Drumcondra area to Dublin North-West; transfer the North Docks area to Dublin North-Central; transfer of the Ballyfermot/Cherry Orchard area from Dublin West.[15]
2002–2007	4	In the city of Dublin, the electoral divisions of[16] Arran Quay A, Arran Quay B, Arran Quay C, Arran Quay D, Arran Quay E, Ashtown A, Ashtown B, Ballybough A, Ballybough B, Botanic A, Botanic B, Botanic C, Cabra East A, Cabra East B, Cabra East C, Cabra West A, Cabra West B, Cabra West C, Cabra West D, Drumcondra South B, Drumcondra South C, Inns Quay A, Inns Quay B, Inns Quay C, Mountjoy A, Mountjoy B, North City, North Dock A, North Dock B, North Dock C, Phoenix Park, Rotunda A, Rotunda B.	Transfer of Ballyfermot, Inchicore and Kilmainham area to Dublin South-Central; transfer of Ballybough and North Docks area from Dublin North-Central; transfer of parts of Cabra and Drumcondra from Dublin North-West.[17]
2007–2011	4	In the city of Dublin, the electoral divisions of[18][19] Arran Quay A, Arran Quay B, Arran Quay C, Arran Quay D, Arran Quay E, Ashtown A, Ashtown B, Ballybough A, Ballybough B, Botanic A, Botanic B, Botanic C, Cabra East A, Cabra East B, Cabra East C, Cabra West A, Cabra West B, Cabra West C, Cabra West D, Drumcondra South B, Drumcondra South C, Inns Quay A, Inns Quay B, Inns Quay C, Mountjoy A, Mountjoy B, North City, North Dock A, North Dock B, North Dock C, Rotunda A, Rotunda B; and that part of the electoral division of Phoenix Park situated north of a line drawn along Chapelizod Road, Conyngham Road and Parkgate Street.	Transfer of Phoenix Park (part south of Chapelizod Road and Conyngham Road and Parkgate Street) to Dublin South-Central.[20][21]
2016–2020	3	In the city of Dublin, the electoral divisions of[22][2] Arran Quay A, Arran Quay B, Arran Quay C, Arran Quay D, Arran Quay E, Ballybough A, Ballybough B, Cabra East A, Cabra East B, Cabra East C, Cabra West A, Cabra West B, Cabra West C, Cabra West D, Drumcondra South B, Inns Quay A, Inns Quay B, Inns Quay C, Mountjoy A, Mountjoy B, North City, North Dock A, North Dock B, North Dock C, Rotunda A, Rotunda B.	Transfer of Ashtown A, Ashtown B and remaining part of Phoenix Park to Dublin West; Transfer of Botanic A, Botanic B, Botanic C and Drumcondra South C to Dublin North-West.[23]
2020–	4	In the city of Dublin, the electoral divisions of[2] Arran Quay A, Arran Quay B, Arran Quay C, Arran Quay D, Arran Quay E, Ballybough A, Ballybough B, Botanic A, Botanic B, Botanic C, Cabra East A, Cabra East B, Cabra East C, Cabra West A, Cabra West B, Cabra West C, Cabra West D, Drumcondra South A, Drumcondra South B, Drumcondra South C, Inns Quay A, Inns Quay B, Inns Quay C, Mountjoy A, Mountjoy B, North City, North Dock A, North Dock B, North Dock C, Rotunda A, Rotunda B.	Transfer of Botanic A, Botanic B, Botanic C and Drumcondra South C from Dublin North-West; transfer of Drumcondra South A from Dublin Bay North.[24]

TDs

TDs 1969–1977

Teachtaí Dála (TDs) for Dublin Central 1969–1977[25]
Key to parties   FF = Fianna Fáil   FG = Fine Gael   Lab = Labour
Dáil	Election	Deputy (Party)		Deputy (Party)		Deputy (Party)		Deputy (Party)
19th	1969[26]		Frank Cluskey (Lab)		Vivion de Valera (FF)		Thomas J. Fitzpatrick (FF)		Maurice E. Dockrell (FG)
20th	1973[27]
21st	1977	Constituency abolished

Note: The columns in this table are used only for presentational purposes, and no significance should be attached to the order of columns. For details of the order in which seats were won at each election, see the detailed results of that election.

TDs since 1981

Teachtaí Dála (TDs) for Dublin Central 1981–[25]
Key to parties   FF = Fianna Fáil   FG = Fine Gael   GP = Green   Ind = Independent   Lab = Labour   PDs = Progressive Democrats   SF = Sinn Féin   SD = Social Democrats
Dáil	Election	Deputy (Party)		Deputy (Party)		Deputy (Party)		Deputy (Party)		Deputy (Party)
22nd	1981[28]		Bertie Ahern (FF)		Alice Glenn (FG)		Michael Keating (FG)		George Colley (FF)		Michael O'Leary (Lab)
23rd	1982 (Feb)[29]				Tony Gregory (Ind)
24th	1982 (Nov)[30]										Alice Glenn (FG)
	1983 by-election[31]								Tom Leonard (FF)
25th	1987[32]						Michael Keating (PDs)		Dermot Fitzpatrick (FF)		John Stafford (FF)
26th	1989[33]						Pat Lee (FG)
27th	1992[34]						Jim Mitchell (FG)		Joe Costello (Lab)	4 seats 1992–2016
28th	1997[35]								Marian McGennis (FF)
29th	2002[36]						Dermot Fitzpatrick (FF)		Joe Costello (Lab)
30th	2007[37]						Cyprian Brady (FF)
	2009 by-election[38]				Maureen O'Sullivan (Ind)
31st	2011[39]		Mary Lou McDonald (SF)				Paschal Donohoe (FG)
32nd	2016[40]							3 seats 2016–2020
33rd	2020[41]				Gary Gannon (SD)				Neasa Hourigan (GP)	4 seats from 2020
34th	2024[42]								Marie Sherlock (Lab)

Note: The columns in this table are used only for presentational purposes, and no significance should be attached to the order of columns. For details of the order in which seats were won at each election, see the detailed results of that election.

Elections

^ *: Outgoing TD

2024 general election

2024 general election: Dublin Central^[42][43]

Party		Candidate	FPv%	Count
				1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11
	Sinn Féin	Mary Lou McDonald[*]	19.5	6,389	6,510	7,388
	Fine Gael	Paschal Donohoe[*]	16.8	5,493	5,569	5,590	5,606	5,701	5,730	5,856	6,162	6,275	8,069
	Social Democrats	Gary Gannon[*]	13.3	4,353	4,397	4,464	4,639	5,027	6,363	6,532	7,481
	Independent	Gerry Hutch	9.5	3,098	3,187	3,295	3,513	3,650	3,733	4,995	5,021	5,039	5,194	5,321
	Labour	Marie Sherlock	7.5	2,465	2,505	2,521	2,547	2,665	2,917	2,990	3,841	4,557	5,070	6,102
	Fianna Fáil	Mary Fitzpatrick	7.2	2,344	2,427	2,446	2,468	2,538	2,553	2,646	2,768	2,802
	Green	Neasa Hourigan[*]	6.0	1,952	1,986	1,999	2,019	2,113	2,315	2,352
	Independent	Malachy Steenson	4.9	1,602	1,955	1,990	2,041	2,134	2,195
	PBP–Solidarity	Eoghan Ó Ceannabháin[a]	4.5	1,471	1,497	1,540	1,656	2,112
	Inds. 4 Change	Clare Daly	4.0	1,317	1,367	1,445	1,539
	Sinn Féin	Janice Boylan	3.8	1,257	1,295
	Aontú	Ian Noel Smyth	2.2	715
	Centre Party	Andrew Kelly	0.9	298
Electorate: 63,190   Valid: 32,754   Spoilt: 273   Quota: 6,551   Turnout: 33,027 (52.3%)

1. Ó Ceannabháin is a member of People Before Profit.

2020 general election

2020 general election: Dublin Central^{[41][44][45][46][47][48]}

Party		Candidate	FPv%	Count
				1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9
	Sinn Féin	Mary Lou McDonald[*]	35.7	11,223
	Fine Gael	Paschal Donohoe[*]	13.3	4,181	4,282	4,290	4,292	4,687	4,738	5,110	5,147	6,126
	Green	Neasa Hourigan	12.3	3,851	4,254	4,271	4,312	4,371	4,606	5,118	5,636	6,551
	Fianna Fáil	Mary Fitzpatrick	10.3	3,228	3,503	3,530	3,535	3,570	3,723	3,967	4,010
	Social Democrats	Gary Gannon	9.3	2,912	3,605	3,638	3,696	3,724	3,912	4,357	5,028	5,718
	Labour	Joe Costello	5.4	1,702	1,977	1,989	1,996	2,029	2,108
	Independent	Christy Burke	4.8	1,509	3,344	3,410	3,441	3,449	3,609	3,910	4,547	5,168
	Solidarity–PBP	Gillian Brien[a]	2.5	776	1,590	1,624	1,825	1,836	2,128	2,233
	Aontú	Ian Noel Smyth	1.9	583	640	730	737	737
	Fine Gael	Deirdre Duffy	1.8	570	584	589	591
	Workers' Party	Éilis Ryan	1.4	429	593	617	656	662
	Solidarity–PBP	Rita Harrold[b]	0.6	201	403	418
	Independent	Sarah Louise Mulligan	0.4	124	153
	Independent	Dolores Webster	0.3	101	153
	Independent	Patrick Clohessy	0.1	33	47
	Independent	Sean O'Leary	0.0	12	19
Electorate: 61,998   Valid: 31,435   Spoilt: 297 (0.9%)   Quota: 6,288   Turnout: 31,732 (51.2%)

1. Brien was a member of People Before Profit.
2. Harrold was a member of Solidarity.

2016 general election

2016 general election: Dublin Central^[49][50][40]

Party		Candidate	FPv%	Count
				1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11
	Sinn Féin	Mary Lou McDonald[*]	24.4	5,770	5,780	5,806	5,825	5,854	6,016
	Fine Gael	Paschal Donohoe[*]	13.6	3,226	3,228	3,231	3,276	3,393	3,405	3,480	4,478	4,481	5,127	5,447
	Fianna Fáil	Mary Fitzpatrick	10.6	2,508	2,510	2,517	2,601	2,632	2,655	2,810	2,978	2,984
	Independent	Christy Burke	10.2	2,406	2,411	2,418	2,440	2,452	2,503	2,822	3,066	3,083	3,658
	Social Democrats	Gary Gannon	9.7	2,307	2,327	2,387	2,411	2,601	2,832	3,117	3,514	3,549	3,931	4,948
	Labour	Joe Costello[*]	8.8	2,092	2,102	2,121	2,132	2,245	2,281	2,345
	Independent	Maureen O'Sullivan[*]	8.4	1,990	2,009	2,058	2,085	2,181	2,377	2,792	3,181	3,214	3,923	5,269
	Independent	Cieran Perry	5.2	1,242	1,258	1,294	1,309	1,333	1,492
	AAA–PBP	Diana O'Dwyer	3.0	721	749	830	845	909
	Green	Ian Noel Smyth	2.7	644	651	674	696
	Renua	Jacqui Gilbourne	1.4	330	339	339
	Workers' Party	Éilis Ryan	1.3	303	316
	Direct Democracy	Cormac McKay	0.3	62
	Independent	Kerry Guinan	0.2	58
	Independent	William DJ Gorman	0.1	27
Electorate: 45,747   Valid: 23,686   Spoilt: 304 (1.3%)   Quota: 5,922   Turnout: 23,990 (52.4%)

2011 general election

2011 general election: Dublin Central^[51][39]

Party		Candidate	FPv%	Count
				1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8
	Fine Gael	Paschal Donohoe	19.9	6,903	6,933
	Labour	Joe Costello[*]	18.1	6,273	6,289	6,428	6,805	7,115
	Sinn Féin	Mary Lou McDonald	13.1	4,526	4,536	4,654	5,065	5,422	5,553	6,209	6,587
	Independent	Maureen O'Sullivan[*]	12.0	4,139	4,171	4,507	4,830	5,384	5,586	7,641
	Labour	Áine Clancy	10.2	3,514	3,532	3,796	3,853	3,978	4,135
	Fianna Fáil	Mary Fitzpatrick	10.1	3,504	3,514	3,606	3,628	3,716	4,821	5,403	5,743
	Fianna Fáil	Cyprian Brady[*]	4.7	1,637	1,639	1,675	1,725	1,753
	Independent	Cieran Perry	4.0	1,394	1,426	1,532	1,615
	Independent	Christy Burke	3.8	1,315	1,323	1,393
	Green	Phil Kearney	2.0	638	703
	Workers' Party	Malachy Steenson	0.8	274	285
	Christian Solidarity	Paul O'Loughlin	0.7	235	251
	Independent	John Hyland	0.2	77
	Independent	Thomas Hollywood	0.2	65
	Fís Nua	Liam Johnston[a]	0.1	48
	Independent	Benny Cooney	0.1	25
Electorate: 56,892   Valid: 34,612   Spoilt: 457 (1.3%)   Quota: 6,923   Turnout: 35,069 (61.6%)

1. Although Fís Nua was registered as a political party on 4 February 2011, the party's name did not appear on the ballot, as the Register of Political Parties in use is that in force on 1 February, when the writ for the general election was issued.^[52]

2009 by-election

Following the death of independent TD Tony Gregory, a by-election was held on 5 June 2009. It was won by Independent candidate Maureen O'Sullivan.

2009 by-election: Dublin Central^[38]

Party		Candidate	FPv%	Count
				1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8
	Independent	Maureen O'Sullivan	26.9	7,639	7,711	7,862	8,105	8,341	9,352	11,062	13,739
	Fine Gael	Paschal Donohoe	22.7	6,439	6,461	6,488	6,578	6,737	7,412	7,880	10,198
	Labour	Ivana Bacik	17.3	4,926	4,931	5,008	5,073	5,338	5,774	6,537
	Sinn Féin	Christy Burke	13.3	3,770	3,780	3,902	3,990	4,042	4,420
	Fianna Fáil	Maurice Ahern	12.3	3,483	3,512	3,526	3,564	3,621
	Green	David Geary	2.9	819	829	849	893
	Immigration Control	Patrick Talbot	2.2	614	636	676
	Workers' Party	Malachy Steenson	1.8	519	528
	Christian Solidarity	Paul O'Loughlin	0.7	203
Electorate: 62,141   Valid: 28,412   Spoilt: 391 (1.4%)   Quota: 14,207   Turnout: 28,803 (46.3%)

2007 general election

2007 general election: Dublin Central^[37]

Party		Candidate	FPv%	Count
				1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8
	Fianna Fáil	Bertie Ahern[*]	36.8	12,734
	Independent	Tony Gregory[*]	13.4	4,649	5,453	5,622	6,062	6,799	7,385
	Labour	Joe Costello[*]	12.6	4,353	4,793	4,870	5,028	5,809	6,073	6,205	8,018
	Fine Gael	Paschal Donohoe	9.5	3,302	3,441	3,548	3,600	3,896	4,147	4,216	4,556
	Sinn Féin	Mary Lou McDonald	9.2	3,182	3,471	3,519	3,744	3,948	4,120	4,178
	Green	Patricia McKenna	5.8	1,995	2,116	2,221	2,294
	Fianna Fáil	Mary Fitzpatrick	4.9	1,725	3,087	3,236	3,330	3,447
	Independent	Cieran Perry	2.7	952	1,058	1,133
	Fianna Fáil	Cyprian Brady	2.7	939	3,342	3,510	3,554	3,616	5,608	5,764	6,348
	Christian Solidarity	Paul O'Loughlin	0.8	260	269
	Immigration Control	Patrick Talbot	0.7	239	253
	Progressive Democrats	Jerry Hannon	0.6	193	226
	Fathers Rights	Alan Beirne	0.3	116	202
Electorate: 63,423   Valid: 34,639   Spoilt: 510 (1.5%)   Quota: 6,928   Turnout: 35,149 (55.4%)

2002 general election

2002 general election: Dublin Central^[36]

Party		Candidate	FPv%	Count
				1	2	3	4	5	6	7
	Fianna Fáil	Bertie Ahern[*]	31.9	10,882
	Independent	Tony Gregory[*]	16.6	5,664	6,477	6,625	7,242
	Sinn Féin	Nicky Kehoe	14.6	4,972	5,300	5,343	5,487	5,818	6,177	6,339
	Labour	Joe Costello	12.2	4,136	4,499	4,539	5,046	7,870
	Fine Gael	Jim Mitchell[*]	11.1	3,769	3,976	4,063	4,268
	Fianna Fáil	Dermot Fitzpatrick	7.6	2,590	4,855	4,968	5,043	5,560	6,264	6,418
	Green	Tommy Simpson	4.3	1,469	1,545	1,652
	Christian Solidarity	Paul O'Loughlin	1.1	366	377
	Independent	Tom Prendeville	0.3	97	103
	Independent	Patrick O'Donnell	0.3	89	95
Electorate: 62,180   Valid: 34,034   Spoilt: 483 (1.4%)   Quota: 6,807   Turnout: 34,517 (55.5%)

1997 general election

1997 general election: Dublin Central^[35][53]

Party		Candidate	FPv%	Count
				1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
	Fianna Fáil	Bertie Ahern[*]	34.1	12,175
	Independent	Tony Gregory[*]	14.7	5,261	6,252	6,264	6,358	6,427	6,950	7,546
	Fine Gael	Jim Mitchell[*]	14.5	5,185	5,391	5,401	5,459	5,512	5,658	5,863	5,943	6,391	6,650
	Fianna Fáil	Marian McGennis	8.8	3,132	6,109	6,119	6,199	6,300	6,437	6,588	6,651	6,982	7,594
	Labour	Joe Costello[*]	8.5	3,035	3,262	3,268	3,301	3,325	3,447	3,747	3,930	4,250	5,343
	Sinn Féin	Christy Burke	6.6	2,377	2,641	2,648	2,653	2,686	2,765	2,879	2,912	3,101
	Independent	Michael Conaghan	3.7	1,343	1,412	1,415	1,420	1,440	1,567	1,638	1,676
	Green	Ciarán Cuffe	3.5	1,253	1,367	1,379	1,422	1,479	1,559
	Independent	Vincent B. Jackson	1.8	650	702	714	718	755
	Workers' Party	Linda Kavanagh	1.4	509	537	544	552	558
	Independent	Eamonn Murphy	1.2	432	454	465	495
	Independent	Kevin Devlin	0.9	307	374	374
	Independent	Aidan Walsh	0.1	43	44
	Independent	Patrick John Shelley	0.1	39	47
Electorate: 64,073   Valid: 35,741   Spoilt: 541 (1.5%)   Quota: 7,149   Turnout: 36,282 (56.6%)

1992 general election

1992 general election: Dublin Central^[34][54]

Party		Candidate	FPv%	Count
				1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
	Fianna Fáil	Bertie Ahern[*]	31.3	11,374
	Labour	Joe Costello	20.1	7,308
	Independent	Tony Gregory[*]	16.0	5,809	6,528	6,595	6,734	6,969	7,073	7,667
	Fine Gael	Jim Mitchell[*]	14.1	5,125	5,405	5,415	5,463	5,517	5,601	5,792	5,948	6,189	6,562
	Fianna Fáil	Dermot Fitzpatrick[*]	5.1	1,838	3,192	3,203	3,211	3,229	3,310	3,361	3,397	3,578	5,761
	Sinn Féin	Christy Burke	3.7	1,362	1,456	1,476	1,515	1,546	1,564	1,626	1,706
	Fianna Fáil	Olga Bennett	3.0	1,087	2,578	2,584	2,616	2,636	2,689	2,798	2,854	3,083
	Green	Patricia McKenna	2.6	927	1,000	1,008	1,065	1,183	1,283
	Independent	Niamh Nic Mhathúna	1.4	514	532	535	547	552
	Democratic Left	Mike Jennings	1.3	467	494	509	537
	Workers' Party	Linda Kavanagh	1.0	368	381	468
	Workers' Party	Des Early	0.6	221	245
Electorate: 60,391   Valid: 36,400   Spoilt: 733 (2.0%)   Quota: 7,281   Turnout: 37,133 (61.5%)

1989 general election

1989 general election: Dublin Central^[33][55]

Party		Candidate	FPv%	Count
				1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11
	Fianna Fáil	Bertie Ahern[*]	32.9	13,589
	Independent	Tony Gregory[*]	18.0	7,451
	Fine Gael	Pat Lee	12.8	5,296	5,602	5,657	5,664	5,669	5,765	6,792	7,230
	Fianna Fáil	John Stafford[*]	6.1	2,530	4,742	4,805	4,807	4,834	4,893	4,979	5,151	5,192	5,386	5,734
	Fianna Fáil	Dermot Fitzpatrick[*]	5.9	2,420	5,621	5,651	5,654	5,705	5,777	5,847	6,073	6,120	6,255	6,518
	Sinn Féin	Christy Burke	4.7	1,941	2,107	2,221	2,224	2,769	2,824	2,864	2,983	2,987	3,423
	Workers' Party	Mike Jennings	4.4	1,827	1,953	2,045	2,050	2,092	2,256	2,331	2,738	2,801
	Green	Enda Connolly	3.7	1,529	1,740	1,787	1,804	1,821	1,928	2,072
	Progressive Democrats	Geraldine Harney	3.4	1,418	1,570	1,605	1,608	1,616	1,695
	Labour	Joe Costello	3.2	1,305	1,420	1,481	1,483	1,502	2,257	2,380	2,741	2,863	4,166	5,247
	Labour	Joan Burton	3.0	1,256	1,405	1,450	1,451	1,469
	Sinn Féin	Tony O'Flaherty	1.8	729	782	799	802
	Independent	Máire Máiréad Ni Dubgaill Ni Duinn	0.1	41	50	53
Electorate: 65,971   Valid: 41,332   Spoilt: 467 (1.1%)   Quota: 6,889   Turnout: 41,799 (63.4%)

1987 general election

1987 general election: Dublin Central^[32][56][57]

Party		Candidate	FPv%	Count
				1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12
	Fianna Fáil	Bertie Ahern[*]	28.7	13,635
	Independent	Tony Gregory[*]	16.3	7,721	8,204
	Progressive Democrats	Michael Keating[*]	13.4	6,361	6,571	6,621	6,639	6,722	6,919	7,126	7,438	8,122
	Fianna Fáil	John Stafford	8.4	3,966	5,703	5,796	5,800	5,818	5,862	5,878	6,083	6,542	6,578	6,625	7,473
	Fine Gael	Pat Lee	5.6	2,643	2,701	2,712	2,716	2,741	2,817	3,285	3,422	3,617	3,703	6,194	6,484
	Sinn Féin	Christy Burke	5.3	2,501	2,670	2,709	2,715	2,726	2,861	2,876	3,371	3,477	3,486	3,579
	Fianna Fáil	Dermot Fitzpatrick	5.0	2,392	5,109	5,155	5,159	5,168	5,215	5,240	5,401	5,857	5,886	5,983	6,562
	Fine Gael	Luke Belton	4.3	2,034	2,100	2,104	2,110	2,121	2,174	2,740	2,813	2,990	3,042
	Independent	Alice Glenn[*]	4.1	1,951	2,099	2,111	2,119	2,136	2,207	2,238	2,366
	Workers' Party	Michael Jennings	3.1	1,463	1,507	1,528	1,545	1,593	2,022	2,041
	Fine Gael	Shane Byrne	2.7	1,296	1,321	1,325	1,326	1,344	1,384
	Labour	Joe Costello	1.6	767	812	819	825	1,236
	Labour	Mary Freehill	1.3	632	653	658	673
	Independent	Barbara Hyland	0.2	94	96	98
Electorate: 74,679   Valid: 47,456   Quota: 7,910   Turnout: 63.5%

1983 by-election

Following the death of Fianna Fáil TD George Colley, a by-election was held on 23 November 1983. It was won by Fianna Fáil candidate Tom Leonard.

1983 by-election: Dublin Central^[31][57]

Party		Candidate	FPv%	Count
				1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8
	Fianna Fáil	Tom Leonard	46.6	15,236	15,240	15,273	15,289	15,343	15,449	15,795	16,439
	Fine Gael	Mary Banotti	22.5	7,362	7,373	7,400	7,411	7,504	7,668	8,446	8,623
	Workers' Party	Michael White	13.3	4,342	4,358	4,373	4,472	4,594	4,743	5,274	6,284
	Sinn Féin	Christy Burke	7.1	2,304	2,307	2,313	2,373	2,407	2,444	2,566
	Labour	Jimmy Somers	6.0	1,966	1,970	1,977	1,997	2,044	2,122
	Independent	Leo Armstrong	1.8	574	580	602	608	700
	Independent	Anthony Ryan	1.4	458	468	487	503
	Communist	Edward Glackin	0.7	243	244	247
	Independent	William Foley	0.5	147	153
	Independent	Jim Tallon	0.2	72
Electorate: 70,403   Valid: 32,704   Quota: 16,353   Turnout: 46.5%

November 1982 general election

November 1982 general election: Dublin Central^[30][58][59]

Party		Candidate	FPv%	Count
				1	2	3	4	5	6	7
	Fianna Fáil	Bertie Ahern[*]	23.7	10,542
	Fine Gael	Michael Keating[*]	17.9	7,945
	Independent	Tony Gregory[*][a]	14.0	6,237	6,431	6,465	6,471	7,462
	Fianna Fáil	George Colley[*]	12.6	5,622	7,495
	Fine Gael	Alice Glenn	8.4	3,723	3,788	4,060	4,062	4,153	6,591	7,104
	Labour	Jimmy Somers	7.5	3,337	3,381	3,405	3,406	4,189	4,417	4,763
	Fine Gael	John Colgan	5.7	2,513	2,612	2,802	2,803	2,868
	Fianna Fáil	Tom Leonard	5.4	2,396	3,220	3,226	3,298	3,439	3,532
	Workers' Party	Michael White	4.9	2,161	2,191	2,197	2,197
Electorate: 75,644   Valid: 44,476   Quota: 7,413   Turnout: 58.8%

1. Appeared on the ballot as Tony Gregory-Independent.

February 1982 general election

February 1982 general election: Dublin Central^[29][60]

Party		Candidate	FPv%	Count
				1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
	Fianna Fáil	Bertie Ahern[*]	18.7	8,570
	Fine Gael	Michael Keating[*]	17.5	8,000
	Fianna Fáil	George Colley[*]	16.5	7,542	8,174
	Labour	Michael O'Leary[*]	11.0	5,042	5,063	5,137	5,151	5,183	5,210	5,320	5,715	6,012	6,511
	Independent	Tony Gregory[a]	10.3	4,703	4,730	4,752	4,768	4,815	4,861	5,414	6,458	6,555	7,737
	Fine Gael	Alice Glenn[*]	6.5	2,971	2,991	3,164	3,168	3,180	3,193	3,239	3,337	5,061	5,412
	Fianna Fáil	Tom Leonard	6.5	2,990	3,131	3,137	3,551	3,558	4,113	4,276	4,485	4,525
	Fine Gael	Luke Belton	4.4	2,023	2,046	2,138	2,140	2,147	2,162	2,187	2,246
	Sinn Féin The Workers' Party	Michael White	3.7	1,672	1,678	1,681	1,684	1,710	1,740	2,084
	Sinn Féin	Christy Burke	3.2	1,458	1,472	1,475	1,479	1,485	1,505
	Fianna Fáil	Michael Ward	1.3	611	670	672	764	776
	Independent	Leo Martin	0.4	160	163	164	165
Electorate: 74,713   Valid: 45,742   Spoilt: 438 (0.9%)   Quota: 7,624   Turnout: 46,180 (61.8%)

1. Appeared on the ballot as Tony Gregory-Community.

1981 general election

1981 general election: Dublin Central^[28][61]

Party		Candidate	FPv%	Count
				1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
	Fianna Fáil	Bertie Ahern[*]	18.8	8,738
	Fine Gael	Michael Keating[*]	17.7	8,250
	Fianna Fáil	George Colley[*]	17.2	8,011
	Labour	Michael O'Leary[*]	10.2	4,737	4,785	4,871	4,886	5,624	6,164	8,049
	Fianna Fáil	Tom Leonard[*]	7.0	3,271	4,042	4,052	4,268	4,348	4,500	4,674	4,709	4,798	5,856
	Independent	Tony Gregory[a]	6.8	3,151	3,199	3,219	3,228	3,286	3,859	4,120	4,220	4,407
	Fine Gael	Luke Belton[*]	5.6	2,621	2,661	2,817	2,821	2,843	2,901	3,001	3,048
	Fine Gael	Alice Glenn	5.5	2,538	2,572	2,770	2,774	2,824	2,894	3,105	3,217	5,710	7,162
	Labour	Patrick Carroll	4.4	2,062	2,083	2,095	2,098	2,415	2,770
	Sinn Féin The Workers' Party	Michael White	3.9	1,803	1,815	1,822	1,825	1,891
	Labour	Jimmy Somers	2.9	1,347	1,356	1,362	1,364
Electorate: 74,713   Valid: 46,529   Quota: 7,755   Turnout: 62.3%

1. Appeared on the ballot as Tony Gregory-Community.

1973 general election

1973 general election: Dublin Central^[27][62]

Party		Candidate	FPv%	Count
				1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9
	Fianna Fáil	Vivion de Valera[*]	21.3	6,491
	Fine Gael	Maurice E. Dockrell[*]	14.2	4,308	4,317	4,325	4,412	4,973	5,091	5,234	6,017	6,123
	Labour	Frank Cluskey[*]	12.7	3,864	3,870	3,977	4,176	4,373	5,461	7,575
	Fianna Fáil	Thomas J. Fitzpatrick[*]	12.5	3,807	4,097	4,111	4,224	4,282	4,336	4,366	4,402	7,269
	Fianna Fáil	Tom Leonard	10.6	3,221	3,291	3,311	3,369	3,426	3,483	3,504	3,540
	Fine Gael	Alexis FitzGerald	7.2	2,198	2,216	2,223	2,298	3,105	3,237	3,373	3,792	3,992
	Fine Gael	Michael Keating	5.9	1,796	1,799	1,809	1,849
	Labour	Griff Cashman	5.8	1,763	1,764	1,852	2,055	2,119	2,542
	Labour	James Mooney	5.4	1,644	1,647	1,751	1,854	1,942
	Independent	Gerard Brady	2.9	876	879	960
	Independent	Michael O'Riordan	1.5	466	467
Electorate: 46,775   Valid: 30,434   Quota: 6,087   Turnout: 65.1%

1969 general election

1969 general election: Dublin Central^[63][64]

Party		Candidate	FPv%	Count
				1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12
	Fianna Fáil	Vivion de Valera[*]	22.9	7,493
	Labour	Frank Cluskey[*]	16.5	5,413	5,427	5,479	5,500	5,885	5,929	6,200	7,509
	Fine Gael	Maurice E. Dockrell[*]	13.3	4,364	4,384	4,387	4,611	4,636	5,168	5,305	5,372	5,420	6,947
	Fianna Fáil	Tom Fitzpatrick[*]	8.0	2,619	3,281	3,287	3,299	3,316	3,351	3,511	3,537	3,543	3,608	4,078	6,149
	Fianna Fáil	Tom Leonard	6.5	2,142	2,310	2,319	2,338	2,359	2,405	2,699	2,725	2,736	2,806	3,028
	Labour	Jim Mooney	5.2	1,714	1,720	1,767	1,782	2,038	2,054	2,181	2,481	3,333	3,437	3,996	4,179
	Independent	Gerard Brady	5.2	1,707	1,725	1,743	1,761	1,792	1,833	2,106	2,163	2,188	2,317
	Labour	Griff Cashman	4.8	1,574	1,578	1,615	1,621	1,763	1,789	1,872
	Independent	Frank Sherwin	4.4	1,456	1,477	1,494	1,504	1,531	1,606
	Fine Gael	Willie Naughton	4.3	1,404	1,410	1,418	1,617	1,628	2,028	2,140	2,159	2,168
	Fine Gael	John Nealon	3.5	1,151	1,154	1,162	1,238	1,246
	Labour	Jim Downey	2.7	895	903	931	939
	Fine Gael	Peter Keating	1.9	612	616	617
	Irish Worker League	Sam Nolan	0.7	242	243
Electorate: 48,761   Valid: 32,786   Quota: 6,558   Turnout: 67.2%

See also

• Elections in the Republic of Ireland
• Politics of the Republic of Ireland
• List of Dáil by-elections
• List of political parties in the Republic of Ireland