Galway East constituency profile
With a date expected to be set for the general election sometime on Thursday or Friday (7/8 November), here is everything you need to know about the Galway East constituency.
A 3-seater since 2016, Galway East is set to gain a seat and become a 4-seater constituency. This comes after part of the Roscommon-Galway constituency is set to be added to it. The change has meant that Michael Fitzmaurice – Independent Ireland TD for Roscommon-Galway – is considering a move to the Galway East constituency.
At the time of writing, Independent Ireland have not as of yet selected candidates for either Roscommon-Galway or Galway East. However, a party spokesperson confirmed to Galway Pulse that the candidates should be known very soon: “We are still announcing our candidates and all candidate selections and constituencies will be finalised in the week to come.”
Galway East represents a large amount of rural Galway, including the towns of Tuam, Athenry, Headford, and Loughrea. The redraw brings the areas of Mountbellew, Dunmore, and Glennamaddey, among others, out of Roscommon-Galway and into Galway East.
The current TDs are Seán Canney (Independent), Anne Rabbitte (Fianna Fáil), and Ciarán Cannon (Fine Gael). Cannon is the only retiring incumbent, with Rabbitte and Canney both seeking to be re-elected.
In the hopes of retaining the seat vacated by Cannon, as well as winning more, Fine Gael are running three candidates. These are Cllr. Peter Roche, Cllr. Clodagh Higgins, and Niamh Madden. Fianna Fáil have selected just two candidates; incumbent TD Anne Rabbitte and Councillor Albert Dolan.
Galway East has been a relatively predictable constituency since its establishment in its current form in 1977. Since then, there have only been three TDs not from Fine Gael or Fianna Fáil, two independents and one Labour.
Even the Labour TD, Colm Keaveney, left his party and joined Fianna Fáil just over two years after his election in 2011. Keaveney subsequently lost his seat at the 2016 election when he ran as a Fianna Fáil candidate.
In 2020, Sinn Féin lost out on a seat by just 337 votes. They will be hoping that the additional seat could see their candidate elected. The party are running the same candidate as last time, Councillor Louis O’Hara.
Looking at Galway East now, the most likely outcome is probably re-election for Anne Rabbitte and Seán Canney, and a seat for Fine Gael among their slate of candidates. The last seat could be a tight race, but is likely to be a battle between Sinn Féin, a second Fine Gael, or second Fianna Fáil seat.
However, everything could change in the course of the campaign, as we know that since the turn of the century voters have made up their minds closer and closer to polling day.
Additionally, Michael Fitzmaurice’s potential move to the constituency would make things more interesting. He has a considerable base in the constituency following the redraw, and would likely take votes away from a range of the other candidates.
The other candidates currently declared for the constituency are Conor Burke (Solidarity-People Before Profit), Eoin Madden (Green Party), Paul Madden (Independent), David Irish Chariot O’Reilly (The Irish People), and Luke Silke (Aontú).
The Labour Party and the Social Democrats have not, at the time of writing, selected any candidates. It is also possible that Fianna Fáil, with two candidates announced, and Sinn Féin, with one candidate announced, will add more to their respective party tickets.
Further information on candidates for Galway East and beyond can be found here.
November 7 Update: Michael Fitzmaurice TD is set to remain in his constituency of Roscommon-Galway. Independent Ireland have not yet announced a candidate for Galway East.
November 8 Update: Independent Ireland Cllr. Declan Geraghty has been selected as the parties candidate for Galway East.
