Neil Terence Columba Blaney was an Irish politician. He was first elected to Dáil Éireann in 1948 as a Fianna Fáil Teachta Dála (TD) representing Donegal East. A high-profile member of the party, Blaney served as a government minister several times; he was Minister for Posts and Telegraphs (1957), Minister for Local Government (1957–1966) and Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries (1966–1970). In 1970 Blaney's career was radically altered when, alongside Charles Haughey, he was involved in the Arms Crisis and stood accused of clandestinely arranging to provide weapons to the newly-emergent Provisional Irish Republican Army. Although later acquitted of wrongdoing in an Irish court, Blaney's involvement in the crisis saw him stripped of his ministries and eventually forced his expulsion from Fianna Fáil. A dogged political campaigner, Blaney managed to retain his seat in Donegal and remained a TD for another two decades, running under the banner of "Independent Fianna Fáil". In addition to being a TD, Blaney also entered into European politics, becoming a member of the European Parliament in 1979. Blaney was a holder of both offices when he died in 1995. Entering the Dáil as its youngest member, he left it as the oldest member.
Donegal North-East was a parliamentary constituency represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas, from 1961 to 1977 and from 1981 to 2016. The constituency elected 3 deputies. The method of election was proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote (PR-STV).
Patricia McKenna is an Irish independent and former Green Party politician. She served as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for the Dublin constituency from 1994 to 2004. She is a practising barrister having been called to the Bar in 2016.
Niall Blaney is an Irish politician who has been a senator for the Agricultural Panel of Seanad Éireann since April 2020.
Independent Fianna Fáil (IFF), sometimes called the Independent Fianna Fáil Republican Party, was a splinter republican party in the Republic of Ireland created by Neil Blaney after his expulsion from Fianna Fáil following the Irish Arms Crisis (1969–1970). The party ceased to exist on 26 July 2006. It was never an officially registered political party: Niall Blaney said in 2003 "I am an Independent and a member of an organisation known locally as Independent Fianna Fáil". Its candidates were listed on ballot papers without a party label, or the use of the "Non-party" label available to independents. However, the Oireachtas members' database lists Independent Fianna Fáil members separately.
Aontacht Éireann was an Irish political party founded by Kevin Boland, a former Fianna Fáil government minister and advocate of Irish republicanism. The party mainly operated within the Republic of Ireland.
The 2011 Irish general election took place on Friday 25 February to elect 166 Teachtaí Dála across 43 constituencies to Dáil Éireann, the lower house of Ireland's parliament, the Oireachtas. The Dáil was dissolved and the general election called by President Mary McAleese on 1 February, at the request of Taoiseach Brian Cowen. The 31st Dáil met on 9 March 2011 to nominate a Taoiseach and approve the new ministers of the 29th government of Ireland, a Fine Gael and Labour Party coalition government with a majority of 58.
Luke 'Ming' Flanagan is an Irish politician who has been a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from Ireland for the Midlands–North-West constituency since 2014. He is an independent, but sits in parliament with The Left in the European Parliament.
The 2014 European Parliament election in Ireland was the Irish component of the 2014 European Parliament election and was held on Friday, 23 May 2014, on the same day as the 2014 local elections and two by-elections. The election was conducted under the single transferable vote. Counting of the votes began on Sunday, 25 May and continued until Tuesday, 27 May.
The 2016 Irish general election to the 32nd Dáil was held on Friday 26 February, following the dissolution of the 31st Dáil by President Michael D. Higgins on 3 February, at the request of Taoiseach Enda Kenny. The general election took place in 40 Dáil constituencies throughout Ireland to elect to elect 158 Teachtaí Dála to Dáil Éireann, the house of representatives of the Oireachtas. There was a reduction of eight seats under the Electoral (Amendment) Act 2013. Fine Gael were returned to government as a minority administration.
The 31st Dáil was elected at the 2011 general election on 25 February 2011 and first met at midday on 9 March 2011 in Leinster House. The members of Dáil Éireann, the house of representatives of the Oireachtas (legislature) of Ireland, are known as TDs. It sat with the 24th Seanad as the two Houses of the Oireachtas.
Fís Nua is a minor environmentalist political party in Ireland.
Thomas Pringle is an Irish independent politician who served as a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Donegal constituency from 2016 to 2024, and previously from 2011 to 2016 for the Donegal South-West constituency.
Charles McConalogue is an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who has served as Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine since September 2020. He has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Donegal constituency since the 2016 general election, and previously from 2011 to 2016 for the Donegal North-East constituency. He previously served as Minister of State for Law Reform from July 2020 to September 2020.
Barry Cowen is an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who has been a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from Ireland for the Midlands–North-West constituency since July 2024. He previously served as a Teachta Dála (TD) representing Laois–Offaly from 2011 to 2016, Offaly from 2016 to 2020, and Laois–Offaly again from 2020 to 2024. He served as Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine from June to July 2020.
A by-election was held in the Dáil Éireann Dublin West constituency in Ireland on Thursday 27 October 2011, following the death of Fianna Fáil Teachta Dála (TD) and former Minister for Finance Brian Lenihan Jnr on 10 June 2011. The 2011 Irish presidential election and two constitutional referendums were held on the same day.
The Centre Party of Ireland, formerly Renua, is a fringe political party in Ireland. The party was launched on 13 March 2015, with former Fine Gael TD Lucinda Creighton as founding leader. Prior to its launch it had used the slogan Reboot Ireland. The name Renua was intended to suggest both the English Renew and the Irish Ré Nua "New Era". The party changed its name to the Centre Party of Ireland in 2023.
Lisa Chambers is an Irish Fianna Fáil politician and barrister who has served as a senator in Seanad Éireann since 2020 and as leader of the Seanad since December 2022. She previously served on Mayo County Council from 2014 to 2016 and as a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Mayo constituency from 2016 to 2020. She contested the 2024 European Parliament election as one of three Fianna Fáil candidates in the Midlands–North-West constituency, but did not win a seat.
Local elections were held in Northern Ireland on Thursday 2 May 2019. The last elections were held in 2014. 819 candidates contested 462 seats across Northern Ireland's 11 local government districts. 1,305,384 people aged 18 and over were eligible to vote, and 52.7% of the electorate turned out.
Independent politicians contest elections without the support of a political party. They have played a continuous role in the politics of the Republic of Ireland since its independence in 1922.
