The Electoral Commission published its long-awaited constituency review this morning (Wednesday), which will see the electoral areas of North Roscommon returned to the Roscommon Galway constituency.
The review also recommends an increase in the number of TDs by 14, meaning that there will be 174 seats in the next Dáil.
In 2016, parts of Galway East and North East were added to Roscommon Galway while the area around Boyle in the north of the county was ceded to the Sligo-Leitrim constituency.
This latest review will see a reversal of the North Roscommon ceding while 32 of 48 electoral areas in Galway will be returned to Galway East. 16 electoral areas in Galway will however remain in the constituency.
The proposed change was welcomed by sitting Fine Gael TD Frank Feighan, who tweeted on Wednesday: “I welcome the new constituency of Sligo-Leitrim-South Donegal. As a TD who lives in Sligo Town and has offices in Sligo, Leitrim and Donegal, I intend to run in the next General Election”.
It remains to be seen, of course, how the loss of 32 electoral areas in East Galway will affect Independent TD Michael Fitzmaurice and Fine Gael hopeful Senator Aisling Dolan, who is based in Ballinasloe.
Meanwhile, the return of the area around Boyle will most likely benefit the likes of Sinn Féin TD Claire Kerrane as well as former Fianna Fáil TD Eugene Murphy, who previously expressed his intention to contest the next General Election.
Tweeting on Wednesday, Senator Murphy welcomed the transfer of northern Roscommon electoral areas back to Roscommon Galway.
