BIG READ: All you need to know ahead of the 2024 Carlow Local Elections

With the upcoming Carlow Local Elections due to take place on June 7, we're going to look back at the last Carlow Local Election which took place in 2019 and look forward to the upcoming election.

The vote as previously mentioned, took place in May 2019, had Carlow split into three different Local Electoral Areas (LEA).

The LEAs in Carlow are as follows:

The Carlow LEA - which encompasses Carlow Town and surrounding areas and also part of Graiguecullen.

The Tullow LEA - which of course includes Tullow, and a number of surrounding areas such as Rathvilly, Ballon, Myshall, Hacketstown, and mainly the east region of county Carlow.

And finally then the Muinebheag LEA (Bagenalstown), this covers local areas in the west and south of county Carlow including places like Borris, Leighlinbridge, Nurney, Fenagh and a number of others.

It is important to check your own Local Electoral Area before the polls open on June 7, so you know which candidates you can and cannot vote and also gives you a chance to do research into the candidates in your local area that care about the same issues that you do.

You can see which candidates are in your local area by clicking here.

In the 2019 Local Election 18 seats in the Carlow area were up for grabs. With 7 going to the Carlow LEA, 5 going to the Tullow LEA and 6 going for the Muinebheag LEA. It will be the same numbers for the upcoming 2024 elections.

In the 2019 election the local Carlow was made up of Fianna Fail with 6 seats (3 in the Carlow LEA, 1 in Tullow LEA, and 2 in the Muinebheag LEA). Fine Gael also with 6 seats (2 in Carlow LEA, 2 in Tullow LEA, and 2 in Muniebheag LEA). Labour was the next highest with 2 seats. (1 in Tullow LEA, and 1 in Muinebheag). Sinn Féin and People Before Profit had 1 seat a piece (Sinn Fein in Tullow LEA and PBP in Carlow LEA). With the remaining two seats on the Carlow Council going to Independent candidates (1 in the Carlow LEA and 1 in the Muinebheag LEA).

And with that the 2019 Carlow County Council was formed and has been serving up to this point in the Carlow County Council till the new council is elected.

The 2019 Council (split in Local Electoral Area) :

Carlow Local Electoral Area:

Fintan Phelan - Fianna Fail 23.26% share of the votes.

Andrea Dalton - Fianna Fail 14.76%

Fergal Browne - Fine Gael 12.10%

Ken Murnane Fianna Fail 10.78%

Tom O'Neil Fine Gael 7.33%

John Cassin Independent 7.16%

Adrianne Wallace People Before Profit 6.09%

Muinebheag Local Electoral Area:

Tommy Kinsella Fine Gael 23.06%

Andrew Gladney Sinn Fein 14.48%

Willie Quinn Labour 14.02%

Michael Doran 12.32%

Arthur McDonald 12.17%

Tullow Local Electoral Area:

John Pender Fianna Fail 20.01% 

Charlie Murphy Independent 19.32%

Brian O'Donoghue 19.32%

William Paton Labour (now Independent) 10.82%

John Murphy Fine Gael 9.65%

John McDonald 5.95%

In the 2019 election, Cllr Adrianne Wallace became the first People Before Profit Candidate to be elected to the Carlow County Council.

Fianna Fail led the share of first preference voters with 33.5%, with Fine Gael just behind them on 31.3%

In the 2024 County Carlow Local Elections there will be four new parties running in the election in Carlow. Those consist of Independent Ireland, Irish Freedom Party, The Irish People, and the National Party.

For a full in depth list of the candidates that running in the upcoming election in Carlow, you can click the link here to see them and their local electoral areas.

The only current member of Carlow County Council that will not be running for a seat in the 2024 council is Councillor John Murphy.

Cllr Murphy - who is retiring - served on Carlow County Council for three terms in three different electoral areas of Carlow being first elected to Borris Council in 2009, the Muniebheag in 2014, and then finally in Tullow in 2019.

A number of big issues are making themselves clear that candidates for the Carlow Local Election will be pursuing.

One big issue that is of concern to politicians and Carlow locals is the lack of women's refuge here in Carlow and it is something that has been in the works in the Town for a long time but still needs more work to get over the line.

Similarly to most of the country, the housing crisis has hit Carlow Town and surrounding areas in a big way. With people being priced out of renting properties across the county. Carlow has an ever growing population, part of the reason is the South East Technical University located in Carlow. Fairly priced and good living conditions for locals and students alike need to be taken care of as the Carlow housing market prices are simply unsustainable for the average person.

Carlow also has a large rural and farming population so these issues need to be looked at by voters. A Carlow County Council meeting was protested earlier in the year by the Irish Farmers Association (IFA). Farming, which makes up such a large part of the not only the Irish economy but also the Carlow needs to be looked at and the local elected politicians need to be in touch with the Carlow farmers.

Of course in recent months, akin to protests all across Ireland, Carlow has had its fair share of protests over asylum seekers in the county which could be a big point of contention in the upcoming elections.

With all that being said, make sure you check where your local polling station is, be informed on the issues important to you, and research the candidates that align with your beliefs.