In the Republic of Ireland Counties of Ireland

by-elections

in republic of ireland traditional counties are, in general, basis local government, planning , community development purposes, governed county councils , still respected other purposes. administrative borders have been altered allocate various towns (e.g. bray) exclusively 1 county having been split between 2 counties.

there 26 county councils, 3 city councils , 2 city , county councils – total of 31 local government entities.

county tipperary split north , south ridings in 1838. these ridings established separate administrative counties under local government (ireland) act, 1898.

county dublin abolished administrative county in 1994, while remaining point of reference purposes other local government. territory divided 3 administrative counties: dún laoghaire–rathdown, fingal, , south dublin. county borough of dublin, county boroughs of cork, galway, limerick , waterford, re-styled city councils under local government act 2001, same status in law county councils.

the city councils of limerick , waterford merged respective county councils local government reform act 2014, form new city , county councils. anomalously, city of kilkenny not have city council borough not county borough. administered eponymous county council is, exceptionally, permitted retain style of city ornament only. also, 2014 act abolished north tipperary , south tipperary, , re-established county tipperary.

these 31 county-level entities correspond first level of local administrative unit eu , eurostat purposes. second level of local administrative unit (lau) district electoral division. of administrative structures established under 1898 local government act, type have been abolished rural district, rendered void in years of irish free state amidst widespread allegations of corruption. @ level above of lau region clusters counties nuts purposes. regions administered regional authorities established local government act 1991 , came existence in 1994.

education

in 2013 education , training boards (etbs) formed throughout republic of ireland, replacing system of vocational education committees (vecs) created in 1930. originally, vecs formed each administrative county , county borough, , in number of larger towns. in 1997 majority of town vecs absorbed surrounding county. 33 vec areas reduced 16 etb areas, each consisting of 1 or more local government county or city.

the institute of technology system organised on committee areas or functional areas , these still remain legal not important envisioned institutes more national in character , applied today when selecting governing councils, dublin institute of technology group of several colleges of city of dublin committee.

elections

where possible, parliamentary constituencies in republic of ireland follow county boundaries. under electoral act 1997 constituency commission established following publication of census figures every 5 years. commission charged defining constituency boundaries, , 1997 act provides breaching of county boundaries shall avoided far practicable. provision not apply boundaries between cities , counties, or between 3 counties in dublin area.

this system results in more populated counties having several constituencies: dublin, including dublin city, subdivided twelve constituencies, cork five. on other hand, smaller counties such carlow , kilkenny or laois , offaly may paired form constituencies. extreme case splitting of ireland s least populated county of leitrim between constituencies of sligo–north leitrim , roscommon–south leitrim.

each county or city divided local electoral areas election of councillors. boundaries of areas , number of councillors assigned fixed time time order of minister environment, community , local government, following report local government commission, , based on population changes recorded in census.