Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
MINISTER FOR HOUSING and Local Government Darragh O’Brien and Minister of State for Electoral Reform Malcolm Noonan have today welcomed the establishment of An Coimisiún Toghcháin (the Electoral Commission) ahead of next year’s local elections.
The commission will take on a range of existing electoral functions, including explaining to the public the subject matter of referendums and reviewing Dáil Éireann and European Parliament constituencies as well as local electoral area boundaries.
Both Ministers have also welcomed the appointment of Supreme Court judge Marie Baker to the role of commission’s Chairperson.
Her appointment to the role of Chairperson completes the commission’s seven-person membership, following the appointment of four ordinary members in December.
The Clerk of the Dáil and the Ombudsman will sit as ex officio members of the commission.
O’Brien said:
“I urge the public to engage with the important, upcoming work of the Commission in protecting and modernising our electoral landscape.”
“An Coimisiún Toghcháin is independent of Government, reporting directly to the Oireachtas and will be central to the administration, development and protection of our democratic processes and institutions.”
He added that the commission will oversee the preparation and maintenance of the Register of Political Parties.
“It will also carry out a number of new functions including research on electoral policy, the regulation of online political advertising and protecting the integrity of elections,” he concluded.
The Electoral Reform Bill 2022 paved the way for the commission’s creation, allowing it to take over the work of the Referendum Commission, Constituency Commission and the Local Electoral Area Boundary Committees.
The Bill also allows for the expansion of the number of TDs within the Dáil due to Ireland’s growing population.
The bill allows for the number of TDs to increase to at least 169 TDs and up to a maximum of 179 TDs.
Preliminary data from the 2022 Census shows that the Dáil will require at least 11 new TDs, as Ireland’s population is now at 5,123,536 people, the highest figure since 1841.
This will lead to an increase in the number of TDs who are elected to the 39 constituencies, due to the Constitution requiring one TD for every 20,000 to 30,000 people.
The commission may be involved in increasing the number of TDs in some 3 and 4-seater constituencies, or creating new constituencies entirely.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
That’s a shame to hear. I used to love reading Montague’s poetry for the Leaving Cert and sure enough he showed when I needed him on the big day. A dolmen round my childhood. R.I.P.
The light, tarred skin
of the currach rides
and receives the current,
rolls and responds to
the harsh sea swell.
Inside the wooden ribs
a slithering frenzy; a sheen
of black-barred silver-
green and flailing mackerel:
the iridescent hoop
of a gasping sea trout.
As a fish gleams most
fiercely before it dies,
so the scales of the sea-hag
shine with a hectic
putrescent glitter:
luminous, bleached—
white water—
that light in the narrows
before a storm breaks. ………RIP John Montague
Hey diddle diddle The cat did a piddle, All over the kitchen mat, The little dog laughed to see such fun, And piddled all over the cat.
@michael o’brien
“The disappointed cat / Reflected in the glass / Reflects on where it’s at / And that it shall not pass.” I made up that one last week when the cat was trying to get out the kitchen window and I closed it in time. Suppose Poet’s Corner’s safe from us both Michael. RIP Mr Montague filíocht mór. Ar dheish Dé go raibh a anam.
@john o Driscoll,I like your poem John,I always liked poems that rhymed.No harm havin a bit of a sense of humour.
The rhymes the thing for many Michael. And a sense of humour carries us a long way past where we’d otherwise give up always. But beat and rhythm, imagery and sense don’t necessarily need to rhyme though they should always scan imo. Was thinking as I wrote that how the real cat in the kitchen appeared also to be outside on the window ledge at the same time (it being dark outside as in Country dark) as he gazed at his reflection, a photon cat observing a molecular cat or vice Versa.
And thought of calling the insta-ditty “An answer to Schrodinger” but immediately thought it pseud and overly clever-clogs and reading this haven’t changed opinion. That’s why great poets like Montague are great; regardless of rhyme or the absence there of. Their poetry is real, not pretentious or forced. It blows the heart wide open with apols to Mr Heaney.
I always found poetry difficult, until I discovered JOHN Montegue….you Sir, deciphered poetry for me, where others shrouded it in obscure meaning. For that, I THANK YOU. May you Rest In Peace.
have your say