Kildare South (Dáil constituency)

Kildare South is a parliamentary constituency represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas. The constituency elects 4 deputies (Teachtaí Dála, commonly known as TDs) on the electoral system of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote (PR-STV).

History and boundaries
The constituency was first used at the 1997 general election, when the former 5-seat Kildare constituency was divided into Kildare South and Kildare North.

The Kildare South constituency spans the more rural southern and western areas of County Kildare, taking in the towns of Newbridge, Kildare, Athy, Caragh and many other areas. At the 2020 general election, it gained an extra seat to become a 4-seat constituency.

The Electoral (Amendment) (Dáil Constituencies) Act 2017 defines the constituency as:

The Constituency Review Report 2023 of the Electoral Commission recommended that at the next general election, the boundary of Kildare South be altered with the transfer of territory to Kildare North, Laois and Offaly.

For the next general election, the Electoral (Amendment) Act 2023 defines the constituency as:

2020 general election
Seán Ó Fearghaíl was Ceann Comhairle at the dissolution of the 32nd Dáil and therefore deemed to be returned automatically. The constituency was treated as a three-seater for the purposes of calculating the quota.