Adrian Kavanagh, First posted: 12th December 2024 – Latest update: Thursday 26th March 2026

The 2024 Local Elections resulted in the election of 949 City and County Councillors. Since that election took place on 7th June 2024, I have estimated that at least 80 of the successful candidates in these elections (8.43% of the total number) have either stood down, been “promoted”, or have sadly passed away. 

Moreover, at least four of the new Councillors co-opted to replace these Councillors have themselves resigned from their new role/were promoted to national politics, bringing the total number of City/County Councillors who have either stood down, been “promoted”, or have sadly passed away, up to 84 (8.85% of the total number).

60 of the former Councillors in this group are male (71.4%) and 24 are female (28.6%).

46 (56.1%) of the co-options/new Councillors are male, while 36 are female (43.9%). 14 of the co-options (17.1%) have involved family members of the Councillors who are being replaced.

This means that the total number of female City and County Councillors has increased relative to the number of female candidates elected at the June 2024 elections; initially going from 247 (26.03% of total number of Councillors elected at the 2024 Local Elections) to 255 (26.93% of the total number of City/County Councillors, following the co-options made immediately after the general election). Following the election/nomination of six female Councillors to Seanad Éireann and subsequent co-options to fill vacancies caused by Seanad elections/nominations, the number currently stands at 259 (27.35% of the total number of City/County Councillors, at this point).

In the year immediately following the 2024 County and City Council elections, most of the people in this group of former Councillors would have been people who were “promoted” to take up positions in Dáil or Seanad Éireann. In all, 71 of the former Councillors (84.5% of the former Councillors grouping) fall into this group of Councillors who were subsequently “promoted” to national office – 53 (including one co-opted Councillor) were elected to Dáil Éireann and 18 were elected, or nominated, to Seanad Éireann. So, former County and City Councillors, who were elected in June 2024, currently account for 30.5% of all the seats in Dáil Éireann and 30.0% of all the seats in Seanad Éireann.

In addition to the series of co-options, as outlined/discussed above, there has also been some changes in political party/grouping affiliations involving Councillors who were elected in June 2024. I estimate that, at present, at least 15 Councillors (1.58% of the total) would fall into this category (9 male – 1.14% of the male councillors elected in June 2024, 6 female – 2.65% of the female councillors elected in June 2024).

One of the main impacts of these changes of Councillor political affiliations has been to change the number of City or County Council members associated with different political parties or groupings. As of now, I estimate that the number of City or County Council seats held by different political parties or groupings stands are as follows: Fine Gael 247, Fianna Fáil 246, Independents/Non Party 197, Sinn Féin 99, Labour Party 55, Social Democrats 32, Green Party 23, Independent Ireland 22, Solidarity-People Before Profit 12 (People Before Profit 9, Solidarity 3), Aontú 8, 100% Redress Party 4, Right to Change 1, Independents 4 Change 1, National Party 1, Kerry Independent Alliance 1.