Louth has only ever elected one woman out of the 26 TDs who have represented the constituency in the Dáil since the foundation of the State. 

Sinn Fein’s Imelda Munster was the first ever woman elected to the Dáil to represent the Louth Constituency. In the 2016 general election  Imelda received 8,829 first preference votes and was re-elected in 2020 topping the poll with 17,203 first preference votes, the highest vote ever recorded by any candidate in the Louth Constituency.

This time around there are more women candidates running in Louth than in any previous General Election, with six women among the 24 candidates. They are: Marianne Butler (Green Party), Paula Butterly (Fine Gael), Joanna Byrne (Sinne Féin), Alison Comyn (Fianna Fáil), Erin McGreehan (Fianna Fáil) and Tracy Marie O'Hanlon (Non Party).

“Voters in the Louth constituency have an opportunity on Friday to rectify this multi-generation gender imbalance in Dáil representation. With six women candidates running for the five seats, the 2024 contest holds the possibility of greater gender equality in Louth’s political landscape”, said Brian Sheehan, CEO of Women for Election.

“Conversely, a reduction in the gender diversity of Louth's TDs would move the constituency into the zero-women category, which currently has 15 constituencies. That would be a significant step backwards to ensuring the voices and lived experiences of women in Louth are included at a national political level. 

The Dáil and successive governments have been missing women’s voices, lived experiences and talents since the beginning of the State. Of the 1,345 people ever elected to the Dáil, only 131 have been women.

Of the 213 people who have ever served as Ministers in Government, only 22 have ever been women. Less than a quarter of the outgoing TDs in the Dáil are women. Ireland currently ranks at 104th in the world for the number of women in the national parliament.

“Politics works better when there’s a balance of men and women involved. Diverse governments make better decisions, particularly on issues that affect a broad range of citizens. Decisions on healthcare, the economy, education, housing and family life that impact on all of us will be better with input that reflects the full spectrum of people’s experiences. Businesses know the value of diversity in decision making; isn’t it time our political system did?”

“There are talented, capable and competent women running in Louth. Women for Election are asking all voters in Louth, women and men, to research these women candidates at www.votemorewomen.ie and consider voting for them”, concluded Sheehan.

The six female candidates in Louth are: Marianne Butler (Green Party), Paula Butterly (Fine Gael), Joanna Byrne (Sinne Féin), Alison Comyn (Fianna Fáil), Erin McGreehan (Fianna Fáil) and Tracy Marie O'Hanlon (Non Party).