1980 Donegal by-election
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6 November 1980
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| Turnout | 60,077 (73.9%) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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A Dáil by-election was held in the constituency of Donegal in Ireland on Thursday, 6 November 1980, to fill a vacancy in the 21st Dáil. It followed the death of the Ceann Comhairle Joseph Brennan[b] on 13 July 1980.[1][2]
A government motion to issue the writ of election to fill the vacancy was agreed by the Dáil on 16 October 1980.[3] The by-election was won by the Fianna Fáil candidate Clement Coughlan.[4]
Coughlan died in a road traffic accident in early 1983, leading to the 1983 Donegal South-West by-election.
Result
| Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | ||||
| Fianna Fáil | Clement Coughlan | 39.0 | 23,456 | 24,000 | 29,219 | |
| Fine Gael | Dinny McGinley | 33.3 | 20,022 | 20,793 | 24,085 | |
| Independent Fianna Fáil | Paddy Kelly[a] | 23.6 | 14,198 | 14,992 | ||
| Sinn Féin The Workers' Party | Séamus Rodgers | 4.0 | 2,401 | |||
| Electorate: 81,340 Valid: 60,077 Quota: 30,039 Turnout: 73.9% | ||||||
Notes
- 1 2 Kelly was a member of Independent Fianna Fáil, an unregistered political party, and appeared on the ballot as a non-party independent.
- ↑ Brennan was elected as a Fianna Fáil TD at the 1977 general election before being elected as Ceann Comhairle.
References
- ↑ Dempsey, Pauric (October 2009). "Brennan, Joseph". Dictionary of Irish Biography. doi:10.3318/dib.000926.v1.
- ↑ "Death of Ceann Comhairle: Expression of Sympathy". Dáil Debates. 323 (1). Houses of the Oireachtas. 15 October 1980. Archived from the original on 8 July 2022. Retrieved 27 August 2022.
- ↑ "Issue of Writ: Donegal By-election". Dáil Debates. 323 (2). 16 October 1980. Archived from the original on 7 October 2022. Retrieved 25 February 2026.
- ↑ "Return to Writ: Donegal - Introduction of New Member". Dáil Debates. 324 (1). 11 November 1980. Archived from the original on 4 November 2019. Retrieved 25 February 2026.
- ↑ "By-election 1980: Donegal". ElectionsIreland.org. Archived from the original on 30 November 2010. Retrieved 2 March 2009.
- ↑ "22nd Dáil 1981 general election results" (PDF). Houses of the Oireachtas. September 1981. Archived (PDF) from the original on 9 August 2022. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
- ↑ "Donegal: 1980 by-election". Ireland Election. Retrieved 27 February 2026.