The 2004 local elections in the Republic of Ireland

Polling for elections to the 29 county and five city councils was held between 7:00 and 21:00 on Friday, 11 June 2004. The general expectation was that the two largest parties, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, would lose seats in these elections – especially given their relatively strong performances in the 1999 local elections – and that Sinn Féin would make significant gains, particularly in Dublin and other large urban centres. The elections were also expected to mark yet another stage in the trend of continuing turnout decline that has marked Irish elections over the past 25 years, with the national turnout expected to be lower than the 1999 level of 50.3 per cent, the lowest ever turnout for local elections in the history of the state. As it transpired, turnout increased significantly in these elections, particularly in Dublin and the rest of the East region. Voting patterns also changed dramatically, with Sinn Féin, Labour and other smaller left‐wing parties increasing their support and representation levels, particularly in Dublin, while losses for Fianna Fáil proved to be even greater than had been anticipated. Fine Gael confounded the pundits by actually increasing their number of council seats, even though their share of the vote declined marginally. This article will analyse the levels, and changing patterns, of voter turnout and party support in the 2004 local elections in the Republic of Ireland