# Meath–Westmeath (Dáil constituency)

Meath–Westmeath was a parliamentary constituency represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas from 1937 to 1948. The constituency elected 5 deputies (Teachtaí Dála, commonly known as TDs) to the Dáil, on the system of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote (PR-STV).

## History

The constituency was created under the Electoral (Revision of Constituencies) Act 1935 for the 1937 general election to the 9th Dáil. It was last used for the 1944 general election to the 12th Dáil.
Meath–Westmeath was abolished under the Electoral (Amendment) Act 1947, and replaced by the two new constituencies of Meath and Longford–Westmeath.

## Boundaries

The 1935 Act defined its area as: "The administrative County of Meath and the administrative County of Westmeath except the portion thereof which is comprised in the County Constituency of Athlone–Longford."

## TDs

Teachtaí Dála (TDs) for Meath–Westmeath 1937–1948 :
| Key to parties  FF = Fianna Fáil  FG = Fine Gael ||||||||||||
| Dáil | Election | Deputy (Party) | Deputy (Party) | Deputy (Party) | Deputy (Party) | Deputy (Party) | Deputy (Party) | Deputy (Party) | Deputy (Party) | Deputy (Party) | Deputy (Party) |
| 9th | 1937 | | Matthew O'Reilly (FF) | | Michael Kennedy (FF) | | James Kelly (FF) | | Charles Fagan (FG) | | Patrick Giles (FG) |
| 10th | 1938 | | Matthew O'Reilly (FF) | | Michael Kennedy (FF) | | James Kelly (FF) | | Charles Fagan (FG) | | Patrick Giles (FG) |
| 11th | 1943 | | Matthew O'Reilly (FF) | | Michael Kennedy (FF) | | Michael Hilliard (FF) | | Charles Fagan (FG) | | Patrick Giles (FG) |
| 12th | 1944 | | Matthew O'Reilly (FF) | | Michael Kennedy (FF) | | Michael Hilliard (FF) | | Charles Fagan (FG) | | Patrick Giles (FG) |
| 13th | 1948 | Constituency abolished. See Meath and Longford–Westmeath | Constituency abolished. See Meath and Longford–Westmeath | Constituency abolished. See Meath and Longford–Westmeath | Constituency abolished. See Meath and Longford–Westmeath | Constituency abolished. See Meath and Longford–Westmeath | Constituency abolished. See Meath and Longford–Westmeath | Constituency abolished. See Meath and Longford–Westmeath | Constituency abolished. See Meath and Longford–Westmeath | Constituency abolished. See Meath and Longford–Westmeath | Constituency abolished. See Meath and Longford–Westmeath |
Note: The columns in this table are used only for presentational purposes, and no significance should be attached to the order of columns. For details of the order in which seats were won at each election, see the detailed results of that election.

## Elections
### 1944 general election

1944 general election: Meath–Westmeath :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
| | Fianna Fáil | Michael Hilliard | 19.5 | 8,648 | | | | | | | | |
| | Fine Gael | Charles Fagan | 14.9 | 6,606 | 6,617 | 6,705 | 6,845 | 6,960 | 7,967 | | | |
| | Fianna Fáil | Michael Kennedy | 12.6 | 5,560 | 5,677 | 5,717 | 5,730 | 7,113 | 7,244 | 7,274 | 8,750 | |
| | Fine Gael | Patrick Giles | 12.4 | 5,497 | 5,548 | 5,564 | 5,783 | 5,791 | 6,393 | 6,846 | 7,007 | 7,085 |
| | Fianna Fáil | Matthew O'Reilly | 10.9 | 4,828 | 5,143 | 5,152 | 5,188 | 5,416 | 5,536 | 5,565 | 8,114 | |
| | Labour | Peadar Cowan | 8.9 | 3,961 | 3,986 | 4,622 | 4,795 | 4,857 | 4,977 | 5,051 | 5,153 | 5,208 |
| | Fianna Fáil | James Kelly | 8.0 | 3,522 | 4,233 | 4,256 | 4,286 | 4,404 | 4,445 | 4,449 | | |
| | Fianna Fáil | Patrick McKenna | 4.5 | 1,970 | 1,991 | 2,001 | 2,007 | | | | | |
| | Clann na Talmhan | Gerry L'Estrange | 3.6 | 1,613 | 1,622 | 1,642 | 2,169 | 2,230 | | | | |
| | Clann na Talmhan | Michael Bracken | 2.7 | 1,189 | 1,195 | 1,205 | | | | | | |
| | Labour | Owen Comiskey | 1.9 | 863 | 868 | | | | | | | |
| Electorate: 64,104 Valid: 44,257 Quota: 7,377 Turnout: 69.0% |||||||||||||

### 1943 general election

1943 general election: Meath–Westmeath :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 |
| | Fine Gael | Charles Fagan | 14.9 | 7,163 | 7,227 | 7,332 | 7,372 | 7,470 | 7,947 | 8,017 | 8,045 | | | |
| | Fianna Fáil | Michael Hilliard | 14.8 | 7,160 | 7,166 | 7,456 | 7,491 | 7,627 | 7,770 | 8,027 | 9,126 | | | |
| | Fianna Fáil | Michael Kennedy | 10.7 | 5,161 | 5,226 | 5,255 | 5,269 | 6,362 | 6,377 | 6,418 | 6,995 | 7,287 | 7,599 | 7,663 |
| | Fine Gael | Patrick Giles | 8.7 | 4,202 | 4,206 | 4,383 | 4,544 | 4,560 | 5,861 | 6,134 | 6,245 | 8,465 | | |
| | Labour | Peadar Cowan | 8.3 | 3,983 | 4,305 | 4,484 | 4,502 | 4,553 | 4,629 | 6,276 | 6,337 | 6,937 | 6,956 | 7,113 |
| | Fianna Fáil | Matthew O'Reilly | 7.8 | 3,786 | 3,796 | 3,882 | 3,942 | 4,107 | 4,207 | 4,261 | 6,241 | 6,561 | 7,210 | 7,415 |
| | Fianna Fáil | James Kelly | 7.7 | 3,736 | 3,750 | 3,840 | 3,852 | 3,924 | 3,958 | 4,034 | | | | |
| | Clann na Talmhan | Joseph Cooney | 6.8 | 3,284 | 3,304 | 3,345 | 4,278 | 4,366 | 4,603 | 4,668 | 4,691 | | | |
| | Fine Gael | Michael Sweeney | 5.1 | 2,439 | 2,444 | 2,479 | 2,529 | 2,536 | | | | | | |
| | Labour | John Fitzgerald | 4.3 | 2,081 | 2,312 | 2,571 | 2,582 | 2,596 | 2,660 | | | | | |
| | Fianna Fáil | Patrick McKenna | 3.6 | 1,719 | 1,772 | 1,778 | 1,800 | | | | | | | |
| | Clann na Talmhan | Patrick McMahon | 2.8 | 1,351 | 1,358 | 1,378 | | | | | | | | |
| | Independent | Seán Doyle | 2.8 | 1,349 | 1,356 | | | | | | | | | |
| | Labour | Charles McGurk | 1.7 | 818 | | | | | | | | | | |
| Electorate: 64,104 Valid: 48,232 Quota: 8,039 Turnout: 75.2% |||||||||||||||

### 1938 general election

1938 general election: Meath–Westmeath :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| | Fianna Fáil | James Kelly | 19.9 | 9,690 | | | |
| | Fianna Fáil | Michael Kennedy | 18.8 | 9,139 | | | |
| | Fine Gael | Charles Fagan | 15.8 | 7,665 | 7,673 | 7,915 | 8,413 |
| | Fianna Fáil | Matthew O'Reilly | 15.5 | 7,552 | 9,066 | | |
| | Fine Gael | Patrick Giles | 14.3 | 6,959 | 6,986 | 7,085 | 9,309 |
| | Labour | Peadar Cowan | 9.5 | 4,621 | 4,656 | 5,160 | 5,305 |
| | Fine Gael | Michael Sweeney | 6.1 | 2,962 | 2,969 | 3,164 | |
| Electorate: 61,877 Valid: 48,588 Quota: 8,099 Turnout: 78.5% ||||||||

### 1937 general election

1937 general election: Meath–Westmeath :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| | Fianna Fáil | James Kelly | 19.4 | 9,328 | | | | | | |
| | Fine Gael | Charles Fagan | 15.6 | 7,514 | 7,515 | 7,671 | 7,883 | 8,124 | | |
| | Fianna Fáil | Matthew O'Reilly | 14.8 | 7,111 | 7,950 | 7,992 | 8,056 | | | |
| | Fianna Fáil | Michael Kennedy | 13.8 | 6,641 | 7,058 | 7,069 | 7,435 | 7,463 | 7,489 | 7,535 |
| | Fine Gael | Patrick Giles | 13.2 | 6,354 | 6,366 | 6,519 | 6,546 | 7,428 | 9,849 | |
| | Fianna Fáil | Eugene Robbins | 5.9 | 2,815 | 2,830 | 2,836 | 3,032 | 3,049 | 3,117 | 3,162 |
| | Fine Gael | Gerald Williamson | 4.8 | 2,292 | 2,294 | 2,313 | 2,320 | 2,788 | | |
| | Labour | Peadar Cowan | 4.5 | 2,160 | 2,173 | 2,202 | 2,934 | 2,971 | 3,031 | 3,253 |
| | Fine Gael | Michael Sweeney | 3.6 | 1,750 | 1,753 | 1,780 | 1,793 | | | |
| | Labour | John Hayden | 3.5 | 1,667 | 1,671 | 1,684 | | | | |
| | Independent | James Daly | 1.0 | 486 | 488 | | | | | |
| Electorate: 61,654 Valid: 48,118 Quota: 8,020 Turnout: 78.1% |||||||||||