Here’s a question. What was Dublin like in the local elections of 1967? The Electoral Area Number One 1967 existed then. It existed during a time of rapid modernization in Ireland.
The 1967 Irish local elections took place on Wednesday, June 28. All counties, cities, and towns in Ireland participated. Fine Gael gained many seats. Fianna Fáil and Labour remained mostly unchanged. Independents and Sinn Féin lost seats.
These elections were supposed to happen in 1965. The Electoral Act of 1963 scheduled them. However, they were postponed twice. This makes the Electoral Area Number One 1967 a place of delayed democracy.
Ireland was changing quickly. Telefís Éireann, the first national television network, launched in 1961. The National Farmers Association campaigned against the government. The Fianna Fáil government was reducing tariffs. This was in preparation for joining the European Economic Community. Several NFA representatives won seats. This was especially true in Tipperary and Offaly. Labour’s breakthrough in Dublin showed a shift. The party was moving from rural to urban support. The Electoral Area Number One 1967 played its part in this shift.
Let’s consider the broader results. Fianna Fáil won 333 seats. They received 463,233 first preference votes which accounted for 40.1%. Fine Gael secured 285 seats. They got 377,065 first preference votes. This was 32.6%. Labour obtained 80 seats with 174,064 votes which was 15.1%. Independents, Sinn Féin, and others won 81 seats. They had 141,091 votes that made 12.2%. In total, 779 seats were contested. There were 1,155,453 first preference votes.
Dublin City Council Local Election Results are available for 1967. This provides specific insights into Electoral Area Number One 1967.
The Treacy family experienced something unique in 1967. All members of the family voted for the same candidate. This candidate was Laurie Corcoran who ran as an Independent. He was a neighbour and a member of Cumann Lúthchleas Gael. The club was known as Good Counsel. Kevin Moran, a famous footballer, also belonged to this club. Corcoran topped the poll in Crumlin/Kimmage with 3,211 votes. That’s just over 20% of the total. He became an Alderman and Councillor.
Corcoran claimed to have a list of Communists working for Dublin Corporation. He contested the 1969 general election in Dublin South West. He only got 7% of the vote. In a 1970 bye-election, his vote share increased to over 19%. He retained his council seat in 1974 as a member of Fianna Fáil.
The Electoral Area Number One 1967 elections reflect a time of change. Political landscapes shifted. New issues arose. Even families found common ground in unexpected ways.