Male double-jobbers dominate new Dail

The 29th Dáil will be a largely male-dominated, middle-aged, Catholic and double-jobbing group, according to an initial analysis of those elected last weekend.

Once again, the vast majority of TDs are male, as the steady climb in women deputies in recent years comes to a halt.

Some 21 women were elected to the Dáil last week, an increase of one over the last election in 1997.

However, since women won two of the six by-elections held since then, and one of these was to fill a vacancy left by a woman, the overall number is the same as it was before the election.

This total will rise if either Ms Mildred Fox or Ms Kathy Sinnott wins the recounts.

Only four of the new deputies are in their 20s - Mr Damien English (24), Mr Denis Naughten (28) and Mr Simon Coveney (29) of Fine Gael and Mr Niall Blaney (28), independent.

The last three are sons of TDs.

The vast majority of TDs are in their 40s and 50s but only one is in his 70s - independent TD Mr Jackie Healy-Rae.

With the departure of Mr Alan Shatter, the Dáil has lost its last Jewish TD.

As recently as 1997 there were three Jewish deputies. The number of Protestant deputies is also in decline.

The new Dáil includes Ms Jan O'Sullivan and Mr Trevor Sargent, both Church of Ireland, while Mr Seymour Crawford, a Presbyterian, is involved in a recount.

The number of TDs who also hold county and city council seats has increased dramatically, according to the General Council of County Councils.

Some 102 of the 166 members of the new Dáil hold the dual mandate, according to an analysis carried out by the council.

This is an increase of 23 on the number of dual mandate holders in the outgoing Dáil.

"If anything, this shows that Irish politics is becoming more clientelist and localised," said Mr Liam Kenny, director of the council.

Mr Kenny said the surge in councillors who hold Dáil seats will make it more difficult for the next government to renew last year's attempt to ban TDs from holding a dual mandate.

When ministers and other deputies who are legally prevented from holding council seats are excluded, just 29 out of an eligible 131 TDs are concentrating solely on their work in Leinster House.

Two new TDs, Mr Michael Mulcahy in Dublin and Mr Ollie Wilkinson in Waterford, have had to relinquish their mayoral positions (but not their council seats) immediately on election.

All the Green Party's new TDs are councillors, as are three of Sinn Féin's Dáil debutantes.