2011 Inverclyde by-election, Candidates
Nominations closed on 16 June 2011, with five candidates. The Labour Party selected Ian McKenzie a local Councillor since 2003, who has led Inverclyde Council since February 2011 and the only candidate not to have run for any other constituency in the Scottish Election 2011. The Scottish National Party selected Anne McLaughlin, who was an MSP for the Glasgow regional list from 2009–2011. The Conservative Party selected David Wilson, a local councillor and deputy provost of Inverclyde. UKIP candidate Mitch Sorbie contested West Dunbartonshire in the 2010 general election. The Liberal Democrats selected Sophie Bridger, the president of Liberal Youth Scotland.


2011 Iowa Barnstormers season
The 2011 Iowa Barnstormers season was the 11th season for the franchise, and the 7th in the Arena Football League. The team was coached by J. T. Smith, who took over as interim head coach on May 17 after John Gregory resigned. The Barnstormers played their home games at Wells Fargo Arena.


2011 Iowa Barnstormers season, Regular season schedule
The Barnstormers had a bye week in Week 1, and so they began the season on the road against the Pittsburgh Power on March 19. Their home opener was on March 25 against the Spokane Shock. On July 23, they hosted the Georgia Force in their final regular season game.


2011 Iowa Corn Indy 250
The  2011 Iowa Corn Indy 250 was the fifth running of the Iowa Corn Indy 250 and the eighth round of the 2011 IndyCar Series season. It took place on Saturday, June 25, 2011. The race was contested over 250 laps at the 0.875-mile (1.408 km) Iowa Speedway in Newton, Iowa, and was televised by Versus in the United States.


2011 Iowa Corn Indy 250
The winner of the 2011 race was Marco Andretti. Takuma Sato held the pole position running a time of 35.6857 seconds, while Alex Tagliani had the fastest lap running lap 21 in 18.0958 seconds. The last year winner Tony Kanaan finished in second, while Scott Dixon came in third place.


2011 Iowa Hawkeyes football team
The 2011 Iowa Hawkeyes football team represented the University of Iowa in the 2011 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Hawkeyes were led by head coach Kirk Ferentz, who was in his 13th season, and played their homes games at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa. They are member of the Leaders Division of the Big Ten Conference. They finished the season 7–6 overall and 4–4 in Big Ten Conference play to finish in fourth place in the Leaders Division. They were invited to the Insight Bowl, for the second consecutive year, where they were defeated by Oklahoma, 31–14.


2011 Iowa State Cyclones football team
The 2011 Iowa State Cyclones football team represented Iowa State University in the 2011 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Cyclones were led by third year head coach Paul Rhoads and play their home games at Jack Trice Stadium. They are a member of the Big 12 Conference. The conference play began with a loss at home to the Texas Longhorns, and ended with a loss at Manhattan, Kansas to the Kansas State Wildcats in the Farmageddon series, with a 3–6 record.


2011 Iowa State Cyclones football team
The season will likely be remembered for the game against then #2 Oklahoma State Cowboys, who the Cyclones upset in a double-overtime thriller throwing the BCS into "utter chaos" as dubbed by sports media. The Iowa State squad was invited to the first Pinstripe Bowl game, which they were defeated by Rutgers, and the Cyclone's 2011 season came to a close with 6–7 overall record, 3–6 in Big 12 play, finished 8th place.


2011 Ipswich Borough Council election
Elections for Ipswich Borough Council were held on Thursday 5 May 2011. One third of the seats were up for election and the Labour Party gained control of the council, which had previously been run under by a Conservative - Liberal Democrat coalition since 2004.


2011 Iran Futsal's 2nd Division
The 2011 Iranian Futsal 2nd Division will be divided into two phases, the regular season, played from 6 April 2011.


2011 Iran Futsal's 2nd Division
The league will also be composed of 22 teams divided into two divisions of 11 teams each, whose teams will be divided geographically. Teams will play only other teams in their own division, once at home and once away for a total of 20 matches each.


2011 Iranian embezzlement scandal
The 3,000 billion toman embezzlement in Iran (also 2,800 billion embezzlement; approximately US$943.5 million) was a fraud involving the use of forged documents to obtain credit from at least seven Iranian state and private banks to purchase state-owned companies. The fraud reportedly extended over a four-year period, but became more serious "in the months before the scandal broke in September" 2011. According to Iranian newspapers, Iranian businessman Mahafarid Amir Khosravi (also known as Amir-Mansour Aria and executed in 2014) "masterminded" the scam, and as of late October 2011 at least 67 people have been interrogated and 31 of them have been arrested.


2011 Iranian embezzlement scandal
Mostafa Pour Mohammadi, the head of a judicial investigations unit, has called the case "the most unprecedented financial corruption case in the history" of Iran. The scandal has also been called "politically sensitive", involving Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei, a close aide to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, opposed by conservatives.


2011 Iranian embezzlement scandal, Overview
According to Iranian government newspapers and TV channels, the fraud was planned within seven state-owned and private banks, including Saderat Bank of Iran, and is the largest and most important fraud in Iran history. The fraud reportedly was first identified at Bank Melli, Iran's largest commercial bank.


2011 Iranian embezzlement scandal, Overview
According to The New York Times and The Washington Post newspapers, the embezzlement was a "scheme to use forged documents or letters of credit to acquire assets, "including major state-owned companies" or "privatized government assets", (such as the Khuzestan Steel Company, a major steel producer) at "one of Iran's top financial institutions", Bank Saderat.


2011 Iranian embezzlement scandal, Overview
According to government media, the economics ministry tipped the intelligence authorities about suspicious loan applications in the banking system and the main culprits are as of May 2014 in police custody.


2011 Iranian embezzlement scandal, Overview
Iranian state prosecutor Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje'i said 19 people have been arrested for being involved in a bank embezzlement scandal. The Washington Post reports 22 suspects "including businessmen and bank officials" have been arrested, and the chiefs of two banks have been dismissed. On 27 September 2011, Mahomud-Reza Khavari abruptly resigned as the managing director of Bank Melli and flew to Canada after the bank was implicated in the fraud. However, a spokesman for the bank stated that Khavari had gone to Canada for "ordinary business reasons". According to the Globe and Mail, a $3 million house in Toronto, is owned in Mahmoud Reza Khavari's name. According to the Iran News Update, in 2005 Khavari became a citizen of Canada allegedly.


2011 Iranian embezzlement scandal, Overview
The investigation determined that Mahafarid Amir Khosravi had masterminded the scheme, with his Aria Investment Development Company being the primary recipient of the loans. Khosravi was convicted of embezzlement, money laundering, and bribery. He and three of his closest associates received the death penalty in July 2012. A total of 39 people were convicted of fraud in the case. On 24 May 2014, Khosravi was executed by hanging. Khavari remains a fugitive. However, Khosravi’s lawyer said that he was made unaware of Khosravi’s execution, according to IB Times. According to BBC, Iran Chief prosecutor said that two other defendants were sentenced to life in prison, whereas 33 more are to spend 25 years jail.


2011 Iranian embezzlement scandal, Overview
Mahmoud Reza Khavari in 2011, took to safety in Canada as reported by Arab news. Furthermore, Khavari has been sentenced on four charges to a cash fine, compensation and a long prison term.


2011 Iranian embezzlement scandal, Response to scandal, Supreme Leader
On 3 October 2011, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei told viewers of Iranian state TV "People should know all these (responsible) will be pursued. ... God willing, the traitorous hands will be cut." The leader also stated the media should not use the case to "strike at officials."


2011 Iranian embezzlement scandal, Response to scandal, Parliament
The speaker of the Iranian parliament, Ali Larijani, said that all three branches of the government were determined to deal with the recent banking scam case. Ahmad Tavakkoli, a member of parliament, said on 18 September 2011 that the embezzlement of 28 trillion rials (3,000 billion toman) is an intolerable scandal, adding that if administration officials are not able to handle the affairs, they should step down. In addition, he said that a number of members of parliament have introduced a motion, which envisages the establishment of a special committee to pursue the embezzlement case. With reference to top ranking Iranian government officials, the judiciary mentioned earlier that such a high level of corruption couldn’t have occurred without the support of various people, according to Reuter’s report.


2011 Iranian embezzlement scandal, Response to scandal, Parliament
According to Aljazeera, a defendant argued that senior officials associated with the scandal had gone scot-free, while individuals with low-level involvement had been intensely prosecuted by the Judiciary.


2011 Iranian embezzlement scandal, Response to scandal, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
On 16 September 2011, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad rejected the accusations against some of his administration's officials. Conservative critics of Ahmadinejad have accused his close aide Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei (whom the conservatives strongly oppose) of having connections with Amir-Mansour Aria. According to CNN, the allegation linked to the president concerning the embezzlement of over $2.5 billion is one out of many allegations by Islamists.


2011 Iran–Iraq cross-border raids
2011 Iran–Iraq cross-border raids were a series of operations, performed by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), against the Kurdistan Free Life Party (PJAK), a Kurdish rebel group. The operations began in July 2011, and have included attacks on PJAK bases in Iranian territory, penetration into Iraqi Kurdistan territory, bombing of PJAK associated bases and villages in Kurdish controlled Iraqi areas and direct targeting of Kurdish guerrilla command in Qandil mountains. The clashes resulted in dozens killed and wounded on both sides, with hundreds of displaced Kurdish villagers. The exact numbers of casualties on each side are a matter of controversy.


2011 Iran–Iraq cross-border raids
On September 29, PJAK accepted Iranian terms and withdrew fully from Iran's soil in what Iranian commanders described as a surrender. According to the IRGC they killed over 180 PJAK fighters and injured over 300 during the operations. The operation cost Iran $150 million. The cease-fire was violated by the sides in December 2011, in Baneh.


2011 Iran–Iraq cross-border raids, Chronology, July offensive
Iran started its offensive against the PJAK on July 11, after an escalation of PJAK activity in North-Western Iran and began shelling PJAK positions in Northern Iraq on July 16. On July 17, the IRGC killed at least five PJAK members in a raid that destroyed one of the group's headquarters in north-western Iran. PJAK claimed 21 Iranian soldiers were killed in the clashes. Iranian authorities on the other hand confirmed their casualties at 1 killed and 3 injured, while claiming to have inflicted "heavy losses" on the rebels. They announced that they had captured three rebel bases, one of which was identified as Marvan and was said to be the leading PJAK camp in the region.


2011 Iran–Iraq cross-border raids, Chronology, July offensive
On July 20, PJAK killed 5 IRGC members and one IRGC commander. IRGC forces killed 35 PJAK fighters and captured several others during clashes on July 25. By July 26, more than 50 PJAK fighters and 8 Revolutionary Guards were reported to had been killed and at least 100 PJAK fighters had been wounded according to Iranian sources, while over 800 people had been displaced by the fighting according to the  International Committee of the Red Cross. At least 3 civilians were killed. During clashes in the Jasosan and Alotan heights the next day, Iranian forces claimed to have killed over 21 PJAK fighters, confirming that two IRGC forces had been killed and two had been injured during the clashes.


2011 Iran–Iraq cross-border raids, Chronology, July offensive
On August 1, at request of the Kurdistan Regional Government, Iran halted its offensive and gave PJAK forces a one-month grace period during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan to retreat all their forces from Iranian territory.


2011 Iran–Iraq cross-border raids, Chronology, Sabotage of the Tabriz–Ankara pipeline
On July 29, suspected PJAK militants blew up the Tabriz–Ankara pipeline, which was repaired the next day. On August 1, Iranian forces killed 3 and arrested 4 of the militants said to be responsible for the attack in West Azerbaijan. At least one of them was a Turkish citizen. The Turkish citizen was later confirmed to be Murat Karasac alias "Cemil", who was reported to be the leader of the group that carried out the attack and was one of the 3 killed in the fighting. It was later reported in Turkish media that he was the PJAK's number 2 in command.


2011 Iran–Iraq cross-border raids, Chronology, Cease-fire attempts
On August 8, 2011, Abdul Rahman Haji Ahmadi, the leader of the Kurdistan Free Life Party, said the armed rebel group is prepared to negotiate with Iran and maintained that Kurdish issues need to be solved through “peaceful means”. In an exclusive interview with Rudaw, Haji Ahmadi acknowledged that in some cases compromise is inevitable and indicated that PJAK is willing to lay down its arms. He said fighting may not help Kurds secure political and cultural rights in Iran.


2011 Iran–Iraq cross-border raids, Chronology, Cease-fire attempts
On August 8, 2011, Murat Karayılan, the leader of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) said they withdrew all PJAK fighters out of Iran and sent them to PKK camps in the Qandil mountains. He said they replaced PJAK forces on the Iranian border with PKK forces to prevent further clashes and called on Iran to end attacks because unlike the PJAK, the PKK was not at war with Iran. Karayılan released the following statement:


2011 Iran–Iraq cross-border raids, Chronology, Alleged Capture of Murat Karayılan
On August 16, Alaeddin Boroujerdi head of the Iranian parliament's foreign affairs committee told Mehr News Agency that the PKK's top commander Murat Karayılan had been captured during the IRGC operation, a claim which was dismissed by the PKK, which told Roj TV that Karayılan was fine and free. Later, however, Iranian foreign minister Ali Akbar Salehi and Turkish foreign minister Ahmet Davutoğlu also denied the news. Turkish interior minister İdris Naim Şahin said the news confused Murat Karayılan with PJAK commander Murat Karasac, who had been killed by Iranian forces in West Azerbaijan on August 2.


2011 Iran–Iraq cross-border raids, Chronology, Alleged Capture of Murat Karayılan
Nonetheless this has led to many conspiracy theories in the media, for instance by Today's Zaman columnist Markar Esayan, that Iran was trying to help Cemil Bayik execute an internal coup in the PKK by capturing Karayılan, so that Iran can gain influence over the organisation. Emre Uslu, another columnist for the Today's Zaman claimed that Iran had captured Karayılan to gain a political victory in the conflict over PJAK, by getting the PKK to stop supporting them. Pro -PKK think-tank Yusuf Ziyad believed that this was the beginning of the forming of a Shi'a-Kurdish alliance, by Iran.


2011 Iran–Iraq cross-border raids, Chronology, Alleged Capture of Murat Karayılan
Ziyad and Hürriyet columnist Kadri Gürsel both believe that this is motivated by Turkish opposition towards the Ba'ath regime of Bashar al-Assad in Syria. Yeni Şafak daily columnist Abdulkadir Selvi claimed that Iran had, in fact, taken Karayılan out of Qandil and brought him to Urumiyeh to keep him safe from Turkish air raids. Professor Sedat Laçiner, President of the Çanakkale university claimed Iran had released Karayılan and this is proof that they are supporting the PKK. The NATO missile shield in Turkey is also cited as reason for why Iran would want to support the PKK.


2011 Iran–Iraq cross-border raids, Chronology, Alleged Capture of Murat Karayılan
A later report on Today's Zaman said that Murat Karayılan may have actually been injured in the Iranian operation rather than captured.


2011 Iran–Iraq cross-border raids, Chronology, September offensive
On September 2, Iran renewed its military offensive against PJAK fighters in Northern Iraq in August after the expiring of the Ramadan cease-fire, just days after Turkish officials claimed that their August air strikes against the PKK had killed up to 160 militants in Iraqi Kurdistan. Iranian sources claimed that the rebels had used the truce to dig tunnels in the Jasosan heights close to Iran's border.


2011 Iran–Iraq cross-border raids, Chronology, September offensive
On September 4, Iran claimed the offensive had killed and injured 30 PJAK fighters and on September 5, 2011, the IRGC rejected a cease-fire declared by the PJAK as meaningless, as long as PJAK forces remained inside the borders of the Islamic Republic. Iran also said its troops had killed 30 PJAK fighters and wounded 40 during the several days of fighting.


2011 Iran–Iraq cross-border raids, Chronology, September offensive
On September 7, the Iranian Revolutionary Guards claimed PJAK's deputy commander Majid Kavian alias "Semko Sarholdan" was killed while commanding an operation in Kutaman. Kavian, the PJAK's number 2 man was said to be the group's chief operational commander, as the group's number 1 leader, Haji Ahmadi lives in Germany. PJAK confirmed Kavian's death in a statement on their website. On September 9, Iran claimed to have captured 2 more PJAK commanders.


2011 Iran–Iraq cross-border raids, Chronology, September offensive
On September 21, the IRGC claimed they had successfully forced the armed PJAK fighters from Iranian territory.


2011 Iran–Iraq cross-border raids, Chronology, End of Operation
On September 29, 2011, Iranian sources reported that PJAK officially surrendered with 180 deaths and 300 injured, accepting Iranian demands of retreating one mile from the Iranian border and ceasing armed operations. Iranian ambassador to Iraq Hassan Danaei-Far declared that they had cleared all areas of PJAK activities and that they had reached an agreement with the Iraqi central government and the Kurdistan Regional Government, in which they vowed to keep the border peaceful.


2011 Iran–Iraq cross-border raids, Chronology, End of Operation
In October 2011, President of Iraqi Kurdistan Massoud Barzani stated that the border between Iran and Iraqi Kurdistan would from now on be safe, after an agreement with PJAK. It was however clear that PJAK withdrawal was made for redeployment purposes along the Iran-Iraq border. The cease-fire collapsed on late December 2011, when a clash in Baneh between IRGC resulted in mortal casualties.


2011 Iran–Iraq cross-border raids, Casualties
On August 5, the leader of Kurdistan Free Life Party, Rahman Haj Ahmedi, said to Newsmax that more than 300 Iranian Revolutionary Guards had been killed in a series of ambushes, while acknowledging 16 losses. Iranian officials however, claimed to have killed over 150 PJAK forces during the operations, confirming the deaths of only 17 Revolutionary Guards. More were killed in the August cross-border offensives, while Iran claimed to have also killed 30 PJAK fighters and wounded 40 in early September.


2011 Iran–Iraq cross-border raids, Casualties
According to IRGC  Brigadier General Abdullah Araqi, 180 PJAK fighters were killed and 300 injured by the end of the operation.


2011 Iraqi protests
The 2011 Iraqi protests came in the wake of the Tunisian revolution and 2011 Egyptian revolution. They resulted in at least 45 deaths, including at least 29 on 25 February 2011, the "Day of Rage".


2011 Iraqi protests
Several protests in March were against the Saudi-led intervention in Bahrain.


2011 Iraqi protests
Protests also took place in Iraqi Kurdistan, an autonomous Kurdish region in Iraq's north, and lasted for 62 days.


2011 Iraqi protests, Background
In an effort to prevent potential unrest, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki announced that he will not run for a third term in 2014, and called for a constitutional term limit. Nevertheless, hundreds of protesters gathered in several major Iraqi urban areas on 12 February (notably Baghdad and Karbala) demanding a more effective approach to the issue of national security and investigation into federal corruption cases, as well as government action towards making public services fair and accessible. In response, the government of Iraq subsidised electricity costs.


2011 Iraqi protests, Protests
Israel's Haaretz reported that a 31-year-old man in Mosul died after he self-immolated in protest against unemployment. Haaretz also reported a planned "Revolution of Iraqi Rage" to be held on 25 February near the Green Zone.


2011 Iraqi protests, Protests, Timeline, 12 February
Hundreds of protesters gathered in several major Iraqi urban areas, most notably in Baghdad and Karbala, demanding a more effective approach to the issue of national security and an investigation into federal corruption cases, as well as government action towards making public services fair and accessible. In response, the government of Iraq subsidised electricity costs.


2011 Iraqi protests, Protests, Timeline, 16–29 February
On 29 February, up to 2,000 protesters took over a provincial council building in the city of Kut. The protesters demanded the provincial governor resign due to a lack of basic services such as electricity and water. Up to three people were reported killed and 30 injured.


2011 Iraqi protests, Protests, Timeline, 16–29 February
On 17 February, two people were killed as protesters threw stones at the headquarters of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, headed by Masoud Barzani, president of Iraq's semi-autonomous northern Kurdish region in Sulaimaniya, Iraqi Kurdistan.


2011 Iraqi protests, Protests, Timeline, 16–29 February
On 18 February, around a thousand demonstrators blockaded a bridge in Basra, demanding the resignation of the provincial governor.


2011 Iraqi protests, Protests, Timeline, 23 February
Lt . Gen. Abdul-Aziz Al-Kubaisi (Arabic: عبد العزيز الكبيسي) resigned from his post as the Director General at the Iraqi Ministry of Defense, gave up his military rank, and removed it from his shoulders on television. Following this step, he was arrested by security forces. Al Kubaisi described the Iraqi government as corrupt and called on all officers to declare their resignation and join the demonstrators, who are planning a demonstration on 25 February.


2011 Iraqi protests, Protests, Timeline, 23 February
The three officers, including one colonel, responded to this call and announced their resignations. Uday Zaidi, who has previously organized protests, revealed that these officers have joined the demonstrations. Zaidi told Al Jazeera that the 37 personnel from the Ministry of Interior have also resigned and joined the crowds of demonstrators.


2011 Iraqi protests, Protests, Timeline, 24 February
On 24 February, Muntadhar al-Zaidi, an Iraqi journalist famous for the 2008 shoeing incident, was arrested for allegedly taking part in the protests. Al-Zaidi is popular in Iraq for what Iraqis see as his act of defiance.


2011 Iraqi protests, Protests, Timeline, 25 February–"Day of Rage"
Major protests were held throughout Iraq on 25 February, centering on the nation's high unemployment, corruption, and poor public services. During the protests, crowds stormed provincial buildings, in addition to jailbreaking prisoners and forcing local officials to resign. At least twenty-nine people were killed across the country as a result of protests on this day, though the deadliest protests took place in Iraqi Kurdistan.


2011 Iraqi protests, Protests, Timeline, 26 February
Protests were diminished from the 25 February "Day of Rage," due to the deaths that resulted during it. Hundreds were detained by Iraqi security forces, including journalists, artists, and intellectuals. One of the artists that was arrested, Hussam al-Ssair, later stated that "It was like they were dealing with a bunch of al-Qaeda operatives, not a group of journalists."


2011 Iraqi protests, Protests, Timeline, 16 March
New protests arose at Baghdad and Basra against the Saudi-led intervention in Bahrain.


2011 Iraqi protests, Protests, Timeline, 17 March
At Kerbela about 3,000 people demonstrated against Saudi-Arabia. Nouri al-Maliki criticized the Saudi intervention.


2011 Iraqi protests, Protests, Timeline, April–May
Beginning on 9 April 2011, the 8th anniversary of the fall of Saddam Hussein, the protests escalated with thousands protesting in Baghdad's Tahrir Square and all over the country. The protests extended to anger at the US occupation and culminated on 26 May 2011 with a demonstration organized by Muqtada al-Sadr. Reports of participants vary from 100 thousand (Iraq's official Al Sabaah) to half a million people (Baghdad's independent New Sabah [ar]). (The highest figures are not unlikely, as similar protests by Muqtada al-Sadr have drawn up to a million people, as in 2007 and 2012.)


2011 Iraqi protests, Protests, Timeline, 10 June
About 400 protesters converged on Tahrir Square in Baghdad after Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's deadline for reform expired.


2011 Iraqi protests, Protests, Timeline, 12 August
Dozens protested in Tahrir Square, calling for Oil Minister Karim Luaibi to be fired, a planned port named for ex-President of Egypt Hosni Mubarak to be scrapped, and political prisoners to be released.


2011 Iraqi protests, Protests, Timeline, 2 December
The 2011 Dohuk riots refers to riots by Muslim Kurds on 2 December 2011 which were instigated by Friday prayers' sermons calling for Jihad against liquor stores and massage parlours in Zakho in the Dohuk Governorate, Iraq. The riots soon developed to looting and burning down of Assyrian and Yazidi-owned properties in other towns in Iraqi Kurdistan over the next couple of days.


2011 Iraqi protests, Protests, Responses, Domestic
In response to the initial round of protests, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said that his ministers who do not improve their ministries face dismissal. An MP also called for provincial elections to be brought forward by two years.


2011 Irish Baseball League season
The 2011 Irish Baseball League season began on Saturday, April 2, and ran through Saturday, August 27. This is the  15th edition of the Irish Baseball League.


2011 Irish Baseball League season
The opening game of the Irish Baseball League was played at Shanganah Park in Dublin between Greystones Mariners and Dublin Spartans. The match ended Dublin Spartans 9 - 8 Greystones Mariners. The plate umpire for the match was Massimo Lepri.


2011 Irish Classic
The 2011 Irish Classic was a professional non-ranking snooker tournament that took place between 29 and 30 October 2011 at the Celbridge Snooker Club in Kildare, Republic of Ireland. The event was sponsored by Lucan Racing.


2011 Irish Classic
Fergal O'Brien won in the final 5–2 against Ken Doherty, who made three century breaks (120, 107, 104) during the tournament.


2011 Irish Greyhound Derby
The 2011 Irish Greyhound Derby took place during August and September with the final being held at Shelbourne Park in Dublin on 10 September 2011.


2011 Irish Greyhound Derby
The winner Razldazl George won €120,000 and was trained by Dolores Ruth, owned by the Dazzling Syndicate and bred by Dolores Ruth. The race was sponsored by the Ladbrokes.


2011 Irish Greyhound Derby, Competition Report
The 2010 Irish Greyhound Derby champion Tyrur McGuigan returned to defend his title and was a first round winner. The fastest round one winner was Razldazl George in 29.38. In round two Razldazl George went fastest again 29.54 and in the third round Tyrur McGuigan won his third consecutive race in 29.83 as did Razldazl George and Razldazl Bugatti. 2010 finalist Barefoot Bullet failed to get to round three and the only British challenge came to end when Nick Savva's greyhounds were eliminated.


2011 Irish Greyhound Derby, Competition Report
There were shocks in the quarter finals starting with defending champion Tyrur McGuigan who finished last in his heat after finishing lame and was retired to stud. Makeshift, Razldazl Jayfkay, Melodys Royal and Tyrur Big Mike all failed to make the semi-finals. Heat winners were Dream Walker, Croom Star, Rockchase Bullet and Krug Ninety Five.


2011 Irish Greyhound Derby, Competition Report
Rockchase Bullet claimed the first semi-final from Razldazl George and Rockview Head in 29.67 whilst Razldazl Bugatti beat veteran campaigner Krug Ninety Five and Dream Walker in the second semi recording 29.99.


2011 Irish Greyhound Derby, Competition Report
In the final Razldazl Bugatti moved off and bumped Rockchase Bullet when both were well placed. This left Razldazl George to take up the running and hold off a late challenge from Dream Walker.


2011 Irish budget
The 2011 Irish Budget refers to the delivery of a government budget by the Government of Ireland on 7 December 2010. It was also the fourth and final overall budget to be delivered by Fianna Fáil's Brian Lenihan as Minister for Finance. The budget for 2011 occurred in the context of a major recession, which followed the Irish financial crisis. The budget was described as the most draconian budget in the history of the State, with €6bn worth of savings.


2011 Irish budget, Main points
This is a list of the main points contained in the 2011 Budget.


2011 Irish constitutional referendums
Two constitutional referendums were held simultaneously in Ireland on 27 October 2011, each on a proposed amendment of the Constitution of Ireland. The proposed amendments are on judicial salaries pay cuts, and to provide additional powers to Oireachtas committees.


2011 Irish constitutional referendums
They were held on the same day as the 2011 presidential election and a Dáil by-election in Dublin West. An application to prevent both referendums from going ahead was refused by the Supreme Court on 26 October 2011. The Irish Council for Civil Liberties said the information provided to voters in advance of polling in the two constitutional referendums was "tardy and inadequate".


2011 Irish constitutional referendums, Twenty-ninth Amendment
The Twenty-ninth Amendment is a proposal to remove the ban on reducing judicial salaries. This became contentious in the context of widespread salary cuts during the Irish financial crisis.


2011 Irish constitutional referendums, Twenty-ninth Amendment
Under the Constitution a judge's salary may not be reduced during their term of office. This is intended to protect the independence of the judiciary and prevent governments from imposing pay cuts as a reprisal for judgments with which they disagree.


2011 Irish constitutional referendums, Thirtieth Amendment
The Thirtieth Amendment is a proposal to grant full investigative powers to Oireachtas committees investigating matters of public interest.


2011 Irish constitutional referendums, Thirtieth Amendment
The Supreme Court of Ireland found the Oireachtas did not have an inherent power to conduct inquiries, and that it overstepped its jurisdiction when it set up the Abbeylara inquiry into the shooting of John Carthy in Abbeylara, County Longford, in 2000.


2011 Irish constitutional referendums, Referendum Commissions
Separate Referendum Commissions were established for the two referendums, on 5 September for the 29th Amendment and on 13 September for the 30th Amendment. The commissions have the same membership, being chaired by retired judge Bryan McMahon, with ex-officio members the clerks of Dáil Éireann and Seanad Éireann, the Ombudsman, and the Comptroller and Auditor General. The dedicated website, www.referendum2011.ie, was set up by the Referendum Commission.


2011 Irish general election
The 2011 Irish general election took place on Friday 25 February to elect 166 Teachtaí Dála across 43 constituencies to Dáil Éireann, the lower house of Ireland's parliament, the Oireachtas. The Dáil was dissolved and the general election called by President Mary McAleese on 1 February, at the request of Taoiseach Brian Cowen. The electorate was given the task of choosing the members of the 31st Dáil, who met on 9 March 2011 to nominate a Taoiseach and ratify the ministers of the Government of the 31st Dáil.


2011 Irish general election
Cowen had previously announced on 20 January that the election would be held on 11 March, and that after the 2011 budget had been passed he would seek a dissolution of the 30th Dáil by the President. However, the Green Party, the junior party in coalition government with Cowen's Fianna Fáil, withdrew from government on 23 January, stating that it would support only a truncated finance bill from the opposition benches, in order to force an earlier election.


2011 Irish general election
On 24 January, Finance Minister Brian Lenihan Jnr reached an agreement with the opposition in Dáil Éireann to complete all stages of passing the finance bill in both houses of the Oireachtas by 29 January—following which the Dáil was to be dissolved immediately. Constitutionally, following a Dáil dissolution, an election must be held within 30 days.


2011 Irish general election
Following the collapse of the coalition, the then minority governing party, Fianna Fáil, sought to minimise its losses following historically low poll ratings in the wake of the Irish financial crisis. Fine Gael sought to gain a dominant position in Irish politics after poor results in the 2000s, and to replace Fianna Fáil for the first time as the largest party in Dáil Éireann.


2011 Irish general election
The Labour Party hoped to make gains from both sides, and was widely expected to become the second-largest party and to enter into coalition government with Fine Gael; its highest ambition at the start of the campaign, buoyed by record poll ratings in preceding months, was to become the leading partner in government for the first time in the party's 99-year history. The Green Party, having been in coalition with Fianna Fáil during the Government of the 30th Dáil, faced stiff competition for its votes and was expected to lose at least four of its six seats.


2011 Irish general election
Sinn Féin was expected to make gains, encouraged by a by-election victory in November 2010 and by opinion polls which placed it ahead of Fianna Fáil. Some other left-wing groups, including People Before Profit, Workers and Unemployed Action and the Socialist Party, contested the general election under a joint banner, the United Left Alliance.


2011 Irish general election
Fianna Fáil was swept from power in the worst defeat of a sitting government since the formation of the Irish state in 1922. The party lost more than half of its first-preference vote from 2007, and garnered only 20 seats. It was the third-largest party in the 31st Dáil; this was the first election since that of September 1927 out of which it did not emerge the largest party in the chamber. The Irish Times, Ireland's newspaper of record, described Fianna Fáil's meltdown as "defeat on a historic scale."


2011 Irish general election
Fine Gael won 76 seats, becoming the largest party in the Dáil for the first time in its 78-year history, while the Labour Party became the second-largest party, with 37 seats; Sinn Féin also increased its number of seats. Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny became Taoiseach, in a coalition with Labour.


2011 Irish general election, Background
Following the bailout of Irish banks and the deteriorating level of state debt that led to the Irish financial crisis, the Irish government agreed to a bailout from the European Union and the International Monetary Fund amid fears of a wider Eurozone crisis. The European Financial Stability Facility then offered the government a multibillion-euro deal for its new debt burden.


2011 Irish general election, Background
The notion of such a move was widely condemned in Ireland, with The Irish Times criticising Fianna Fáil that despite its "primary aims [to] the commitment 'to maintain the status of Ireland as a sovereign State'... The Republican Party’s ideals are in tatters now."


2011 Irish general election, Background
Following the acceptance of the deal on 21 November 2010, the Green Party leader John Gormley called for the Taoiseach to fix a date for a general election in the second half of January 2011; however, he added that the party would support the coalition for the "coming weeks and months". The Labour Party and Fine Gael called for an immediate election in order to seek "political certainty." On 22 November 2010, Taoiseach Brian Cowen indicated that the election would take place in early 2011 after the 2011 budgetary process (a prerequisite to the bailout) had been completed. There were fears that calling the election could trigger another credit downgrade.


2011 Irish general election, Background
On 16 January Cowen announced his decision to stay on as Taoiseach and to lead Fianna Fáil into the general election. On 18 January he called for and won a vote of confidence within the party (which had been precipitated by revelations of two previously undisclosed meetings with Anglo Irish Bank chairman Seán FitzPatrick) with a majority of the 71 Fianna Fáil deputies supporting him. Despite saying he would offer Cowen "full support", Foreign Minister Micheál Martin resigned. However, following criticism within his party after his failed attempt to carry out a reshuffle of Fianna Fáil ministers, Cowen announced his resignation as leader of the party on 22 January. He confirmed he would remain as Taoiseach until after the election.


2011 Irish general election, Electoral system
Ireland uses proportional representation with a single transferable vote, also known as PR–STV. The general election took place in 43 parliamentary constituencies throughout the state for 166 Dáil Éireann seats. The Ceann Comhairle (Chairman) retired at the dissolution of the Dail. Each multi-member constituency returns three, four or five Teachtaí Dála (Dáil deputies).


2011 Irish general election, Electoral system
The closing date for nominations was 9 February 2011. A total of 566 candidates contested the election, nearly 100 more than the 2007 general election. The number of candidates per party was: Fine Gael (104), Fianna Fáil (75), Labour Party (68), Green Party (43), Sinn Féin (41), and Independents and smaller parties (233). The latter figure includes 20 candidates affiliated to the United Left Alliance, 20 independents who ran under the New Vision label, eight Christian Solidarity Party candidates, six Workers' Party and five Fís Nua candidates. Voting took place between 07:00 and 22:00 (WET).


2011 Irish general election, Date
Section 7 of the Electoral (Amendment) Act 1927 requires that the Dáil be dissolved within five years after its first meeting following the previous election (14 June 2007). Article 16.3.2 of the Constitution of Ireland requires that a general election for members of Dáil Éireann must take place not later than thirty days after the dissolution. The next general election had to, therefore, take place no later than 14 July 2012.


2011 Irish general election, Date
The current statutory framework for the setting of a date for polling day in the general election is set out in the Electoral Act 1992 (as amended). Section 96 of the Electoral Act 1992 requires that the poll is held, not earlier than the seventeenth day or later than the twenty-fifth day, following the day on which the Dáil is formally dissolved by the President. The writs for the election are issued by the Clerk of the Dáil on the day the Dáil is dissolved.


2011 Irish general election, Date
Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport Mary Hanafin said the general election was likely to take place in mid-March 2011. Batt O'Keeffe, the then Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Innovation, hinted that the election might take place on 25 March. On 19 January the Green Party indicated that they expected the budgetary process to be completed by the end of February, and that the election should be held no later than the end of March. Brian Cowen attempted a reshuffle of his party's ministers on 20 January 2011.


2011 Irish general election, Date
However, following the resignation of six cabinet ministers, it became clear that the Green Party would not allow him to fill the vacancies. He subsequently announced that the election for the 31st Dáil would take place on 11 March. Motions of no confidence in the outgoing government were tabled by Fine Gael for 25 January and by the Labour Party for 26 January; both parties said they would be willing to give the government time to expedite the Finance Act in return for bringing forward the election date. Finance Minister Brian Lenihan said it could be moved by "a week or two at most". Cowen resigned as Fianna Fáil leader on 22 January, and the Green Party withdrew from government the next day, but promised to support the Finance Act.


2011 Irish general election, Date
On 28 January it was announced that Cowen intended to ask McAleese to dissolve the Dáil on 1 February. Cowen formally asked for a Dáil dissolution on 1 February, after the finance bill cleared parliament. In accordance with Irish constitutional practice (no Irish president has ever refused such a request), McAleese granted the dissolution.


2011 Irish general election, Date
As usual, certain offshore islands voted earlier than the rest of the country. Voters on Arranmore, Clare Island, Gola, Inishbiggle, Inishbofin (Donegal), Inishfree, Inishturk and Tory Island headed to the polls on 23 February; voters on the Aran Islands and Inishbofin (Galway) cast their ballots on 24 February.


2011 Irish general election, Constituency changes
The number of TDs elected and the number of constituencies contested remained the same as for the previous general election, though there were substantial boundary changes.


2011 Irish general election, Retiring incumbents
The following 39 members of the 30th Dáil did not contest the 2011 general election.


2011 Irish general election, Retiring incumbents
†Vacant seat, deputy had resigned before the dissolution of Dáil Éireann.


2011 Irish general election, Retiring incumbents
In four constituencies (Cavan–Monaghan, Cork North-West, Dublin North-West, and Dublin South-Central) Fianna Fáil nominated fewer candidates than it had outgoing TDs, effectively conceding a seat in each.


2011 Irish general election, Campaign
Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams (formerly an MP and MLA for Belfast West) announced on 15 November 2010 that he would resign both of these posts and contest the Louth constituency at the following Irish general election, in an attempt to retain the seat being vacated by Arthur Morgan.


2011 Irish general election, Campaign
A number of election candidates were given formal warnings not to place election posters until the date had been announced.


2011 Irish general election, Campaign
Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin stated that the party would not rule out supporting a minority Fine Gael government if its policies were in line with Fianna Fáil's programme for economic recovery. On 31 January 2011 Martin named Mary Hanafin as the new deputy leader, while the government chief whip John Curran was named as justice spokesman. Barry Andrews was appointed as health spokesman, Billy Kelleher transport, Peter Power foreign affairs and trade, and Niall Collins defence. He also appointed Willie O'Dea, a former Minister of Defence who had resigned in February 2010 after committing perjury in front of the High Court, as communications spokesperson. Brian Lenihan would continue as the finance spokesman in addition to being Finance Minister.


2011 Irish general election, Campaign
In early February, European Central Bank President Jean-Claude Trichet told political parties to go ahead with the terms of the EU-IMF financial bailout plan. This came despite Fine Gael and Labour saying they would like to see a renegotiation of some of the key elements of the deal. Labour Party leader Eamon Gilmore asked voters to choose between "Frankfurt's Way or Labour's Way".


2011 Irish general election, Campaign
Micheál Martin was involved in an alleged racist gaffe, mocking a Chinese accent while speaking on his party's innovation proposals at the Dublin Web Summit.


2011 Irish general election, Campaign
During the campaign, there were numerous reports of infighting between Fianna Fáil candidates Peter Power and Willie O'Dea in Limerick City, Cyprian Brady and Mary Fitzpatrick in Dublin Central, and Mary Hanafin and Barry Andrews in Dún Laoghaire.


2011 Irish general election, Campaign, New parties and groupings
A number of parties and political alliances were set up in order to contest the election.


2011 Irish general election, Campaign, New parties and groupings
The United Left Alliance was set up on 25 November 2010, announcing it would field twenty candidates in the election. The group consisted of People Before Profit, the Socialist Party and the Tipperary South-based Workers and Unemployed Action. However, the group failed to get its name mentioned on the ballot.


2011 Irish general election, Campaign, New parties and groupings
A number of public figures, including journalists Fintan O'Toole, David McWilliams and Eamon Dunphy, discussed standing as members of a loose alliance dubbed "Democracy Now" to reform the political system and replace the IMF bailout agreement with a structured debt default. O'Toole wrote on 29 January that, once the election date was brought forward from late March, "the risk of going off half-cocked seemed to outweigh the hope of making a difference", and the plan was abandoned. The Evening Herald reported that "almost half of the 20 figures approached by Democracy Now in [late January] were unable to commit to the campaign". Finian McGrath, Catherine Murphy, and Shane Ross, who stood as independents, were also involved in the proposal.


2011 Irish general election, Campaign, New parties and groupings
The newly registered party Fís Nua announced on 5 February that it was running six candidates in the election, three of whom were former Green Party members.


2011 Irish general election, Campaign, Television debates
Micheál Martin proposed that a series of debates between Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Labour Party should take place on RTÉ, TV3 and a debate in Irish on TG4. This proposal was accepted by the Labour Party leader Eamon Gilmore. On 27 January, Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny proposed a five-way debate which was also to include Sinn Féin and the Green Party. Kenny refused to take part in any debate that would involve TV3 news broadcaster Vincent Browne.


2011 Irish general election, Campaign, Television debates
In September 2010, Browne had made a comment on his show that Kenny "should go into a dark room with a gun and bottle of whiskey". Browne has since apologised for the remark, and said he would step aside as moderator of the TV3 three-way leaders' debate if Kenny agreed to take part. Responding to TV3's offer to replace Browne as moderator, Kenny stated that a clash in his schedule meant he was unable to take part in the debate.


2011 Irish general election, Campaign, Television debates
In negotiations, TV3 proposed following the British model, in which the moderator does not ask follow-up questions and does not criticise or comment on the leaders' answers. However, the right of journalist Vincent Browne to "seek factual clarification where necessary" was reserved. It was agreed Browne would sit between Micheál Martin and Eamon Gilmore, and their positions either to the right or left of him were determined by the drawing of lots. Although both Martin and Gilmore had requested that an empty chair be left to represent the absence of Kenny, this was ruled out by TV3.


2011 Irish general election, Campaign, Television debates
A second debate lasting an hour took place on RTÉ on 14 February. The debate was hosted by Pat Kenny and involved leaders of the five main parties; Micheál Martin, Enda Kenny, Eamon Gilmore, John Gormley and Gerry Adams. The studio audience consisted of 140 undecided voters, six of whom asked pre-set questions. Leaders were given 45 seconds to respond to the question with efforts made to confine contributions to 45 seconds during the "free debate".


2011 Irish general election, Campaign, Television debates
The third debate took place on TG4 in Irish, the first debate to take place in the Irish language. The fourth and final debate took place on RTÉ on 22 February. The final debate was watched by an average television audience of 800,000 people.


2011 Irish general election, Campaign, Directors of Elections
The following people were appointed by their parties to act as their director of elections:


2011 Irish general election, Opinion polls
The parties maintained their results from the 2007 general election for about eighteen months afterwards, with little change in polling figures. Fianna Fáil enjoyed a small bounce in May 2008 after the election of Brian Cowen to succeed Bertie Ahern as Taoiseach.


2011 Irish general election, Opinion polls
Fine Gael took the lead in opinion polls after the October 2008 budget, which included tax increases and spending cuts to address the growing financial crisis. A second emergency budget in April 2009 continued the downward trend in the popularity of the government parties, with Labour now capturing the gains from disaffected Fianna Fáil supporters. Two polls in the first half of 2009 showed Fianna Fáil coming third, behind both Fine Gael and Labour. Most polls between the 2009 local elections and the summer of 2010 showed Fine Gael far ahead in first place, around the mid-30s, with Fianna Fáil in the mid-20s and Labour in the low 20s.


2011 Irish general election, Opinion polls
An Irish Times poll on 11 June 2010 gave Labour an unprecedented 32%, ahead of Fine Gael on 28% and Fianna Fáil on 17%. This surprise result was followed by the unsuccessful leadership challenge by Fine Gael deputy leader Richard Bruton against Enda Kenny; a period of instability followed, during which Labour challenged Fine Gael for first place in the polls.


2011 Irish general election, Opinion polls
As the economic crisis continued to worsen in late 2010, Fianna Fáil fell below 20% support, and did not recover from this in any opinion polls taken before the election. In November 2010, the EU/IMF rescue, followed by an historic defeat at the Donegal South-West by-election, marked a new period in opinion polling. Fianna Fáil and the Green Party fell to unprecedented lows, with improvements for Sinn Féin, Fine Gael and independent candidates, and a decline in Labour's position. Fine Gael took a strong lead in polling, with Labour safely in second place, while Fianna Fáil struggled to maintain third place, just ahead of Sinn Féin and independents, all polling in the low teens.


2011 Irish general election, Opinion polls
As the election campaign began in February, Fine Gael enjoyed a surge at the expense of the other parties. Results in the high 30s suggested that Fine Gael could form a government on its own, rather than with its traditional coalition partners in the Labour Party. However, the exit poll taken on election night, and the subsequent results on the following days, showed an eleventh-hour fall in Fine Gael support to the mid-30s, the benefits of which seemed to accrue to Fianna Fáil and Independents.


2011 Irish general election, Results
The United Left Alliance (ULA) won 59,423 votes (2.7%) and five seats. The ULA comprised the Socialist Party, the People Before Profit Alliance, the Workers and Unemployed Action and independent candidate Declan Bree (2,284 votes).


2011 Irish general election, Results
Independents include New Vision candidates (25,422 votes) and People's Convention candidates (1,512 votes).


2011 Irish general election, Results, Voting summary
First preference vote Share of different parties in the election.


2011 Irish general election, Results, Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil suffered the worst defeat of a sitting government in the history of the Irish state, and amongst the worst ever suffered by any Western European governing party. The party's first-preference vote plunged to 17.5 per cent – less than half of its first-preference vote from 2007. Without a significant number of transfers, the election count quickly turned into a rout.


2011 Irish general election, Results, Fianna Fáil
From 77 seats at dissolution, the party was reduced to a rump of 20 TDs, the worst election result in the party's 85-year history. The 57-seat loss far exceeded Fine Gael's 15-seat loss in 1977, the previous record for the worst defeat of a sitting government. By comparison, after the five elections since 1932 at which Fianna Fáil was consigned to opposition, it remained the largest party in the Dáil, with well over 60 TDs.


2011 Irish general election, Results, Fianna Fáil
The party suffered a near-total meltdown in Dublin, which had been one of the party's strongholds since 1977. Twelve of the party's 13 Dublin TDs seeking re-election were defeated. Outgoing Finance Minister Brian Lenihan Jnr barely retained his Dublin West seat on the fifth count, and was, until his death on 10 June 2011, the lone Fianna Fáil TD from the capital. Notably, the party was completely shut out in Dublin Central, which former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern had represented for 34 years.


2011 Irish general election, Results, Fianna Fáil
The most high-profile casualty was Tánaiste and Minister for Education and Skills Mary Coughlan, who lost the seat she had held in Donegal South-West since 1987. The Guardian newspaper described it as "Ireland's Portillo moment". She was the second Tánaiste in a row to lose their own seat in an election, after Michael McDowell in 2007. Other senior cabinet ministers who lost their seats included Pat Carey and Mary Hanafin. Junior ministers who lost their seats included Barry Andrews, Áine Brady, Seán Connick, John Curran, Seán Haughey, Conor Lenihan, Martin Mansergh, Peter Power and Dick Roche. Fianna Fáil also had no women TDs in the 31st Dáil.


2011 Irish general election, Results, Fianna Fáil
The severity of the defeat came as a shock to many of Fianna Fáil's senior leaders. Martin and others had concluded almost as soon as the election writ was drawn up that the party would not win a record fifth consecutive term in government. However, while they anticipated massive losses, they had hoped to hold on to at least 30 seats.


2011 Irish general election, Results, Fine Gael
Fine Gael became largest party in the Dáil for the first time in its 78-year history. The party won 76 seats, six more than its previous record seat count in 1982. There initially had been talk of Fine Gael winning an overall majority—something no Irish party has done since 1977—but the party ultimately came up seven seats short. The party also took 17 seats in the Dublin region-its best result in 29 years-to become the second party in the capital.


2011 Irish general election, Results, Labour Party
The Labour Party made a very strong showing, almost doubling its share of the vote to become the second-largest party in the Dáil, its best showing ever. It also took 18 seats in Dublin to become the first party in the capital. However, in contrast to predictions by Eamon Gilmore, most of the party's gains were in the Greater Dublin, Munster and Leinster constituencies. Despite an increase in its vote, the party only managed to win two seats in Connacht, both of which were in County Galway.


2011 Irish general election, Results, Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin also made significant gains. All its sitting TDs were returned, Seán Crowe regaining the seat in Dublin South-West he lost in 2007, and party president Gerry Adams retaining Arthur Morgan's seat in Louth, topping the poll. In addition to winning targeted seats such as Dublin Central, Dublin North-West and Meath West the party gained unexpected seats in Cork East and Sligo–North Leitrim. It won 14 seats, the best performance for the party's current incarnation.


2011 Irish general election, Results, Green Party
The Green Party lost all of the six seats it had previously held, including that of party leader John Gormley and Eamon Ryan, both of whom served as cabinet ministers in the previous government. Three out of their six incumbent TDs lost their deposits. The party's share of the vote fell below 2%, meaning that they could not reclaim election expenses, and their lack of parliamentary representation led to the ending of state funding for the party. This financial crisis made it likely that the Greens may have been forced to close their Dublin office and make "some if not all" of their staff redundant.


2011 Irish general election, Results, United Left Alliance
The United Left Alliance won five seats. Two former TDs returned to the Dáil: Joe Higgins of the Socialist Party and Séamus Healy of the Workers and Unemployed Action. Clare Daly became the Socialist Party's second-ever TD. The People Before Profit won its first two seats in Dáil Éireann, with Richard Boyd Barrett and Joan Collins elected. United Left Alliance candidates won a combined vote share of 2.7%, more than the Green Party.


2011 Irish general election, Results, Notable firsts
The 2011 election resulted in a record number of first time TDs, with 76 elected for the first time.


2011 Irish general election, Results, Notable firsts
It was the first occasion in which no political party won a seat in every constituency. Fine Gael took a seat in every constituency with the exception of Dublin North-West.


2011 Irish general election, Results, Notable firsts
Labour Party TDs Dominic Hannigan and John Lyons became the first openly gay people to be elected to the Dáil.


2011 Irish general election, Results, TDs who lost their seats
Forty-five sitting TDs (27% of the total) lost their Dáil seats: Fianna Fáil (35), Green Party (6), Fine Gael (3) and Independent (1).


2011 Irish general election, Results, Leading vote-getters
The leading vote-getter in 2011 was Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny. The candidate who won the highest percentage of a quota was Fine Gael's Michael Noonan. The top ten by votes won were:


2011 Irish general election, Results, Reactions
Kenny said he would work on a quick formation of a new government, calling the verdict a "democratic revolution." He also said his top priority will be renegotiating the bailout. Despite his attempts to renegotiate the bailout, which was a condition in coalition talks, German Chancellor Angela Merkel response was read as a blow to these attempts when she said "We can't get to a point where Ireland pays lower interest rates than Portugal. [ Ireland and Greece had] tapped an aid programme [and agreed to conditions that they must fulfil].


2011 Irish general election, Results, Reactions
If the Irish government now has a problem with interest rates, our job is to figure out what we can do – or whether we can do anything." Pressure continued to mount on Kenny's attempt to reconfigure the loan terms of the bailout as Merkel was scheduled to attend a European People's Party leaders' meet that Kenny, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and European Union President Herman Van Rompuy (of Belgium's CD&V) were also attending. Host Finnish Finance Minister Jyrki Katainen, facing an election of his own, also opposed lowering Ireland's average loan rate of 5.8%. In response to talking about indebted states cannot expect concessions having agreed to additional measures to boost competitiveness and stabilise their finances, he said: "You can't be rewarded by others for doing your job well. The concession is that those countries' credibility in the markets will improve."


2011 Irish general election, Results, Reactions
The euro declined after the election on speculation the new government would seek to revalue the bailout with senior bank bond holders. The Irish Stock Exchange's ISEQ index increased by over 1% on 28 February following the election.


2011 Irish general election, Results, Reactions
The Irish Independent blamed Bertie Ahern and his finance ministers Charlie McCreevy and Brian Cowen for having ignored warnings on public finances from civil servants during the Celtic Tiger days.


2011 Irish general election, Analysis
The election result was read as harsh on the euro which Bloomberg read as its intention was to "provide economic harmony...[and] ensure political stability." Of which it said neither has happened. It also suggested that:


2011 Irish general election, Analysis
What happens in Ireland doesn't matter much to anyone but the Irish... But the Irish results are a sneak preview of greater turmoil ahead. Chancellor Angela Merkel's approval ratings are at risk as her party strikes electoral trouble in Germany. President Nicolas Sarkozy's re-election in France is surely in doubt. And Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi seems finished as a force in Italian politics, not just because of his interest in young women.


2011 Irish general election, Analysis
The Irish Times columnist Diarmaid Ferriter likened Fianna Fáil's electoral meltdown to the 1918 election, which saw the Irish Parliamentary Party nearly wiped off the map by Sinn Féin. According to Ferriter, in both cases the electorate rejected "a tired old movement, arrogant from long-time electoral dominance." He even suggested Fianna Fáil might have been swept out of the chamber entirely in a first-past-the-post system, and that the party now faced a battle to stay relevant on the Irish political scene.


2011 Irish general election, Government formation
With the largest number of seats, but not a majority, Fine Gael was the most likely party to lead the new Government. There had been speculation that the party might be able to form a one-party minority government supported by a number of independents or by Fianna Fáil. However, it became clear almost as soon as the result was beyond doubt that Fine Gael's senior leadership preferred to go into coalition with the Labour Party.


2011 Irish general election, Government formation
Following a meeting of the leaders of the two parties, negotiating teams were appointed on 1 March to discuss the possibility of agreeing a joint programme for government. The teams were Michael Noonan, Phil Hogan and Alan Shatter for Fine Gael and Joan Burton, Brendan Howlin and Pat Rabbitte for Labour. After meeting for a second day they described the talks as "friendly". Officials from the Department of Finance and the National Treasury Management Agency also briefed them on economic issues as opposition parties had not been briefed before the election. Burton then said there was a "very challenging situation in the banking sector".


2011 Irish general election, Government formation
Late on the night of 5 March, Fine Gael and Labour reached a formal coalition agreement. The programme for government was ratified the following day by a special delegate conference of the Labour Party and by a meeting of the Fine Gael parliamentary party. This cleared the way for Enda Kenny to be nominated as Taoiseach on 9 March. The coalition deal was opposed within the Labour Party by Tommy Broughan and Joanna Tuffy.


2011 Irish general election, Government formation
When the Dáil convened on 9 March, Kenny was the only candidate nominated as Taoiseach, and was elected by 117 votes for to 27 against. He was supported by a number of independents as well as the Fine Gael and Labour parties, while Fianna Fáil abstained on the vote. Under the terms of the deal, Gilmore became Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Labour have four other ministries.


2011 Irish presidential election
The 2011 Irish presidential election was the thirteenth presidential election to be held in Ireland, and was contested by a record seven candidates. It was held on Thursday, 27 October 2011. The election was held to elect a successor to Mary McAleese, with the winner to be inaugurated as the ninth President of Ireland on 11 November 2011. Two constitutional referendums and a by-election for a vacant Dáil seat in the Dublin West constituency took place on the same day.


2011 Irish presidential election
The seven candidates were Mary Davis, Seán Gallagher, Michael D. Higgins, Martin McGuinness, Gay Mitchell, David Norris and Dana Rosemary Scallon. Higgins was nominated by Labour, McGuinness was nominated by Sinn Féin and Mitchell was nominated by Fine Gael, while Independent candidates Davis, Gallagher, Norris and Scallon were nominated by local authorities. The previously dominant Fianna Fáil party declined to nominate a candidate following their disastrous general election campaign earlier that year. Michael D. Higgins was ultimately elected as president.


2011 Irish presidential election, Procedure
Presidential elections are conducted under the Presidential Elections Act 1993, as amended. Constitutionally, the election must be held not more than 60 days before the ending of the term of office of the incumbent, or within 60 days of the office becoming vacant. On 27 July the government announced that the election would be held on 27 October 2011. An order was made on 30 August by the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government declaring 28 September to be the last day on which nominations could be received.


2011 Irish presidential election, Procedure
The election was conducted by means of the alternative vote (also called instant runoff voting), which is the single-winner analogue of the single transferable vote used in other Irish elections. Although the constitution calls the system "proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote", a single-winner election cannot be proportional. All Irish citizens entered on the current electoral register were eligible to vote.


2011 Irish presidential election, Nomination campaign
Following the general election in February 2011, and subsequent Seanad election, only three political parties had the 20 members of Oireachtas required to nominate a candidate: Fine Gael (76 TDs and 19 senators), the Labour Party (37 TDs and 13 senators) and Fianna Fáil (19 TDs and 14 senators). Sinn Féin, the next largest party in the Dáil Éireann, had 14 TDs and 3 senators. For other candidates to be nominated by Oireachtas members, support would have been required from members of smaller parties, independents (of which there were then 14 TDs and 11 senators) or excess members of the three larger parties.


2011 Irish presidential election, Nomination campaign, Fine Gael
Gay Mitchell, MEP for Dublin and former TD for Dublin South-Central was chosen as the Fine Gael candidate at a special convention held on 9 July 2011. He announced that he would be seeking the party's nomination in June 2011, having been contacted by "a large number of senior figures in the party". Voting was by secret ballot, with an electoral college consisting of the Fine Gael parliamentary party (TDs, Senators and MEPs) with 70% of the vote, county and city councillors (20%) and the twelve-member executive council (10%).


2011 Irish presidential election, Nomination campaign, Fine Gael
In March 2011, Fine Gael had produced a shortlist of three candidates: John Bruton, Seán Kelly and Mairead McGuinness. Bruton, a former Taoiseach and European Union Ambassador, ruled himself out of the contest on 28 May 2011. Kelly, an MEP and former President of the Gaelic Athletic Association indicated on 1 June 2011 that he would not be seeking the party's nomination, and wished to continue serving in the European Parliament. The party approached Nobel laureate poet Seamus Heaney in late 2010, but Heaney declined to stand unless he was an agreed cross-party candidate.


2011 Irish presidential election, Nomination campaign, Fine Gael
On the announcement that Mitchell had won the nomination, the Sunday Independent stated that Kenny was seen to slump and "could barely contain his disappointment." When questioned by a journalist on his apparent disappointment, Kenny responded sharply "Am I supposed to be going around grinning like a Cheshire Cat at everything?"


2011 Irish presidential election, Nomination campaign, Labour Party
The Labour Party candidate was Michael D. Higgins. He was chosen jointly by the party's National Executive and the Labour Parliamentary Party at a special convention on 19 June 2011.


2011 Irish presidential election, Nomination campaign, Labour Party
The former TD and Minister, and current Labour Party president, originally indicated that he was interested in receiving the party's nomination in September 2010. Like Higgins, two other candidates put their names forward in late May 2011:


2011 Irish presidential election, Nomination campaign, Fianna Fáil
For the first time in any presidential election, Fianna Fáil neither ran a candidate nor supported the nomination of a candidate. The decision was made at a meeting of the parliamentary party on 31 August 2011, and was in line with the recommendations of the six-person subcommittee formed by the party leader Micheál Martin to consider the matter.


2011 Irish presidential election, Nomination campaign, Fianna Fáil
In June 2011 press reports had indicated that the party was unlikely to run a candidate both for financial reasons and also because it was unlikely that a Fianna Fáil nominee could be successful. In early August 2011 there was press speculation that RTÉ broadcaster Gay Byrne might seek a nomination. On 6 August Micheál Martin rang Byrne at his holiday home to indicate that Fianna Fáil Oireachtas members would facilitate his nomination.


2011 Irish presidential election, Nomination campaign, Fianna Fáil
Byrne indicated that he had yet to make a decision on whether to put his name forward, but said that if he did so he would not run under the Fianna Fáil banner but as an independent, albeit with the assistance of the party's organisation. "Fianna Fáil are convinced no matter who they put up will be unelectable, so they're giving me their support" he told the Irish Independent.


2011 Irish presidential election, Nomination campaign, Fianna Fáil
Éamon Ó Cuív, the party's deputy leader and member of the committee tasked with deciding on their strategy for the election stated that "I know of no approach to Gay Byrne... Nobody has discussed the issue with me — good, bad or indifferent." On 13 August Byrne informed Martin that he would not be going forward for nomination. He stated that the idea of running had been "foisted on him and he had not known anything about it and what it would involve". This followed unease among Fianna Fáil parliamentary party Oireachtas members, with a number unhappy that a candidate was being imposed by the leadership without discussion.


2011 Irish presidential election, Nomination campaign, Fianna Fáil
On 16 August 2011, the Irish Examiner reported that Micheál Martin had moved to pull the party out of the presidential race over the fallout from the approach to Gay Byrne, the cost involved and the slim chance of a candidate being elected. On 24 August, however, the party's deputy leader Éamon Ó Cuív told Raidió na Gaeltachta that he believed the party should put forward a candidate. Several members had expressed an interest in the party nomination:


2011 Irish presidential election, Nomination campaign, Fianna Fáil
Following the decision by Fianna Fáil not to run their own candidate, there was speculation that some party members might be prepared to nominate an independent candidate. However, on 11 September the party's chief whip, Seán Ó Fearghail, made it clear that individual TDs and senators would not be permitted to sign the nomination papers of independent candidates. He said that if the party decided to support a candidacy it would be done collectively.


2011 Irish presidential election, Nomination campaign, Fianna Fáil
A meeting of the parliamentary party was held on 15 September at which the issue of the presidential election was raised. Unexpectedly, one of the party's senators, Labhrás Ó Murchú, sought nominations to run as an independent candidate. This was widely seen as a challenge to the authority of Micheál Martin. The extended meeting broke up without agreement. The parliamentary party met again on 20 September. Senator Ó Murchú withdrew his request for a nomination and a motion was passed that the party's Oireachtas members would not nominate or endorse any candidate. The decision was seen as a severe blow to the attempts to secure a nomination by David Norris and Dana Rosemary Scallon who were expected to need signatures from individual Fianna Fáil members.


2011 Irish presidential election, Nomination campaign, Sinn Féin
At the party's Ard Comhairle meeting in Dublin in June 2011, the party's leader, Gerry Adams TD, ruled himself out as a candidate. He had previously expressed a wish to be elected president in time for the centenary of the Easter Rising in 2016.


2011 Irish presidential election, Nomination campaign, Sinn Féin
There had been reports in July that artist Robert Ballagh was "seriously considering a run for the presidency", and had been in talks with Sinn Féin, the Socialist Party and People Before Profit Alliance. A Sinn Féin source confirmed there had been "very informal discussions", However, on 25 July Ballagh ruled himself out.


2011 Irish presidential election, Nomination campaign, Sinn Féin
In a keynote speech at the party's Ard Fheis on 10 September Gerry Adams said that he felt that Sinn Féin should support the nomination of "a candidate who is capable of winning the support of progressive and nationalist opinion… who will reflect the broad republican spirit of the Irish people at this time". He went on to state that the party's Ard Comhairle would consider the matter on 17 September.


2011 Irish presidential election, Nomination campaign, Sinn Féin
On 16 September it was revealed that the party would seek to have Martin McGuinness, deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland, nominated to contest the election. With 14 TDs and three Senators, Sinn Féin were three short of the required twenty Oireachtas members to nominate a candidate for the presidency. Soon after the nomination was announced, four Independent TDs agreed to nominate McGuinness, securing his nomination: Michael Healy-Rae and Tom Fleming (both representing Kerry South), Luke 'Ming' Flanagan (Roscommon–South Leitrim) and Finian McGrath (Dublin North-Central). Both 'Ming' Flanagan and McGrath had previously pledged their support to Norris.


2011 Irish presidential election, Nomination campaign, Independent
In order to secure a nomination, a number of non-party politicians sought the support of either 20 members of the Oireachtas or four city or county councils.


2011 Irish presidential election, Nomination campaign, Independent, Council nominations
A number of independent politicians sought support from local authorities, with four candidates nominated by the resolutions of four or more councils:


2011 Irish presidential election, Nomination campaign, Independent, Council nominations
A number of councils scheduled special meetings to consider presidential nominations prior to the deadline of midday on 28 September 2011.


2011 Irish presidential election, Candidates
Seven candidates contested the presidential election, having been selected by their parties or having received sufficient council nominations. This was the largest number of candidates to contest an Irish presidential election.


2011 Irish presidential election, Election campaign
The "motley crew" of candidates (The Washington Times) led to much attention on the campaign and election outcome from the international media. The Guardian described it as "the most fractious presidential election campaign since the republic was founded".


2011 Irish presidential election, Election campaign
Phil Hogan of Fine Gael, Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, attacked Martin McGuinness claiming that US multinational companies would be "appalled" if Martin McGuinness were elected and foreign direct investment would drop. This was followed by a tweet made by Government Chief Whip Paul Kehoe which claimed that McGuinness profited from the Northern Bank robbery. This was in response to a pledge made by McGuinness to only take the average industrial wage, if elected president. McGuinness dismissed both charges as "black propaganda". It was reported in The Irish Times that Fine Gael's "strategy of levelling strongly worded accusations at Mr McGuinness was part of a drive to motivate party voters to come out in support of Mr Mitchell in the October 27th election".


2011 Irish presidential election, Election campaign
At her formal campaign launch on 4 October, Independent Mary Davis accused Fine Gael of using polling companies to research attacks on her. She also pledged she would ask the Government to bring the office of President under the terms of the Freedom of Information Act and that she would publish an annual expenditure report for the Áras. David Norris also made a pledge to publish expenses. Mrs. Davis eventually accepted "collective responsibility" for mortgage lending decisions made after she was appointed to the board of the ICS building society.


2011 Irish presidential election, Election campaign
During the campaign, several relatives of people killed during The Troubles objected to the prospect of a former IRA member, McGuinness, becoming president. On 10 October, McGuinness was confronted in Athlone by the son of a member of the Irish Army killed by the IRA after Don Tidey's kidnap in Ballinamore in 1983. In a RTÉ interview that aired on 20 October, Bryan Dobson noted a 1985 Hot Press interview in which McGuinness indicated that he considered the IRA volunteers at Ballinamore to be "defending themselves against armed Gardaí and soldiers."


2011 Irish presidential election, Election campaign
When Dobson then asked if it was "fair to say that on this occasion you were standing over the killing of members of the Gardaí and Defence Forces?" McGuinness insisted that he has "never done that." The family of Garda Detective Frank Hand, killed in 1984, accused McGuinness of misleading younger generations with a "glossy campaign". The husband of a mother killed by the IRA in 1981 said he doubted McGuinness' claims of ignorance about the identities of IRA killers, saying "If anybody knows who did it, he does. If he is full of apologies he has never apologised to me".


2011 Irish presidential election, Election campaign
In Northern Ireland, unionists took exception to the appearance of McGuinness election posters there given that Northern Ireland citizens were not eligible to vote in this election. Sinn Féin has regularly called for voting rights in the presidential election to be extended to Irish citizens in Northern Ireland.


2011 Irish presidential election, Election campaign
Michael D. Higgins was confronted by former Tara mines workers while canvassing in Meath. The workers were upset about their pensions being cut.


2011 Irish presidential election, Election campaign, Debates
The first broadcast debate of the campaign took place on 28 September 2011, the day that nominations closed, on RTÉ Radio 1's News at One programme. This was followed by a series of televised one-on-one interviews with the candidates on RTÉ One's evening Prime Time programme on the same day. A second debate was held on The Late Late Show on 30 September; David Norris was not interviewed alone as the other six candidates were as he had been interviewed the previous week on the programme, but was included in the later panel debate.


2011 Irish presidential election, Election campaign, Debates
On 4 October, TV3 broadcast Vincent Browne's Big Presidential Debate. Gay Mitchell challenged Martin McGuinness on the "fairytale" that he left the IRA in 1974, asking him directly: "If you (McGuinness) say you left the IRA in 1974 and persist in saying that when you didn’t; if you say you are living on the average industrial wage when you are drawing down a couple of hundred grand – how can people have confidence in your word?"


2011 Irish presidential election, Election campaign, Debates
Moderator Vincent Browne later challenged Martin McGuinness' claims that he left the Provisional Irish Republican Army in 1974, producing eight books with alleged evidence claiming otherwise. McGuinness referenced this moment when he said in a later debate on the radio that people would blame him for the 1916 Rising if they could find a way to implicate him. Fine Gael candidate Gay Mitchell suffered from lack of recognition by many voters, and suffered heavily for his controversial views on suicide and on Ireland joining the Commonwealth. Labour candidate Michael D. Higgins was pursued by his past links to the unpopular Fianna Fáil and his admission that he had smoked cannabis.


2011 Irish presidential election, Election campaign, Debates
During a debate on Today FM Gay Mitchell controversially spoke of Ireland rejoining the Commonwealth, with some other candidates disagreeing with him. Mitchell suffered from poor voter recognition, and was criticised over remarks on suicide he made on live radio.


2011 Irish presidential election, Election campaign, Debates
On 12 October, Miriam O'Callaghan moderated a debate on RTÉ's Prime Time with the seven candidates. The debate, lasting 90 minutes, took place on a Wednesday night, though Prime Time usually aired on a Tuesday and Thursday, and was announced a week in advance.


2011 Irish presidential election, Election campaign, Debates
Dana Rosemary Scallon read out a prepared statement towards the end of the debate, announcing that a "malicious" and "false" accusation has been made against her and her family in the United States and, while refusing to divulge any details, she said she would leave "no stone unturned" in her mission to track down the person or organisation responsible. Scallon was visibly upset and was comforted by other candidates. She met with her lawyers the next day.


2011 Irish presidential election, Election campaign, Debates
David Norris expressed sorrow for Scallon and comforted her, also expressing frustration at the general tone of the election campaign and saying the media had libelled him in some of its reports. Scallon told TV3 News on 14 October that a freelance journalist had told her the allegations would appear through the media. Miriam O'Callaghan's treatment of Martin McGuinness resulted in more than 100 complaints to RTÉ. O'Callaghan's RTÉ colleague Pat Kenny said he watched on "with shock and horror because I don't think I've ever seen a politician ever interviewed on radio before and more or less called a murderer. That was kind of shocking." McGuinness himself also expressed disappointment with O'Callaghan.


2011 Irish presidential election, Election campaign, Debates
Gallagher's campaign suffered a severe setback on 24 October when, in the last televised debate before the election, he admitted collecting a €5,000 cheque from someone he described as a "convicted criminal and fuel smuggler", for a Fianna Fáil fundraiser event which gave access to the then Taoiseach, Brian Cowen after being questioned on the matter by Martin McGuinness. Gallagher had been the frontrunner in an opinion poll at this point. The donation was later revealed to be from businessman Hugh Morgan.


2011 Irish presidential election, Election campaign, Debates
Gallagher subsequently denied collecting a cheque from Morgan, but refused to answer questions on an illegal director's loan of €82,829, which had also been raised in the 24 October televised debate. After this performance Gallagher's campaign was compared to Devon Loch's fall at the winning post in the 1956 Grand National. He was reported to have been left "shell-shocked" afterwards. Gallagher cancelled his planned meet-the-people visits the following day so that he could tour broadcasters and attempt to explain his behaviour. On 7 March 2012, the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI) upheld a complaint against RTÉ relating to the broadcasting of the tweet that derailed Gallagher's presidential campaign.


2011 Irish presidential election, Election campaign, Debates
Eventual winner Michael D. Higgins was pursued by his past links to the Fianna Fáil party, and admitted on 13 October that he had been elected chairman of the UCG Fianna Fáil university cumann in 1966. While at university in the United States he had, he admitted, smoked marijuana. However, media reports said he was "spared the intense grilling Miriam O'Callaghan meted out to some of the others" during the Prime Time debate.


2011 Irish presidential election, Election campaign, Campaign spending
In February 2012 the Standards in Public Office Commission published the candidates' returns for campaign donations and election expenses. Candidates who receive more than 25% of a quota (i.e. 12.5% of the total votes; 221,471 votes) at any stage are entitled to a refund of election expenses to a maximum of €200,000. Three candidates received the maximum refund allowed; the other four had too few votes and received no refund. Only donations above €638 need be reported, making the reported totals less meaningful. Gay Mitchell had stated his campaign would be funded by a Fine Gael members' lottery.


2011 Irish presidential election, Vote
Voting took place between 07:00 and 22:00 (IST) on 27 October.


2011 Irish presidential election, Vote
As usual, voting began on certain offshore islands a few days before the rest of the country. On the Donegal islands of Arranmore, Gola, Inishfree, Inisbofin and Tory, voting took place on 24 October between 11:00 and 15:00 (11:00 and 19:30 on Arranmore). On 25 October, the Mayo islands of Clare Island, Inishbiggle and Inishturk went to the polls; while the Galway islands of Inishbofin and the Aran Islands voted on 26 October between 07:00 and 22:00.


2011 Irish presidential election, Vote
After 15 hours of voting, ballot boxes were secured, with nationwide counting of votes beginning the following morning after presidential votes were separated from constitutional referendum votes (which were due to be counted later).


2011 Irish presidential election, Result
Counting of votes began at 09:00 on 28 October. The fourth and final count was completed by 15:56 on 29 October.


2011 Irish presidential election, Reactions
Fine Gael General Secretary Tom Curran called it a "bad day" for the party, adding "From early on the electorate had the view that Gay (Mitchell) was out of the race and that it was a two person race". Mitchell received only about one in eight votes from his previous constituency of Dublin South-Central. Mitchell performed considerably worse than Fine Gael's 1990 candidate Austin Currie which was one of the party's most unsuccessful election campaigns. Gallagher's sudden demise was compared to Devon Loch's fall at the winning post in the 1956 Grand National.


2011 Irish presidential election, Reactions
Speaking at the RDS count centre, David Norris conceded and sent Higgins his congratulations, calling him "a bit of a maverick like myself". Norris mentioned on radio that he had been "collecting apologies in the newspapers" and that they "told the truth in the end". Higgins received a hero's welcome at a victory reception on 30 October at Eyre Square, Galway; approximately 5,000 people turned out to welcome him home.


2011 Ironman 70.3 World Championship
The 2011 Ironman 70.3 World Championship was a triathlon competition that was held at Lake Las Vegas in Henderson, Nevada on September 11, 2011. It was sponsored by the United States Marine Corps and organized by the World Triathlon Corporation. The championship race was the culmination of the Ironman 70.3 series of events that occurred from October 1, 2010 to August 15, 2011. Athletes, both professional and amateur, earned a spot in the championship race by qualifying in races throughout the 70.3 series. The 2011 Championship marked the first year that the race was not held in Clearwater, Florida, which had hosted the race since its inception in 2006.


2011 Ironman 70.3 World Championship, Qualification
The 2011 Ironman 70.3 Series featured 38 events that enabled qualification to the 2011 World Championship event. Professional triathletes qualified for the championship race by competing in races during the qualifying year, earning points towards their pro rankings. An athlete’s five highest scoring races are counted toward their pro rankings. The top 50 males and top 30 females in the pro rankings qualified for the championship race.


2011 Ironman 70.3 World Championship, Qualification
Amateur triathletes could also qualify for the championship race by earning a qualifying slot at one of the qualifying events or through the Physically Challenged Lottery. Slots were allocated to each age group category, male and female, with the number of slots given out based on that category's proportional representation of the overall field. Each age group category was assured one qualifying spot at each qualifying event. Some 70.3 events also serve as qualifiers for the full Ironman World Championships in Hawaii.


2011 Ironman 70.3 World Championship, Qualification
While the 70.3 Series continued its gradual expansion in 2011, with the number of qualifying races the overall number of qualifiers remained the same from the previous year. This was due to the Championship event being moved up from its previous November slot on the calendar to September causing many of the new and previously established events to instead act as qualifiers for the 2012 Championship race. Those new events added as part of the 2011 series include races in Busselton, Western Australia; Port Macquarie, New South Wales; Pescara, Italy; Mallorca, Spain; San Juan, Puerto Rico; Miami; Jeju, South Korea; and Muncie, Indiana as well as the Asia-Pacific Championship in Phuket.


2011 Ironman 70.3 World Championship, Qualification, Qualifying Ironman 70.3s
†Also serves as a 2011 Ironman World Championship qualifier. ‡Also serves as a 2011 Ironman World Championship qualifier, handcycle entry only. ∗Ironman 70.3 U.S. Handcycle Championship


2011 Ironman 70.3 World Championship, Qualification, Qualifying Ironman 70.3s, China cancellation
On May 12, 2011, the WTC announced that the 2011 Ironman China and Ironman 70.3 China races, scheduled for May 29 in Jixian, Tianjin Province, China, were canceled. The Tianjin Sports Bureau (TSB) was unable to obtain the required sanctions from the China Triathlon Sports Association (CTSA) to conduct the event. Murphy Reinschreiber, managing director of the Asia Pacific region for WTC stated that "TSB simply failed to provide all of the documentation necessary for CTSA to process the sanction."


2011 Ironman 70.3 World Championship, Qualification, Qualifying Ironman 70.3s, China cancellation
WTC is offering a full refund of entry fees to all athletes who were scheduled to compete at Ironman China and Ironman 70.3 China. Additionally, all athletes were offered a complimentary race entry into any of the 2011 Ironman and Ironman 70.3 races. WTC is allocating the age group qualifying slots from Ironman China and Ironman 70.3 China to other races in the region to ensure that athletes from the Asia-Pacific region are represented at the 2011 World Championship events.


2011 Ironman World Championship
The 2011 Ironman World Championship was held on October 8, 2011 in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii and won by Craig Alexander of Australia and Chrissie Wellington of England. It was the 35th such Ironman Triathlon World Championships, which has been held annually in Hawaii since 1978, with an additional race in 1982. The championship is organised by the World Triathlon Corporation (WTC).


2011 Ironman World Championship, Championship results, Men
Alexander's overall time broke the previous course record by 12 seconds, which was set by Luc Van Lierde in 1996.


2011 Ironman World Championship, Championship results, Women
Both Carfrae and Wellington broke the championship course record for the marathon, set last year by Carfrae.


2011 Ironman World Championship, Qualification
To enter for the 2011 World Championship race, age-group athletes are required to qualify through a performance at an Ironman or selected Ironman 70.3 race. Entry into the race can also be obtained through a random allocation lottery or through the Ironman’s charitable eBay auction.


2011 Ironman World Championship, Qualification
For professional triathletes, the 2011 Championship season marks the first year of a point system that determines which professional triathletes will qualify for the championship race. To qualify, points are earned by competing in WTC sanctioned Ironman and selected Ironman 70.3 events throughout the qualifying year. For the 2011 race that period was September 12, 2010 to August 31, 2011. The top 50 male and top 30 female pros in points at the end of each qualifying year qualify to race in Kona. Prior champions receive an automatic entry for the Championship race for a period of five years after their last championship performance provided that they compete in at least one full-distance Ironman race during the qualifying year.


2011 Ironman World Championship, Qualification
The Ironman 2011 Series consisted of 22 Ironman races plus the Ironman World Championship 2010 which was itself a qualifier for the 2011 Ironman World Championship. The series started with Ironman Wisconsin 2010 held on September 12, 2010.


2011 Ironman World Championship, Qualification, Qualifying Ironmans, China cancellation
On May 12, 2011, the WTC announced that the 2011 Ironman China and Ironman 70.3 China races, scheduled for May 29 in Jixian, Tianjin Province, China, were canceled. The Tianjin Sports Bureau (TSB) was unable to obtain the required sanctions from the China Triathlon Sports Association (CTSA) to conduct the event. Murphy Reinschreiber, managing director of the Asia Pacific region for WTC stated that "TSB simply failed to provide all of the documentation necessary for CTSA to process the sanction."


2011 Ironman World Championship, Qualification, Qualifying Ironmans, China cancellation
WTC is offering a full refund of entry fees to all athletes who were scheduled to compete at Ironman China and Ironman 70.3 China. Additionally, all athletes were offered a complimentary race entry into any of the 2011 Ironman and Ironman 70.3 races. WTC is allocating the age group qualifying slots from Ironman China and Ironman 70.3 China to other races in the region to ensure that athletes from the Asia-Pacific region are represented at the 2011 World Championship events.


2011 Irwin Tools Night Race
The 2011 Irwin Tools Night Race was a stock car racing competition that took place on August 27, 2011. Held at Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee, the 500-lap race was the twenty-fourth in the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Brad Keselowski of the Penske Racing team won the race; Martin Truex, Jr. finished second and Jeff Gordon finished third.


2011 Irwin Tools Night Race, Report, Background
Bristol Motor Speedway is one of five short tracks to hold NASCAR races; the others are Richmond International Raceway, Dover International Speedway, Martinsville Speedway, and Phoenix International Raceway. The standard track at Bristol Motor Speedway is a four-turn short track oval that is 0.533 miles (0.858 km) long. The track's turns are banked from twenty-four to thirty degrees, while the front stretch, the location of the finish line, is banked from six to ten degrees. The back stretch also has banking from six to ten degrees.


2011 Irwin Tools Night Race, Report, Background
Before the race, Kyle Busch led the Drivers' Championship with 799 points, and Jimmie Johnson stood in second with 789 points. Kevin Harvick was third in the Drivers' Championship with 760 points, and Carl Edwards was fourth with 760 points. Matt Kenseth, Jeff Gordon, Ryan Newman, Kurt Busch, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Tony Stewart rounded out the first ten positions. Kyle Busch was the race's defending champion.


2011 Irwin Tools Night Race, Report, Background
On August 23, 2011, Toyota debuted the 2012 Toyota Camry at Paramount Studios in Hollywood, California, prompting the Toyota teams to  change their headlights, taillights, fog lights, and rear decals.


2011 Irwin Tools Night Race, Report, Race
The race was televised by ABC in the United States. However, several affiliates including ABC owned-and-operated WABC in New York City, WPVI in Philadelphia and WTVD in Raleigh-Durham pre-empted the race in order to offer continuing coverage of Hurricane Irene, while other ABC affiliates pre-empted this race to air NFL preseason games.


2011 Island Games
The XIV Island Games (also known as the 2011 Natwest Island Games for sponsorship reasons) was a major international multi-sport event held from 25 June to 1 July 2011, in the Isle of Wight, England. A total of 2,306 athletes from 24 islands competed in 15 sports and 190 events. The 2011 Island Games was the second Island Games to be hosted by the Isle of Wight (the fourth island to host multiple Games). Previously, the Isle of Wight hosted the 1993 Island Games.


2011 Island Games
The Games' mascot was a Red Squirrel, an animal indigenous to the Isle of Wight.


2011 Island Games, The Games, Participating teams
24 islands competed in the 2011 Island Games. Numbers in parentheses indicate the number of competitors from each country. A grand total of 2,306 athletes attended the games, with 555 officials.


2011 Island Games, The Games, Participating teams
Prince Edward Island were set to participate after missing out in 2009, but following a series of events including pulling out of contention for hosting the 2013 edition, the Island withdrew from all future editions of the Island Games and resigned from the International Island Games Association.


2011 Island Games, The Games, Sports
Numbers in parentheses indicate the number of medal events contested in each sport.


2011 Islands District Council election
The 2011 Islands District Council election was held on 6 November 2011 to elect all 10 elected members to the 21-member District Council.