The constituency was created by the
Electoral (Amendment) Act 1980 and first used at the
1981 general election. It is a large rural three-seat constituency. Due to its size and landscape it is considered one of the most difficult constituencies to canvass in Ireland. The constituency encompasses the western part of Ireland's largest county of
Cork. It runs from
Charleville and
Rockchapel in the north to
Ballingeary,
Crookstown and
Crossbarry in the south, and also takes in parts of the
Mallow and
Fermoy electoral areas. The Constituency Review Report 2023 of the
Electoral Commission recommended that at the
next general election, Cork North-West be altered with the transfer of territory from
Cork East and
Cork North-Central and the transfer of territory (in the
Ballincollig area) to
Cork North-Central. For the
2024 general election, the
Electoral (Amendment) Act 2023 defines the constituency as: ==TDs==