It was created in 2004 with the same area as the old
Munster constituency, except for
County Clare which was then in
North-West. It was expanded in 2014 when it took in counties of southern
Leinster from the disbanded
East constituency and became a 4-seat constituency. In 2016, 74.1% of the constituency's population lived in Munster, while the southern Leinster counties accounted for 25.9%. The constituency is often referred to by media sources and candidates as "Ireland South" during news reports or candidate remarks. At the
2019 European Parliament election, a
reapportionment following
Brexit and the loss of 73 MEPs from the
United Kingdom gave two additional seats to Ireland. Following a recommendation of the
Constituency Commission, South gained territory and an additional seat, from 4 to 5. However, the last candidate elected, would not take her seat until after the
United Kingdom left the European Union. At the
2024 European Parliament election, the counties of Laois and Offaly were transferred to Midlands–North-West, while South remains a 5-seat constituency. This followed a recommendation of the
Electoral Commission, where Ireland had been allocated one additional MEP. It comprises the counties of
Carlow,
Clare,
Cork,
Kerry,
Kilkenny,
Limerick,
Tipperary,
Waterford,
Wexford, and
Wicklow; the cities of
Cork,
Limerick, and
Waterford. The main urban areas (by population size) are
Cork,
Limerick,
Waterford,
Bray,
Kilkenny,
Ennis,
Carlow,
Tralee, and
Wexford. ==MEPs==