There are four mainstay political parties in Ireland but anyone that meets certain criteria can register a party and run for election or you can run as a non-party.

It is not uncommom to see canidates from seven or more different parties running in an election.

I have listed a few of the main parties in Irish politics here but two or more may have merged into one, some may no longer exist and there may be new ones.

The complete process of elections with all the ins and outs is much too detaied to go into here. If you would like detailed information check out the Electoral Act of 1992.