On Friday 11 March 2005 voting for the Meath and Kildare North by‐elections took place between 7.00am and 10.00pm. These elections were caused by the resignations of Charlie McCreevy, to take up the post of the Irish EU Commissioner, and John Bruton, to take up the post of EU Ambassador to the United States. These elections were marked by the continuance of a pattern of poor electoral performances by the government parties, and also by the continuance of a pattern of lower turnout levels relative to those in previous by‐elections. For Fianna Fáil these results were particularly disappointing, given that these by‐elections, particularly in the Meath constituency, offered the realistic prospect of the first government win in a by‐election since Noel Treacy's success in the Galway East by‐election in 1982. The by‐elections marked a political breakthrough for Independent councillor, Catherine Murphy, in the Kildare North constituency, while the victory of Shane McEntee in Meath was important for Fine Gael and Labour's prospects of forming an alternative government after the next general election...