Irish general election, 1954
Encyclopedia
The Irish general election of 1954 was held on 18 May 1954. The newly elected members of the 15th Dáil
assembled at Leinster House
on 2 June when the new Taoiseach
and government were appointed.
The general election took place in 40 parliamentary constituencies
throughout Ireland
for 147 seats in the lower house of parliament, Dáil Éireann
.
party in the Dáil. Rather than be voted down on a vote in the Dáil, Éamon de Valera
decided to call a general election and let the people decide.
Fianna Fáil had the most to lose, their campaign concentrated on providing political stability for the next five years. They also put forward strong arguments against coalition governments. However, this would not suffice when the country's economy was worsening and unemployment and emigration were increasing.
On the other hand the opposition parties of Fine Gael
, the Labour Party
and the other minor parties offered the electorate an alternative to three years of Fianna Fáil rule. While they could not solve the economic problems facing the country, they could provide fresh ideas.
Members of the 15th Dáil
This is a list of the members who were elected to the 15th Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas of Ireland. These TDs were elected at the 1954 general election on 14 May 1954 and met on 2 June 1954. The 15th Dáil was dissolved by President Seán T. O'Kelly, at the request of the...
assembled at Leinster House
Leinster House
Leinster House is the name of the building housing the Oireachtas, the national parliament of Ireland.Leinster House was originally the ducal palace of the Dukes of Leinster. Since 1922, it is a complex of buildings, of which the former ducal palace is the core, which house Oireachtas Éireann, its...
on 2 June when the new Taoiseach
Taoiseach
The Taoiseach is the head of government or prime minister of Ireland. The Taoiseach is appointed by the President upon the nomination of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas , and must, in order to remain in office, retain the support of a majority in the Dáil.The current Taoiseach is...
and government were appointed.
The general election took place in 40 parliamentary constituencies
Parliamentary constituencies in the Republic of Ireland
The lower house of the Oireachtas , Dáil Éireann, contains 166 Teachtaí Dála , representing 43 parliamentary constituencies throughout the Republic of Ireland. Depending on its size, each constituency must have at least 3 members and a maximum of five members. The most recent ratio indicates that...
throughout Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
for 147 seats in the lower house of parliament, Dáil Éireann
Dáil Éireann
Dáil Éireann is the lower house, but principal chamber, of the Oireachtas , which also includes the President of Ireland and Seanad Éireann . It is directly elected at least once in every five years under the system of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote...
.
Campaign
The general election of 1954 was caused by the loss of an overall majority for the ruling Fianna FáilFianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party , more commonly known as Fianna Fáil is a centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland, founded on 23 March 1926. Fianna Fáil's name is traditionally translated into English as Soldiers of Destiny, although a more accurate rendition would be Warriors of Fál...
party in the Dáil. Rather than be voted down on a vote in the Dáil, Éamon de Valera
Éamon de Valera
Éamon de Valera was one of the dominant political figures in twentieth century Ireland, serving as head of government of the Irish Free State and head of government and head of state of Ireland...
decided to call a general election and let the people decide.
Fianna Fáil had the most to lose, their campaign concentrated on providing political stability for the next five years. They also put forward strong arguments against coalition governments. However, this would not suffice when the country's economy was worsening and unemployment and emigration were increasing.
On the other hand the opposition parties of Fine Gael
Fine Gael
Fine Gael is a centre-right to centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland. It is the single largest party in Ireland in the Oireachtas, in local government, and in terms of Members of the European Parliament. The party has a membership of over 35,000...
, the Labour Party
Labour Party (Ireland)
The Labour Party is a social-democratic political party in the Republic of Ireland. The Labour Party was founded in 1912 in Clonmel, County Tipperary, by James Connolly, James Larkin and William X. O'Brien as the political wing of the Irish Trade Union Congress. Unlike the other main Irish...
and the other minor parties offered the electorate an alternative to three years of Fianna Fáil rule. While they could not solve the economic problems facing the country, they could provide fresh ideas.
Result
|}- Second Inter-Party GovernmentGovernment of the 15th DáilThe 15th Dáil was elected at the 1954 general election on 18 May 1954 and first met on 2 June when the 7th Government of Ireland was appointed. The 15th Dáil lasted for 1,022 days.-7th Government of Ireland:...
which consisted of Fine Gael, the Labour Party and Clann na TalmhanClann na TalmhanClann na Talmhan , abbreviated CnaT, was an Irish agrarian political party active between 1939 and 1965.- Formation and Growth :Clann na Talmhan was founded on 29 June 1939 in Athenry, County Galway, in the wake of the breakdown of unification talks between the Irish Farmers Federation and...
was formed.
First time TDs
- Paudge BrennanPaudge Brennan"Paudge" Brennan was an Irish Fianna Fáil Party politician who sat for 25 years as a TD for Wicklow, was briefly a Senator....
- James Burke
- Johnny ConnorJohnny ConnorJohnny Connor was an Irish Clann na Poblachta politician and TD for Kerry North.He was elected to Dáil Éireann on his third attempt, at the 1954 general election, unseating sitting Fine Gael TD John Lynch and taking his seat in the 15th Dáil...
- Fintan Coogan, SnrFintan Coogan, SnrFintan Coogan was a Fine Gael politician from Galway in Ireland. A blacksmith before entering politics, he was a Teachta Dála for over twenty years, and served three times as Mayor of Galway....
- Edward CotterEdward CotterEdward Cotter was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician. He lost the Cork West constituency June 1949 by-election caused by the death of Timothy J. Murphy but was first elected to Dáil Éireann as a Fianna Fáil Teachta Dála at the 1954 general election for the Cork West constituency...
- Paddy DoneganPaddy DoneganPatrick Sarsfield "Paddy" Donegan was an Irish Fine Gael Party politician.He was educated at a Christian Brothers School in Drogheda and at the Vincentian Castleknock College. Donegan was first elected as a Fine Gael Teachta Dála at the 1954 general election. He lost his seat at the following...
- Nicholas EganNicholas EganNicholas Egan was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician. He contested the 1951 general election in the Leix–Offaly constituency but was not elected. He was first elected to Dáil Éireann as a Fianna Fáil Teachta Dála at the subsequent 1954 general election and held his seat until retiring at the 1969...
- Johnny GeogheganJohnny GeogheganJohnny Geoghegan was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who served as a Teachta Dála for more than twenty years....
- Brendan GlynnBrendan GlynnBrendan M. Glynn was an Irish Fine Gael politician and solicitor who served as a Teachta Dála , representing the Galway South constituency in Dáil Éireann. Educated at Garbally College, Glynn served one term following the 1954 general election having previously unsuccessfully contested the August...
- Richard GoganRichard GoganRichard Gogan was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician. A home assistance officer, Gogan was first elected to Dáil Éireann as a Teachta Dála for the Dublin North West constituency at the 1954 general election having previously stood in the 1948 election and the 1951 election...
- Edward KellyEdward Kelly (Monaghan politician)Edward Kelly was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician, merchant and farmer. He was elected to Dáil Éireann as a Fianna Fáil Teachta Dála for the Monaghan constituency at the 1954 general election but lost his seat at the 1957 election.-References:...
- Henry KennyHenry KennyHenry Kenny was an Irish Fine Gael politician from County Mayo and a Gaelic footballer who won an All-Ireland medal with the Mayo inter-county team in 1936...
- Denis LarkinDenis LarkinDenis Larkin was an Irish Labour Party politician and trade union official, and son of Dublin's most noted trade union leader, the Liverpool-born Jim Larkin, who died in 1948 . He was first elected to Dáil Éireann as a Labour Party Teachta Dála for the Dublin North East constituency at the 1954...
- Patrick Lindsay
- Celia LynchCelia LynchCelia Lynch was an Irish Fianna Fáil Party politician, and TD for 23 years.Her husband James B. Lynch was a TD and Senator from 1932 until his death in 1954...
- John MoherJohn MoherJohn W. Moher was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician, auctioneer and farmer who was a member of Dáil Éireann representing the Cork East constituency...
- Maureen O'CarrollMaureen O'CarrollMaureen O'Carroll was an Irish Labour Party politician who sat from 1954 to 1957 as Teachta Dála for Dublin North Central....
- John O'Donovan
- Donogh O'Malley
- James Tully
Outgoing TDs
- Patrick BolandPatrick Boland (Irish politician)Patrick Boland was an Irish politician and farmer. He was first elected to Dáil Éireann as a Fianna Fáil Teachta Dála for the Leix–Offaly constituency at the June 1927 general election. He was re-elected at each subsequent general election until he retired from politics at the 1954 general...
(Retired) - Patrick BrownePatrick Browne (Mayo politician)Patrick Browne was an Irish Fine Gael politician and farmer. He was first elected to Dáil Éireann as a Fine Gael Teachta Dála for the Mayo North constituency at the 1937 general election. He was re-elected at each following general election until he lost his seat at the 1954 general...
(Lost seat) - Patrick CawleyPatrick CawleyPatrick Cawley was an Irish Fine Gael politician. He was elected on his sixth attempt, to Dáil Éireann as a Teachta Dála for the Galway South constituency at the 1951 general election. He lost his seat at the 1954 general election.-References:...
(Lost seat) - Peadar DuignanPeadar DuignanPeadar Duignan was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician. He was elected to Dáil Éireann as a Teachta Dála for the Galway West constituency at the 1951 general election. He did not contest the 1954 general election.-References:...
(Retired) - Michael ffrench-O'Carroll (Lost seat)
- Patrick LittlePatrick LittlePatrick J. "P. J." Little was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician. A founder-member of the party, he served in a number of Cabinet positions, most notably as the country's longest-serving Minister for Posts and Telegraphs....
(Retired) - Patrick MaguirePatrick MaguirePatrick J. Maguire was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician. A medical practitioner, he was elected to Dáil Éireann as a Teachta Dála for the Monaghan constituency at the 1948 general election, and was re-elected at the 1951 general election. He did not contest the 1954 general election.-References:...
(Retired) - Patrick O'GormanPatrick O'GormanPatrick James O'Gorman was an Irish Fine Gael politician. A shopkeeper, he was elected to Dáil Éireann as a Teachta Dála for the Cork East constituency at the 1948 general election, and was re-elected at the 1951 general election. He lost his seat at the 1954 general election but was subsequently...
(Lost seat) - Matthew O'ReillyMatthew O'ReillyMatthew O'Reilly was an Irish politician and farmer. He was first elected to Dáil Éireann as a Fianna Fáil Teachta Dála for the Meath constituency at the June 1927 general election. He was re-elected at each subsequent general election until lost his seat at the 1954 general election.-References:...
(Lost seat) - James ReidyJames ReidyJames Reidy was an Irish politician. He was first elected to Dáil Éireann as a Cumann na nGaedheal Teachta Dála for the Limerick constituency at the 1932 general election. He was re-elected at the 1933 general election but lost his seat at the 1937 general election. At the 1938 general election,...
(Lost seat) - P. J. RuttledgeP. J. RuttledgePatrick J. Ruttledge was an Irish politician. He was first elected to Dáil Éireann in 1921 as a Sinn Féin Teachta Dála for Mayo North and West. He opposed the Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1921 and joined the Republican forces. He was re-elected to the Dáil again in 1923 for Mayo North and in a further...
(Deceased) - Laurence WalshLaurence WalshLaurence Joseph Walsh was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician. A farmer and merchant, he was first elected to Dáil Éireann as a Fianna Fáil Teachta Dála for the Louth constituency at the 1937 general election. He was re-elected at the 1938 general election but lost his seat at the 1943 general...
(Lost seat)
See also
- Members of the 15th DáilMembers of the 15th DáilThis is a list of the members who were elected to the 15th Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas of Ireland. These TDs were elected at the 1954 general election on 14 May 1954 and met on 2 June 1954. The 15th Dáil was dissolved by President Seán T. O'Kelly, at the request of the...
- Government of the 15th DáilGovernment of the 15th DáilThe 15th Dáil was elected at the 1954 general election on 18 May 1954 and first met on 2 June when the 7th Government of Ireland was appointed. The 15th Dáil lasted for 1,022 days.-7th Government of Ireland:...
- Parliamentary Secretaries of the 15th DáilParliamentary Secretaries of the 15th DáilOn 2 June 1954 the 7th Government of Ireland was officially appointed by Dáil Éireann. The new inter-party government was led by the Taoiseach John A. Costello, who appointed the following Parliamentary Secretaries.-Parliamentary Secretaries:-See also:...