Irish general election, 1965
Encyclopedia
The Irish general election of 1965 was held on 7 April 1965. The newly elected members of the 18th Dáil
assembled at Leinster House
on 21 April when the new Taoiseach
and government were appointed.
The general election took place in 42 parliamentary constituencies
throughout Ireland
for 144 seats in the lower house of parliament, Dáil Éireann
.
party's failure to gain a seat in a by-election
. The success of Eileen Desmond
of the Labour Party
in Cork Mid
in holding a seat previously held by her husband Dan Desmond
, led to an unacceptable mathematical situation with regard to the government's majority. The Taoiseach, Seán Lemass
immediately dissolved the Dáil and the campaign began in earnest.
Fianna Fáil ran its campaign on its record in government. Over the last number of years the economy had seen a huge improvement and the party played up on its record in government. The party also played up heavily on the personality of the party leader with the slogan "Let Lemass Lead On". Fine Gael
put forward a comprehensive manifesto, which included the establishment of a government department concerned with economic planning. However, the older, conservative members of the party did not warm to the new turn the party was taking.
, which had formed on 31 December, 1961. Election Newsroom was broadcast live on Telefís Éireann
from their Donnybrook studios in Dublin. Presented by John O'Donoghue with analysis provided by John Healy (Irish Times), John O'Sullivan (The Cork Examiner), Garret Fitzgerald
and Professor Basil Chubb. Cameras were present in four count centres Bolton Street (Dublin), Wexford, Cork and Monaghan. The GPO provided direct links as results were announced. Raidió Éireann
provided special coverage from 3pm on the day of the count due to the coverage on Telefís Éireann. It was a new approach to election coverage on the states radio service, which began broadcasting in 1926 .
The general election gave Fianna Fáil an extra two seats, and with it an overall majority in the Dáil. Seán Lemass continued as Taoiseach. James Dillon resigned as leader of Fine Gael immediately after the result was announced.
Members of the 18th Dáil
This is a list of the members who were elected to the 18th Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas of Ireland. These TDs were elected at the 1965 general election on 7 April 1965 and met on 21 April 1965. The 18th Dáil was dissolved by President Éamon de Valera, 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 21 April 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 42 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 144 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 1965 was caused by 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's failure to gain a seat in a by-election
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
. The success of Eileen Desmond
Eileen Desmond
Eileen Desmond, née Harrington was a senior Irish Labour Party politician. She served in the Dáil and the Seanad and the European Parliament, and was Minister for Health & Social Welfare from 1981 to 1982....
of 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...
in Cork Mid
Cork Mid (Dáil Éireann constituency)
Cork Mid was a parliamentary constituency represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas from 1961 to 1981. The constituency was served by 4 deputies from 1961 to 1977, and then 5 from 1977 until its abolition in 1981...
in holding a seat previously held by her husband Dan Desmond
Dan Desmond
"Dan" Desmond was an Irish Labour Party politician and Teachta Dála for seventeen years.Desmond first stood for election to Dáil Éireann at the 1944 general election, in the Cork South East constituency, where he was defeated, winning barely 5% of the first-preference votes...
, led to an unacceptable mathematical situation with regard to the government's majority. The Taoiseach, Seán Lemass
Seán Lemass
Seán Francis Lemass was one of the most prominent Irish politicians of the 20th century. He served as Taoiseach from 1959 until 1966....
immediately dissolved the Dáil and the campaign began in earnest.
Fianna Fáil ran its campaign on its record in government. Over the last number of years the economy had seen a huge improvement and the party played up on its record in government. The party also played up heavily on the personality of the party leader with the slogan "Let Lemass Lead On". 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...
put forward a comprehensive manifesto, which included the establishment of a government department concerned with economic planning. However, the older, conservative members of the party did not warm to the new turn the party was taking.
Television & Radio
This was the first Irish General Election to be covered on television by state broadcaster RTÉRTE
RTÉ is the abbreviation for Raidió Teilifís Éireann, the public broadcasting service of the Republic of Ireland.RTE may also refer to:* Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, 25th Prime Minister of Turkey...
, which had formed on 31 December, 1961. Election Newsroom was broadcast live on Telefís Éireann
RTÉ One
RTÉ One is the flagship television channel of Raidió Teilifís Éireann , and it is the most popular and most watched television channel in Ireland. It was launched as Telefís Éireann on 31 December 1961, it was renamed RTÉ Television in 1966, and it was renamed as RTÉ One upon the launch of RTÉ...
from their Donnybrook studios in Dublin. Presented by John O'Donoghue with analysis provided by John Healy (Irish Times), John O'Sullivan (The Cork Examiner), Garret Fitzgerald
Garret FitzGerald
Garret FitzGerald was an Irish politician who was twice Taoiseach of Ireland, serving in office from July 1981 to February 1982 and again from December 1982 to March 1987. FitzGerald was elected to Seanad Éireann in 1965 and was subsequently elected to Dáil Éireann as a Fine Gael TD in 1969. He...
and Professor Basil Chubb. Cameras were present in four count centres Bolton Street (Dublin), Wexford, Cork and Monaghan. The GPO provided direct links as results were announced. Raidió Éireann
RTÉ Radio 1
RTÉ Radio 1 is the principal radio channel of Irish public-service broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann and is the direct descendant of Dublin radio station 2RN, which began broadcasting on a regular basis on 1 January 1926...
provided special coverage from 3pm on the day of the count due to the coverage on Telefís Éireann. It was a new approach to election coverage on the states radio service, which began broadcasting in 1926 .
Result
|}- Fianna Fáil majority government formed.
The general election gave Fianna Fáil an extra two seats, and with it an overall majority in the Dáil. Seán Lemass continued as Taoiseach. James Dillon resigned as leader of Fine Gael immediately after the result was announced.
First time TDs
- David Andrews
- Luke BeltonLuke BeltonLuke Belton was an Irish Fine Gael politician.A publican from Rathcline, County Longford, he unsuccessfully contested the 1961 general election and was first elected to Dáil Éireann in the 1965 general election as a TD for Dublin North Central...
- Ben BriscoeBen BriscoeBen Briscoe is a former Irish Fianna Fáil politician.-Member of Dáil Éireann:He was a Teachta Dála for 37 years, representing a series of constituencies in Dublin....
- Flor CrowleyFlor CrowleyFlorence "Flor" Crowley was a Fianna Fáil politician from West Cork in Ireland. He was a Teachta Dála for thirteen years, and a senator for five years.- Family :...
- Tom FitzpatrickThomas J. Fitzpatrick (Cavan politician)Thomas J. "Tom" Fitzpatrick was an Irish Fine Gael politician who served as Ceann Comhairle of Dáil Éireann from 1982 to 1987.Fitzpatrick was born at Scotshouse, Clones, County Monaghan in 1918. He was educated at St...
(Cavan) - Tom FitzpatrickThomas J. Fitzpatrick (Dublin politician)"Tom" Fitzpatrick is a retired Irish Fianna Fáil party politician who was elected six times as Teachta Dála for Dublin South Central and Dublin Central....
(Dublin) - James KennedyJames Kennedy (Irish politician)James J. Kennedy was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician and farmer who was a member of Dáil Éireann for one term, from his election as a Teachta Dála at the 1965 general election for the Wexford constituency until his death in 1968. There was no subsequent by-election as the 1969 general election...
- Patrick LenihanPatrick LenihanPatrick Lenihan was a Fianna Fáil Teachta Dála in the Ireland in the early 1960s. He held the distinction of being the only parent to be elected to an Irish parliament where his son was already a member....
- Gerry L'EstrangeGerry L'EstrangeGerry L'Estrange was an Irish Fine Gael politician, who sat in the Oireachtas for nearly thirty years, as a Senator and then as a TD....
- Michael LyonsMichael Lyons (Irish politician)Michael Dalgan Lyons was an Irish Fine Gael party politician from Ballyhaunis, County Mayo.A farmer and former employee of the Irish Sugar Company, he stood unsuccessfully as a Fine Gael candidate for Dáil Éireann in the Mayo South constituency at three successive general elections before finally...
- Bobby MolloyBobby MolloyRobert "Bobby" Molloy is an Irish former Fianna Fáil and Progressive Democrats politician, who served in a wide number of Cabinet poistions, most notably as Minister for Local Government, Minister for Defence and Minister for Energy....
- John O'Connell
- Michael O'Leary
- Pearse WysePearse WysePearse Wyse was an Irish Fianna Fáil and Progressive Democrats politician.Pearse Wyse was born in Cork in 1928. He first held political office in 1960 when he was elected to Cork City Council...
Outgoing TDs
- Gerald BartleyGerald BartleyGerald Bartley was an Irish politician. He was first elected to Dáil Éireann in 1932 as a Fianna Fáil TD for Galway. Bartley served in the Irish Cabinet on two occasions, both under the Taoiseach, Seán Lemass. He was re-elected at every election until 1965 when he retired from politics.-References :...
(Retired) - Seán BradySeán Brady (Irish politician)John Ernest Brady was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician and businessman who served as a Teachta Dála for 38 years....
(Lost seat) - Robert BriscoeRobert Briscoe (politician)Robert Briscoe , known as Bob Briscoe was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who served as a Teachta Dála in the Oireachtas from 1927 to 1965.- Family :...
(Retired) - Dan BreenDan BreenDaniel "Dan" Breen was a volunteer in the Irish Republican Army during the Irish War of Independence and the Irish Civil War. In later years, he was a Fianna Fáil politician.-Background:...
(Retired) - Joseph BlowickJoseph BlowickJoseph Blowick was an Irish politician. He was first elected to Dáil Éireann in 1943 as a Clann na Talmhan Teachta Dála for Mayo South. He succeeded Michael Donnellan as leader of the party in 1944. Blowick was appointed to the Cabinet in the two Inter-Party governments, serving under John A....
(Retired) - 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...
(Lost seat) - Denis J. O'SullivanDenis J. O'SullivanDenis J. O'Sullivan was an Irish Fine Gael politician. He was first elected to Dáil Éireann at his second attempt at the 1951 general election. He served as a Fine Gael Teachta Dála for various Cork constituencies until losing his seat at the 1965 general election. He served in the Second...
(Lost seat) - James Ryan (Retired)
- Eugene TimmonsEugene TimmonsEugene Timmons was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician. An office worker, Timmons was first elected to Dáil Éireann as a Teachta Dála for the Dublin North East constituency at the 1961 general election having previously stood in the 1948, 1951 and 1954 general elections, but not the 1957 general...
(Lost seat)
See also
- Members of the 18th DáilMembers of the 18th DáilThis is a list of the members who were elected to the 18th Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas of Ireland. These TDs were elected at the 1965 general election on 7 April 1965 and met on 21 April 1965. The 18th Dáil was dissolved by President Éamon de Valera, at the request of the...
- Government of the 18th DáilGovernment of the 18th DáilThe 18th Dáil was elected at the 1965 general election on 7 April 1965 and first met on 21 April when the 11th Government of Ireland was appointed. The 18th Dáil lasted for 1,233 days.-11th Government of Ireland:...
- Parliamentary Secretaries of the 18th DáilParliamentary Secretaries of the 18th DáilOn 21 April 1965 the 11th Government of Ireland was officially appointed by Dáil Éireann. The new Fianna Fáil government was led by the Taoiseach Seán Lemass, who appointed the following Parliamentary Secretaries.-Parliamentary Secretaries of the 11th Government:...