List of Dáil by-elections
This is a list of by-elections to Dáil Éireann, the house of representatives of the Oireachtas, the Irish legislature. By-elections in Ireland occur to fill vacant seats which can be caused by the death, resignation, disqualification or expulsion of a sitting Teachta Dála (member of parliament). Under the Electoral (Amendment) Act 2011, the writ for the by-election must be issued within six months of the vacancy.[1]
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This article is part of a series on the politics and government of the Republic of Ireland |
There have been 131 by-elections since 1923, to fill 133 vacancies. 92 of these were caused by the death of a sitting Teachta Dála (TD). There were seven by-elections during the lifetime of the 31st Dáil. There were no by-elections during the 3rd, 7th, 9th, 11th, 22nd, 25th and 26th Dála. The longest period without a by-election was almost 10 years between 1984 and 1994. The largest number of by-elections on one day was on 11 March 1925, when seven constituencies filled nine vacancies caused by the National Party's split from Cumann na nGaedheal. Those seven by-elections included two which filled two vacancies, via the single transferable vote. All the other by-elections have used its single-winner analogue, the alternative vote.
Twenty-three TDs who were elected at a by-election were not subsequently re-elected at a general election. The only person twice elected at by-elections was Thomas Hennessy.
First and Second Dáil
The First Dáil was established by Sinn Féin members returned in the 1918 election to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom. Convention in the Commons was that the writ for a by-election be moved by a party colleague of the vacating member, which was impossible for the abstentionist Sinn Féin. There were three by-elections held for Westminster constituencies vacated by Unionist members during the lifetime of the First Dáil, all of whom took their seats in Westminster. The Second Dáil comprised those returned in the 1921 elections to the House of Commons of Southern Ireland and the House of Commons of Northern Ireland. There were no by-elections to either body during the lifetime of the Second Dáil.
Winner | Party | Constituency | Date | Outgoing | Party | Reason for vacancy | Notes | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Hugh T. Barrie | U | North Londonderry | 4 March 1919 | Hugh Anderson | U | Resignation | This was the only by-election contested by Sinn Féin, Patrick McGilligan losing.[2] | ||
George Hanna | Ind U | East Antrim | 27 May 1919 | Robert McCalmont | U | Appointed commander of the Irish Guards | |||
William Jellett | U | University of Dublin | 28 July 1919 | Arthur Samuels | U | Appointed to the High Court of Justice in Ireland |
By-elections since 1923
By-elections in which seats changed hands are indicated with a grey background.
Vacancies not filled
When Pierce McCan died on 6 March 1919, his East Tipperary seat was left vacant at Westminster. In April 1919 a Dáil committee considering how to fill the vacancy considered allowing nomination by the Labour Party (which had stood aside in the 1918 election to avoid splitting the nationalist vote)[6] before recommending that the Sinn Féin constituency organisation should nominate.[7] However, in June 1919 the Dáil decided that "it was due to the memory of the late Pierce McCann that his place should not be filled at present".[8] Later vacancies were also left unfilled; when Diarmuid Lynch resigned his seat in 1920, Arthur Griffith said "as the letter of resignation was addressed to the people of South-East Cork, the next step in the matter lay with the South-East Cork Executive of Sinn Fein".[9] Asked in the Civil War about filling Third Dáil vacancies, W. T. Cosgrave as Chairman of the Provisional Government stated "the condition of the country scarcely warrants the holding of elections".[10]
In the first Dáil, four Sinn Féin TDs represented two separate constituencies: Éamon de Valera, Arthur Griffith, Eoin MacNeill and Liam Mellowes. Ordinarily, this would prompt them to choose one constituency to represent, and to move a writ for a by-election in the other constituency.
Footnotes
- TDs who were never subsequently re-elected.
- A single by-election to fill two vacancies in the same constituency.
References
- Walker, Brian M, ed. (1992). Parliamentary election results in Ireland, 1918–92. Dublin: Royal Irish Academy. ISBN 0-901714-96-8. ISSN 0332-0286.
- "Dáil Éireann By Elections 1923-2013". ElectionsIreland.org. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
Notes
- "Electoral (Amendment) Act 2011: Section 2, Amendment of section 39 of Electoral Act 1992". Irish Statute Book. 25 July 2001. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
- Laffan, Michael (1999). The Resurrection of Ireland: The Sinn Féin Party, 1916–1923. Cambridge University Press. p. 309. ISBN 9781139426299. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
- Dáil Éireann debate - Wednesday, 19 Sep 1923
- Dáil Éireann debate - Wednesday, 3 Oct 1923
- Dáil Éireann debate - Wednesday, 12 Oct 1927
- Mitchell, Arthur (1995). Revolutionary Government in Ireland: Dáil Éireann, 1919-22. Gill & MacMillan. p. 24. ISBN 9780717114818.
- "East Tipperary Vacancy". Dáil Éireann debate. Oireachtas. 17 June 1919. Retrieved 18 August 2018.
- "Report of Select Committee on East Tipperary Vacancy". Dáil Éireann debate. Oireachtas. 17 June 1919. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
- "Resignation Of Deputy For South-East Cork". Dáil Éireann debate. Oireachtas. 6 August 1920. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
- Cosgrave, W. T. (19 September 1922). "[Questions] Vacant seats in the Dáil". Dáil Éireann (3rd Dáil) debates. Oireachtas. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
- Sweetman, R. M. (28 January 1921). "Mr. Roger Sweetman's Position". The Irish Times. p. 4. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
- "Dáil Éireann debate - Wednesday, 4 November 1931: Death of Deputies - Message of Condolence". Houses of the Oireachtas. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
- "Dáil Éireann debate - Wednesday, 9 March 1932: Death of Former Members of Dáil". Houses of the Oireachtas. Retrieved 11 October 2019.
- "Dáil Éireann debate - Wednesday, 19 October 1932: Death of Deputy F. Carney". Houses of the Oireachtas. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
- "Dáil Éireann debate - Wednesday, 23 November 1932: Death of Deputy Thomas A. Carney". Houses of the Oireachtas. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
- "Dáil Éireann debate - Wednesday, 4 November 1936: Death of Deputy J.M. Burke". Houses of the Oireachtas. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
- "Dáil Éireann debate - Wednesday, 10 November 1937: Death of Deputy Eamonn Rice". Houses of the Oireachtas. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
- "Dáil Éireann debate - Wednesday, 19 June 1940: Death of a Deputy". Houses of the Oireachtas. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
- "Dáil Éireann debate - Wednesday, 2 October 1942: Death of a Deputy". Houses of the Oireachtas. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
- "Dáil Éireann debate - Wednesday, 29 October 1941: Bás an Teachta Seán ó Muinghile". Houses of the Oireachtas. Retrieved 3 November 2019.
- "Dáil Éireann debate - Wednesday, 14 April 1942: Death of Deputy T.P. Dowdall". Houses of the Oireachtas. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
- "Dáil Éireann debate - Tuesday, 21 April 1942: Death of Deputy T. Kelly". Houses of the Oireachtas. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
- "Dáil Éireann debate - Wednesday, 18 February 1948: Deceased Deputies". Houses of the Oireachtas. Retrieved 5 November 2019.
- "Dáil Éireann debate - Tuesday, 1 May 1951: Resignation of Deputy". Houses of the Oireachtas. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
- "Dáil Éireann debate - Tuesday, 20 April 1961: Death of Member: Expression of Sympathy". Houses of the Oireachtas. Retrieved 29 October 2019.
- "Dáil Éireann debate - Tuesday, 16 February 1965: Death of Member: Expression of Sympathy". Houses of the Oireachtas. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
- "Dáil Éireann debate - Wednesday, 23 October 1968: Death of Member: Expression of Sympathy". Houses of the Oireachtas. Retrieved 26 November 2019.
- "Dáil Éireann debate - Tuesday, 5 November 1968: Death of Member: Expression of Sympathy". Houses of the Oireachtas. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
- "Dáil Éireann debate - Wednesday, 25 October 1972: Death of Member: Expression of Sympathy". Houses of the Oireachtas. Retrieved 24 November 2019.
- "Dáil Éireann debate - Tuesday, 25 January 1977: Resignation of Member". Houses of the Oireachtas. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
- "Dáil Éireann debate - Thursday, 19 May 1977: Resignation of Member". Houses of the Oireachtas. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
- "Dáil Éireann debate - Tuesday, 25 January 1977: Resignation of Member". Houses of the Oireachtas. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
- "Dáil Éireann debate - Tuesday, 20 October 1981: Expressions of Sympathy". Houses of the Oireachtas. Retrieved 26 September 2019.
- "Dáil Éireann debate - Wednesday, 21 October 1981: Issue of Writ: Motion". Houses of the Oireachtas. Retrieved 26 September 2019.
- "Dáil Éireann debate - Tuesday, 26 January 1982: Issue of Writ: Cavan-Monaghan By-Election". Houses of the Oireachtas. Retrieved 26 September 2019.
- "Dáil Éireann debate - Wednesday, 24 June 1986: Death of Member: Expression of Sympathy". Houses of the Oireachtas. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
- "Dáil Éireann debate - Wednesday, 25 January 1977: Resignation of Member". Houses of the Oireachtas. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
- "Dáil Éireann debate - Tuesday, 9 February 2010: Resignation of Member". Houses of the Oireachtas. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
- "Dáil Éireann debate - Wednesday, 24 March 2010: Resignation of Member". Houses of the Oireachtas. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
- "Dáil Éireann debate - Tuesday, 2 November 2010: Resignation of Member". Houses of the Oireachtas. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
- "Dáil Éireann debate - Tuesday, 1 February 2011: Announcement of Business". Houses of the Oireachtas. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
- "Dáil Éireann debate - Thursday, 14 January 2016: Resignation of Member". Houses of the Oireachtas. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
- "Dáil Éireann debate - Wednesday 4 December 2019: Resignation of Member". Houses of the Oireachtas. Retrieved 9 December 2019.