Members of the 2nd Seanad

The Free State Seanad was elected in stages and thus considered to be in permanent session, and although there were five Seanad elections held before its abolition, is considered to have been a single Seanad for the duration of its existence and is thus referred for that whole period as the First Seanad. It was abolished by the Constitution (Amendment No. 24) Act 1936, with its last meeting on 19 May 1936. To indicate continuity with its Free State predecessor, the first Seanad elected after 1937 is numbered as the Second Seanad.

It was elected under Article 53 of the Constitution, which provided that on the coming into operation of the Constitution, which took place on 29 December 1937, a general election for the Seanad would take place as if there had been a dissolution of the Dáil.[1]

There are a total of 60 seats in the Seanad. 43 Senators are elected by the Vocational panels, 6 elected by the Universities and 11 are nominated by the Taoiseach.

The following table shows the composition by party when the 2nd Seanad first met on 27 April 1938.

• Note: The entries for Senators who were elected or appointed to fill vacancies are shown in italics

• Members of the 9th Dáil
• Government of the 9th Dáil
• Parliamentary Secretaries of the 9th Dáil

• "2nd Seanad". Oireachtas Members Database. Retrieved 23 November 2009.