2nd Seanad

2nd Seanad
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Overview
Legislative bodySeanad Éireann
JurisdictionIreland
Meeting placeLeinster House
Term27 April 1938 – 22 July 1938
Government1st Government of Ireland
Members60
CathaoirleachSeán Gibbons (FF)
Leas-ChathaoirleachPádraic Ó Máille (FF)
Leader of the
Seanad		William Quirke (FF)

The 2nd Seanad was in office in 1938. An election to Seanad Éireann, the Senate of the Oireachtas (Irish parliament), took place in March 1938, following the coming into operation of the Constitution of Ireland in December 1937. The senators served until the close of poll for the 3rd Seanad, in July 1938.

Designation

The Seanad of the Irish Free State was abolished by the Constitution (Amendment No. 24) Act 1936, with its last meeting on 19 May 1936. The Free State Seanad was elected in stages and thus considered to be in permanent session. Although there were five Seanad elections held before its abolition, the First Seanad includes the entire period from 1922 to 1936.

A new Seanad Éireann was established under the 1937 Constitution, with elections following general elections to Dáil Éireann. To indicate continuity with its Free State predecessor, the first Seanad elected after 1937 is numbered as the Second Seanad. The election to the 2nd Seanad 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]

Cathaoirleach

On 27 April 1938, Seán Gibbons (FF) was proposed by Helena Concannon (FF) and seconded by Margaret Mary Pearse (FF) for the position of Cathaoirleach. Séamus Ó hEocha (Ind) was proposed by Michael Hayes (FG) and seconded by Michael Tierney (FG) for the position. Gibbons was elected by a vote of 29 to 26.[2]

On 11 May 1938, Pádraic Ó Máille (FF), who had served as Leas-Cheann Comhairle of Dáil Éireann from 1922 to 1927, was proposed by Seán Hayes (FF) and seconded by Peadar Toner Mac Fhionnlaoich (Ind) for the position of Leas-Chathaoirleach. Ó Máille was elected by a vote of 30 to 23.[3]

Composition of the 2nd Seanad

There are a total of 60 seats in the Seanad: 43 were elected on five vocational panels, 6 were elected from two university constituencies and 11 were nominated by the Taoiseach.

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

Origin
Party
 Vocational panels NUI DU Nominated Total
Admin Agri Cult & Educ Ind & Comm Labour
Fianna Fáil 3 4 1 3 2 1 0 7 21
Fine Gael 2 3 3 5 2 2 0 0 17
Labour Party 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1
Independent 2 4 1 1 6 0 3 4 21
Total 7 11 5 9 11 3 3 11 60

List of senators

  • Note: The entries for Senators who were elected or appointed to fill vacancies are shown in italics
Name Panel Party Notes
Christopher Byrne Administrative Panel   Fianna Fáil  
Thomas Condon Administrative Panel   Independent  
Michael Hayes Administrative Panel   Fine Gael  
Richard Mulcahy Administrative Panel   Fine Gael Elected to the 10th Dáil at the general election on 17 June 1938[4]
John Newcome Administrative Panel   Independent  
Margaret Mary Pearse Administrative Panel   Fianna Fáil  
Thomas Ruane Administrative Panel   Fianna Fáil  
Patrick Baxter Agricultural Panel   Fine Gael  
William Caffrey Agricultural Panel   Fine Gael  
Seán Gibbons Agricultural Panel   Fianna Fáil  
John Nassau Greene Agricultural Panel   Independent  
Patrick Kehoe Agricultural Panel   Fianna Fáil  
Ross McGillycuddy Agricultural Panel   Independent  
William O'Callaghan Agricultural Panel   Fine Gael  
Martin O'Dwyer Agricultural Panel   Independent  
Pádraic Ó Máille Agricultural Panel   Fianna Fáil  
William Quirke Agricultural Panel   Fianna Fáil  
Michael Twomey Agricultural Panel   Independent  
Patrick Doyle Cultural and Educational Panel   Fine Gael  
Seán O'Donovan Cultural and Educational Panel   Fianna Fáil  
Séamus Ó hEocha Cultural and Educational Panel   Independent  
Gearóid O'Sullivan Cultural and Educational Panel   Fine Gael  
James Parkinson Cultural and Educational Panel   Fine Gael  
Daniel Corkery Industrial and Commercial Panel   Fianna Fáil  
James Crosbie Industrial and Commercial Panel   Fine Gael  
James G. Douglas Industrial and Commercial Panel   Independent  
Michael Hearne Industrial and Commercial Panel   Fianna Fáil  
Cornelius Kennedy Industrial and Commercial Panel   Fine Gael  
John MacLoughlin Industrial and Commercial Panel   Fine Gael  
Linda Kearns MacWhinney Industrial and Commercial Panel   Fianna Fáil  
David Madden Industrial and Commercial Panel   Fine Gael  
Brian O'Rourke Industrial and Commercial Panel   Fine Gael  
John Butler Labour Panel   Fine Gael  
Michael Conway Labour Panel   Independent  
John Gaffney Labour Panel   Independent  
Frederick Hawkins Labour Panel   Independent  
Seán Hayes Labour Panel   Fianna Fáil  
Gilbert Hughes Labour Panel   Fianna Fáil  
James Johnston Labour Panel   Independent  
Thomas McShea Labour Panel   Independent  
Seán Milroy Labour Panel   Fine Gael  
James Tunney Labour Panel   Labour  
David Walsh Labour Panel   Independent  
Henry Barniville National University of Ireland   Fine Gael  
Helena Concannon National University of Ireland   Fianna Fáil  
Michael Tierney National University of Ireland   Fine Gael  
Ernest Alton Dublin University   Independent  
Joseph Johnston Dublin University   Independent  
Robert Rowlette Dublin University   Independent  
Robert Farnan Nominated by the Taoiseach   Fianna Fáil  
T. V. Honan Nominated by the Taoiseach   Fianna Fáil  
Douglas Hyde Nominated by the Taoiseach   Independent Elected as President of Ireland on 4 May 1938[5]
Sir John Keane Nominated by the Taoiseach   Independent  
Margaret L. Kennedy Nominated by the Taoiseach   Fianna Fáil  
Patrick Keohane Nominated by the Taoiseach   Independent Nominated on 10 May 1938, replacing Douglas Hyde[6]
Peadar Toner Mac Fhionnlaoich Nominated by the Taoiseach   Independent  
William Magennis Nominated by the Taoiseach   Independent  
Frank MacDermot Nominated by the Taoiseach   Fianna Fáil  
Maurice George Moore Nominated by the Taoiseach   Fianna Fáil  
David Robinson Nominated by the Taoiseach   Fianna Fáil  
Matthew Stafford Nominated by the Taoiseach   Fianna Fáil  

Changes

Date Panel Loss Gain Note
4 May 1938 Nominated by the Taoiseach Independent   Douglas Hyde elected as President of Ireland[5]
10 May 1938 Nominated by the Taoiseach   Independent Patrick Keohane nominated to replace Douglas Hyde[6]
17 June 1938 Administrative Panel Fine Gael   Richard Mulcahy elected to the 10th Dáil at the 1938 general election[4]

References

  1. ^ Constitution of Ireland, Article 53.
  2. ^ "Election of Cathaoirleach – Seanad Éireann (7th Dáil) – Vol. 21 No. 1". 27 April 1938. Archived from the original on 12 February 2024. Retrieved 28 April 2024.
  3. ^ "Election of Leas-Chathaoirleach – Seanad Éireann (7th Dáil) – Vol. 21 No. 2". 11 May 1938. Archived from the original on 21 May 2022. Retrieved 28 April 2024.
  4. ^ a b "Announcement of Casual Vacancy in Seanad – Seanad Éireann (2nd Seanad) – Vol. 21 No. 5". Oireachtas Debates. 6 July 1938. Archived from the original on 5 October 2022. Retrieved 18 December 2023.
  5. ^ a b "Uachtarán na hEireann do Thogha – Seanad Éireann (2nd Seanad) – Vol. 21 No. 2". Oireachtas Debates. 11 May 1938. Archived from the original on 21 May 2022. Retrieved 18 December 2023.
  6. ^ a b "Seanadóir d'Ainmniú – Seanad Éireann (2nd Seanad) – Vol. 21 No. 2". Oireachtas Debates. 11 May 1938. Archived from the original on 16 May 2022. Retrieved 18 December 2023.
  • "2nd Seanad". Oireachtas Members Database. Retrieved 23 November 2009.
  • "2nd Seanad". Oireachtas Debates. Retrieved 18 December 2023.