The 8th Dáil was elected at the 1933 general election on 24 January 1933 and met on 8 February 1933. The members of Dáil Éireann, the house of representatives of the Oireachtas (legislature) of the Irish Free State, are known as TDs. Initially, it was one of two houses of the Oireachtas, sitting with the First Seanad constituted as the 1931 Seanad and the 1934 Seanad. From 29 May 1936, it was the sole house of the Oireachtas, after the disbandment of Seanad Éireann under the Constitution (Amendment No. 24) Act 1936. The 8th Dáil was dissolved on 14 June 1937. The 8th Dáil lasted 1,588 days.
| 8th Dáil | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||||||
 | |||||||||||
| Overview | |||||||||||
| Legislative body | Dáil Éireann | ||||||||||
| Jurisdiction | Irish Free State | ||||||||||
| Meeting place | Leinster House | ||||||||||
| Term | 8 February 1933 – 14 June 1937 | ||||||||||
| Election | 1933 general election | ||||||||||
| Government | 7th executive council | ||||||||||
| Members | 153 | ||||||||||
| Ceann Comhairle | Frank Fahy | ||||||||||
| President of the Executive Council | Éamon de Valera | ||||||||||
| Vice-President of the Executive Council | Seán T. O'Kelly | ||||||||||
| Chief Whip | Patrick Little | ||||||||||
| Leader of the Opposition | W. T. Cosgrave | ||||||||||
| Sessions | |||||||||||
| |||||||||||
Composition of the 8th Dáil
edit| Party | Jan. 1933 | June 1937 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ● | Fianna Fáil | 77 | 77 |
| Cumann na nGaedheal[a] | 48 | — | |
| National Centre Party[a] | 11 | — | |
| Labour | 8 | 8 | |
| Independent | 9 | 10 | |
| Ceann Comhairle | — | 1 | |
| Fine Gael[a] | — | 52 | |
| Vacant | — | 3 | |
| Total | 153 | ||
Fianna Fáil, denoted with a bullet (●), formed the 7th executive council of the Irish Free State.
Graphical representation
editThis is a graphical comparison of party strengths in the 8th Dáil from February 1933. This was not the official seating plan.
Ceann Comhairle
editOn 8 February 1933, Frank Fahy (FF), who had served as Ceann Comhairle in the previous Dáil, was proposed by Éamon de Valera and seconded by William Norton for the position, and was elected without a vote.[1]
TDs by constituency
editThe list of the 153 TDs elected, is given in alphabetical order by Dáil constituency.[2]
Changes
edit| Date | Constituency | Loss | Gain | Note | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 February 1933 | Galway | Fianna Fáil | Ceann Comhairle | Frank Fahy takes office as Ceann Comhairle[1] | ||
| 12 July 1933 | Dublin University | Independent | Death of James Craig | |||
| 8 September 1933 | 48 TDs | Cumann na nGaedheal | Fine Gael | New party formed after merger | ||
| 8 September 1933 | 10 TDs | National Centre Party | Fine Gael | New party formed after merger | ||
| 8 September 1933 | Cork East | National Centre Party | Independent | William Kent became Independent on formation of Fine Gael[3] | ||
| 3 October 1933 | Louth | Independent | Fine Gael | James Coburn joins Fine Gael[4] | ||
| 13 October 1933 | Dublin University | Independent | Robert Rowlette wins the seat vacated by the death of Craig | |||
| 30 October 1934 | Dublin North | Fine Gael | Independent | Patrick Belton expelled for his continued support for Eoin O'Duffy as party leader[5] | ||
| 24 November 1934 | Galway | Fine Gael | Death of Martin McDonogh | |||
| 7 February 1935 | Dublin County | Fine Gael | Death of Batt O'Connor | |||
| 17 June 1935 | Dublin County | Fine Gael | Cecil Lavery holds the seat vacated by the death of O'Connor | |||
| October 1935 | Roscommon | Fine Gael | Independent | Frank MacDermot resigns from Fine Gael | ||
| 19 June 1935 | Galway | Fianna Fáil | Eamon Corbett wins the seat vacated by the death of McDonogh | |||
| 14 July 1936 | Galway | Fine Gael | Death of Patrick Hogan | |||
| 22 July 1936 | Wexford | Fine Gael | Death of Osmond Esmonde | |||
| 13 August 1936 | Galway | Fianna Fáil | Martin Neilan wins the seat vacated by the death of Hogan | |||
| 17 August 1936 | Wexford | Fianna Fáil | Denis Allen wins the seat vacated by the death of Esmonde | |||
| 10 September 1936 | Cork West | Fine Gael | Death of James Burke | |||
| 3 November 1936 | National University | Fianna Fáil | Appointment of Conor Maguire as a judge of the High Court[6] | |||
| 23 December 1936 | Longford–Westmeath | Fianna Fáil | Appointment of James Geoghegan as a judge of the Supreme Court[7] | |||
Footnotes
edit- ^ a b c On 8 September 1933, Cumann na nGaedheal and the National Centre Party, along with the Army Comrades Association (Blueshirts), merged to form Fine Gael.
References
edit- ^ a b "Election of Ceann Comhairle – Dáil Éireann (8th Dáil) – Vol. 46 No. 1". Houses of the Oireachtas. 8 February 1933. Archived from the original on 7 August 2022. Retrieved 7 August 2022.
- ^ "TDs & Senators (8th Dáil)". Houses of the Oireachtas. Archived from the original on 19 January 2021. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
- ^ "1933 in the Dáil — Young Men to the Fore — How Government has Shaped". The Irish Times. 26 December 1933. p. 7. Retrieved 22 August 2022.
- ^ "United Ireland Party – Independent Deputy Becomes a Member". The Irish Times. 4 October 1933. p. 7. Retrieved 22 August 2022.
- ^ "Mr. Belton's position". The Irish Times. 20 October 1934. Retrieved 9 August 2022.
- ^ "Attorney-General's Judicial Appointment. – Dáil Éireann (8th Dáil) – Vol. 64 No. 1". Oireachtas Debates. 4 November 1936. Archived from the original on 10 April 2022. Retrieved 10 April 2022.
- ^ "Deputy's Appointment to Judiciary – Dáil Éireann (8th Dáil) – Vol. 65 No. 1". Oireachtas Debates. 3 February 1937.