The 21st Dáil was elected at the 1977 general election on 16 June 1977 and met on 5 July 1977. The members of Dáil Éireann, the house of representatives of the Oireachtas (legislature) of Ireland, are known as TDs. It sat with the 14th Seanad as the two Houses of the Oireachtas.
| 21st Dáil | |||||||||||
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| Overview | |||||||||||
| Legislative body | Dáil Éireann | ||||||||||
| Jurisdiction | Ireland | ||||||||||
| Meeting place | Leinster House | ||||||||||
| Term | 5 July 1977 – 21 May 1981 | ||||||||||
| Election | 1977 general election | ||||||||||
| Government |
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| Members | 148 | ||||||||||
| Ceann Comhairle | Pádraig Faulkner — Joseph Brennan until 13 July 1980 | ||||||||||
| Taoiseach | Charles Haughey — Jack Lynch until 11 December 1979 | ||||||||||
| Tánaiste | George Colley | ||||||||||
| Chief Whip | Seán Moore — Michael Woods until 11 December 1979 — Patrick Lalor until 1 July 1979 | ||||||||||
| Leader of the Opposition | Garret FitzGerald | ||||||||||
| Sessions | |||||||||||
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The 21st Dáil saw a change of Taoiseach from Jack Lynch to Charles Haughey. On 21 May 1981, President Patrick Hillery dissolved the Dáil on the request of Taoiseach Charles Haughey. The 21st Dáil lasted 1,417 days.
Composition of the 21st Dáil
edit| Party | June 1977 | May 1981 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ● | Fianna Fáil | 84 | 81 |
| Fine Gael | 43 | 45 | |
| Labour | 17 | 16 | |
| Independent Fianna Fáil | 1 | 1 | |
| Independent | 3 | 3 | |
| Ceann Comhairle | — | 1 | |
| Vacant | — | 1 | |
In July 1977, Fianna Fáil, denoted with a bullet (●), formed the 15th government of Ireland, a majority government, led by Jack Lynch as Taoiseach. In December 1979, Charles Haughey succeeded as Fianna Fáil leader and Taoiseach, forming the 16th government of Ireland.
Graphical representation
editThis is a graphical comparison of party strengths in the 21st Dáil from July 1977. This was not the official seating plan.
Ceann Comhairle
editOn the meeting of the Dáil, Joseph Brennan (FF) was proposed by Jack Lynch (FF) and seconded by George Colley (FF) for the position of Ceann Comhairle. Seán Treacy (Lab) was proposed by Garret FitzGerald (FG) and seconded by Joseph Bermingham (Lab) for the position. Brennan was elected by a vote of 84 to 60.[1]
Brennan died on 13 July 1980.[2] On 15 October 1980, Pádraig Faulkner (FF) was appointed Ceann Comhairle on a temporary basis.[3] On 16 October 1980, Faulkner was proposed by Jack Lynch for the position on a permanent basis, and was elected without a vote.[4]
TDs by constituency
editThe list of the 148 TDs elected is given in alphabetical order by Dáil constituency.[5]
Changes
edit| Date | Constituency | Loss | Gain | Note | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 July 1977 | Donegal | Fianna Fáil | Ceann Comhairle | Joseph Brennan takes office as Ceann Comhairle[1] | ||
| 18 April 1979 | Cork North-East | Fianna Fáil | Death of Seán Brosnan | |||
| 4 July 1979 | Cork City | Labour | Death of Patrick Kerrigan | |||
| 7 November 1979 | Cork North-East | Fine Gael | Myra Barry wins seat vacated by the death of Brosnan | |||
| 7 November 1979 | Cork City | Fine Gael | Liam Burke wins seat vacated by the death of Kerrigan | |||
| 13 July 1980 | Donegal | Ceann Comhairle | Death of Joseph Brennan | |||
| 16 October 1980 | Louth | Fianna Fáil | Ceann Comhairle | Pádraig Faulkner takes office as Ceann Comhairle[4] | ||
| 6 November 1980 | Donegal | Fianna Fáil | Clement Coughlan holds seat vacated by the death of Brennan | |||
| 27 January 1981 | Tipperary North | Fianna Fáil | Resignation of Michael O'Kennedy on appointment as EC Commissioner[6] | |||
On 11 February 1981, a motion to move the writ for the vacancy in Tipperary North was rejected on a vote of 40 to 66.[7]
References
edit- ^ a b "Election of Ceann Comhairle – Dáil Éireann (21st Dáil) – Vol. 300 No. 1". Houses of the Oireachtas. 5 July 1977. Archived from the original on 8 July 2022. Retrieved 27 August 2022.
- ^ "Death of Ceann Comhairle: Expression of Sympathy – Dáil Éireann (21st Dáil) – Vol. 323 No. 1". Houses of the Oireachtas. 15 October 1980. Archived from the original on 8 July 2022. Retrieved 27 August 2022.
- ^ "Office of Ceann Comhairle – Dáil Éireann (21st Dáil) – Vol. 323 No. 1". Houses of the Oireachtas. 15 October 1980. Archived from the original on 3 October 2018. Retrieved 27 August 2022.
- ^ a b "Office of Ceann Comhairle – Dáil Éireann (21st Dáil) – Vol. 323 No. 2". Houses of the Oireachtas. 16 October 1980. Archived from the original on 3 October 2018. Retrieved 27 August 2022.
- ^ "TDs & Senators (21st Dáil)". Houses of the Oireachtas. Archived from the original on 5 May 2018. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
- ^ "Resignation of Member – Dáil Éireann (21st Dáil) – Vol. 326 No. 1". Houses of the Oireachtas. 27 January 1981. Archived from the original on 22 June 2022. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
- ^ "Issue of Writ: Motion – Dáil Éireann (21st Dáil) – Vol. 326 No. 8". Houses of the Oireachtas. 11 February 1981. Archived from the original on 4 November 2019. Retrieved 27 August 2022.