1938 Irish general election
Appearance
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
138 seats in Dáil Éireann[a] 70 seats needed for a majority | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Turnout | 76.7% 0.5pp | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Percentage of seats gained by each of the three major parties, and number of seats gained by smaller parties and independents. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
The 1938 Irish general election was held on Friday, 17 June. The 138 newly elected members of the 10th Dáil assembled on 30 June when the new Taoiseach and government were appointed. Fianna Fáil retained power, and won the first overall majority in the history of the State. It was a snap election, the proximate cause being the government's loss of an opposition motion recommending use of arbitration to resolve Civil Service labour disputes.[3]
The general election took place in 34 parliamentary constituencies throughout Ireland for 138 seats in the lower house of parliament, Dáil Éireann.
Result
Election to the 10th Dáil – 17 June 1938[4][5][6] | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Party | Leader | Seats | ± | % of seats |
First pref. votes |
% FPv | ±% | |
Fianna Fáil | Éamon de Valera | 77[a] | +8 | 55.8 | 667,996 | 51.9 | +6.7 | |
Fine Gael | W. T. Cosgrave | 45 | –3 | 32.6 | 428,633 | 33.3 | –1.5 | |
Labour | William Norton | 9 | –4 | 6.5 | 128,945 | 10.0 | –0.3 | |
Independent politicians in Ireland | N/A | 7 | –1 | 5.1 | 60,685 | 4.7 | –5.0 | |
Spoilt votes | 15,811 | — | — | |||||
Total | 138[a] | 0 | 100 | 1,302,070 | 100 | — | ||
Electorate/Turnout | 1,770,422 | 76.7% | — |
Voting summary
Seats summary
Government formation
Fianna Fáil formed a majority government, the 2nd Government of Ireland.
First time TDs
- Erskine H. Childers
- Daniel Hogan
- James Hughes
- Frank Loughman
- Henry McDevitt
- Thomas Mullen
- Peter O'Loghlen
- Mícheál Ó Móráin
Re-elected TDs
Outgoing TDs
- Archie Heron (Lost seat)
- Gerrard McGowan (Retired)
- Edward Moane (Lost seat)
- Sydney Minch (Lost seat)
- Daniel O'Leary (Lost seat)
Notes
- ^ a b c d Including Frank Fahy, returned automatically for Galway East as outgoing Ceann Comhairle, under Art. 16.6 of the Constitution and the Electoral (Chairman of Dáil Éireann) Act 1937.[1][2]
References
- ^ Electoral (Chairman of Dail Eireann) Act 1937, s. 3: Re-election of outgoing Ceann Comhairle (No. 25 of 1937, s. 3). Enacted on 1 November 1937. Act of the Oireachtas. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book.
- ^ "10th Dáil 1937: Galway East". ElectionsIreland.org. Retrieved 3 July 2022.
- ^ "To Caesar". The Irish Times. 28 May 1938. p. 8. Retrieved 30 March 2020.; "Private Deputies' Business — Civil Service and Arbitration". Dáil Éireann (9th Dáil) debates. Houses of the Oireachtas. 25 May 1938. Archived from the original on 21 October 2019. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
- ^ "10th Dáil 1938 General Election". ElectionsIreland.org. Archived from the original on 3 June 2009. Retrieved 19 April 2009.
- ^ "Dáil elections since 1918". ARK Northern Ireland. Archived from the original on 27 November 2020. Retrieved 19 April 2009.
- ^ Nohlen, Dieter; Stöver, Philip (2010). Elections in Europe: A data handbook. pp. 1009–1017. ISBN 978-3-8329-5609-7.