1981 Irish general election

1981 Irish general election

11 June 1981
165 of 166 seats in Dáil Éireann 84 seats needed for a majority
Turnout	76.2% 0.1pp
First party Second party Third party   File:Frank Cluskey 1981 headshot cropped.jpg Leader Charles Haughey Garret FitzGerald Frank Cluskey Party Fianna Fáil Fine Gael Labour Leader since 7 December 1979 1977 1977 Leader's seat Dublin North-Central Dublin South-East Dublin South-Central (defeated) Last election 84 seats, 50.6% 43 seats, 30.5% 17 seats, 11.6% Seats before 83 45 15 Seats won 78 65 15 Seat change 5 20 0 Percentage 45.3% 36.5% 9.9% Swing 5.3% 6.0% 1.7%   Fourth party Fifth party Sixth party   AHB SLP Leader Anti H-Block Committee Tomás Mac Giolla Noël Browne Party Anti H-Block Sinn Féin The Workers' Party Socialist Labour Leader since N/A 1977 1981 Leader's seat N/A N/A Dublin North-Central Last election New 0 seats, 1.7% New Seats before 0 0 0 Seats won 2 1 1 Seat change New +1 New Percentage 2.5% 1.7% 0.4% Swing New — New
Percentage of seats gained by each of the three major parties, and number of seats gained by smaller parties and independents.
Taoiseach before election Charles Haughey Fianna Fáil Subsequent Taoiseach Garret FitzGerald Fine Gael

The 1981 Irish general election was held on Thursday, 11 June, three weeks after the dissolution of the Dáil on 21 May. The newly elected 166 members of the 22nd Dáil assembled at Leinster House on 30 June when a new Taoiseach and government were appointed.

The general election took place in 41 parliamentary constituencies throughout Ireland for 166 seats in the lower house of parliament, Dáil Éireann. The number of seats in the Dáil was increased by 18 from 148 to 166.

Campaign

The general election of 1981 was the first one of five during the 1980s. The election also saw three new leaders of the three main parties fight their first general election. Charles Haughey had become Taoiseach and leader of Fianna Fáil at the end of 1979, Garret FitzGerald was the new leader of Fine Gael and Frank Cluskey was in charge of the Labour Party.

Haughey and Fianna Fáil seemed extremely popular with the electorate in early 1981. He was expected to call the election at the time of the Fianna Fáil ardfheis on 14 February, but the Stardust fire caused the ardfheis to be postponed, and the Republican hunger strike in the Maze Prison began in March. By the dissolution in May, much of the earlier optimism in the party had filtered out. The Anti H-Block movement fielded abstentionist candidates in solidarity with the hunger strikers, undermining the Republican credentials of Fianna Fáil.

Fianna Fáil's manifesto promised the electorate more spending programmes and Fine Gael put forward a series of tax-cutting plans.

Result

Election to the 22nd Dáil – 11 June 1981
Party		Leader	Seats	±	% of seats	First pref. votes	% FPv	±%
	Fianna Fáil	Charles Haughey	78	–6	47.0	777,616	45.3	–5.3
	Fine Gael	Garret FitzGerald	65	+22	39.2	626,376	36.5	+6.0
	Labour	Frank Cluskey	15	–2	9.0	169,990	9.9	–1.7
	Anti H-Block	None	2	New	1.2	42,803	2.5	–
	Sinn Féin The Workers' Party	Tomás Mac Giolla	1	+1	0.6	29,561	1.7	0
	Socialist Labour	Noël Browne	1	New	0.6	7,107	0.4	–
	Socialist Party of Ireland	Eamonn O'Brien	0	New	0	571	0.0	–
	Communist	Eugene McCartan	0	0	0.0	358	0.0	–
	Independent politicians in Ireland	N/A	4	0	2.4	63,829	3.7	–1.8
Spoilt votes						16,168	—	—
Total			166	+18	100	1,734,379	100	—
Electorate/Turnout						2,275,450	76.2%	—

Independents include Independent Fianna Fáil (13,546 votes, 1 seat).

• Fine Gael–Labour Party minority coalition government formed.

When the votes were counted the result was inconclusive. Fianna Fáil lost seats as a result of sympathy to the Anti H-Block candidates and the attractive tax proposals of Fine Gael. It was the worst performance for Fianna Fáil in twenty years. Meanwhile, Labour Party leader Frank Cluskey lost his seat, necessitating a leadership change with Michael O'Leary succeeding Cluskey. A Fine Gael–Labour Party coalition government came to power with Garret FitzGerald becoming Taoiseach.

Voting summary

First preference vote Fianna Fáil   45.26% Fine Gael   36.36% Labour   9.89% Anti H-Block   2.49% Sinn Féin (Workers' Party)   1.72% Others   0.46% Independent   3.71%

Seats summary

Assembly seats Fianna Fáil   46.99% Fine Gael   39.16% Labour   9.04% Anti H-Block   1.20% Sinn Féin (Workers' Party)   0.60% Socialist Labour Party   0.60% Independent   2.41%

Dáil membership changes

The following changes took place as a result of the election:

• 20 outgoing TDs retired
• 18 new seats were created
• 127 outgoing TDs stood for re-election (also Pádraig Faulkner, the outgoing Ceann Comhairle who was automatically returned)
  • 109 of those were re-elected
  • 18 failed to be re-elected
• 56 successor TDs were elected
  • 50 were elected for the first time
  • 6 had previously been TDs
• There were 7 successor female TDs, replacing 3 outgoing, increasing the total by 4 to 11.

Where more than one change took place in a constituency the concept of successor is an approximation for presentation only. Where a number of related constituency changes took place in an area, such as Cork, the outgoing constituency for retiring TDs and the allocation of new seats are approximations for presentation only. Outgoing TDs re-elected in a new constituency, with no related changes, are not recorded as a change

Constituency	Departing TD	Party		Change	Comment	Successor TD	Party
Carlow–Kilkenny	Jim Gibbons style="width: 2px; background-color: #66BB66;" data-sort-value="Fianna Fáil" |	Fianna Fáil	Lost seat	Governey: Former TD	Desmond Governey style="width: 2px; background-color: #6699FF;" data-sort-value="Fine Gael" |	Fine Gael
Cavan–Monaghan	Jimmy Leonard style="width: 2px; background-color: #66BB66;" data-sort-value="Fianna Fáil" |	Fianna Fáil	Lost seat	Doherty: Was on hunger strike at the time of his election	Kieran Doherty style="width: 2px; background-color: #008800;" data-sort-value="Anti H-Block" |	Anti H-Block
Clare	Frank Taylor style="width: 2px; background-color: #6699FF;" data-sort-value="Fine Gael" |	Fine Gael	Retired		Madeleine Taylor style="width: 2px; background-color: #6699FF;" data-sort-value="Fine Gael" |	Fine Gael
	Seat added				Loughnane: moved from Galway West	Bill Loughnane style="width: 2px; background-color: #66BB66;" data-sort-value="Fianna Fáil" |	Fianna Fáil
Cork East	Jerry Cronin style="width: 2px; background-color: #66BB66;" data-sort-value="Fianna Fáil" |	Fianna Fáil	Retired (from Cork North-East)		Carey Joyce style="width: 2px; background-color: #66BB66;" data-sort-value="Fianna Fáil" |	Fianna Fáil
	Richard Barry style="width: 2px; background-color: #6699FF;" data-sort-value="Fine Gael" |	Fine Gael	Retired (from Cork North-East)	First TD to be elected for Official Sinn Féin/ The Workers' Party.	Joe Sherlock style="width: 2px; background-color: #D73D3D;" data-sort-value="Sinn Féin the Workers Party" |	Sinn Féin The Workers' Party
Cork North-Central	Jack Lynch style="width: 2px; background-color: #66BB66;" data-sort-value="Fianna Fáil" |	Fianna Fáil	Retired (from Cork City)		Denis Lyons style="width: 2px; background-color: #66BB66;" data-sort-value="Fianna Fáil" |	Fianna Fáil
	Seat added					Bernard Allen style="width: 2px; background-color: #6699FF;" data-sort-value="Fine Gael" |	Fine Gael
	Seat added					Toddy O'Sullivan style="width: 2px; background-color: #CC0000;" data-sort-value="Labour Party (Ireland)" |	Labour
Cork North-West						Frank Crowley style="width: 2px; background-color: #6699FF;" data-sort-value="Fine Gael" |	Fine Gael
Cork South-Central	Barry Cogan style="width: 2px; background-color: #66BB66;" data-sort-value="Fianna Fáil" |	Fianna Fáil	Lost seat (moved from Cork Mid)		Hugh Coveney style="width: 2px; background-color: #6699FF;" data-sort-value="Fine Gael" |	Fine Gael
Cork South-West	Michael Murphy style="width: 2px; background-color: #CC0000;" data-sort-value="Labour Party (Ireland)" |	Labour	Retired		P. J. Sheehan style="width: 2px; background-color: #6699FF;" data-sort-value="Fine Gael" |	Fine Gael
	Joe Walsh style="width: 2px; background-color: #66BB66;" data-sort-value="Fianna Fáil" |	Fianna Fáil	Lost seat	Crowley: Former TD	Flor Crowley style="width: 2px; background-color: #66BB66;" data-sort-value="Fianna Fáil" |	Fianna Fáil
Donegal North-East	No membership changes
Donegal South-West	Seat added					Pat "the Cope" Gallagher style="width: 2px; background-color: #66BB66;" data-sort-value="Fianna Fáil" |	Fianna Fáil
Dublin North	Joe Fox style="width: 2px; background-color: #66BB66;" data-sort-value="Fianna Fáil" |	Fianna Fáil	Lost seat (moved from Dublin County North)		Nora Owen style="width: 2px; background-color: #6699FF;" data-sort-value="Fine Gael" |	Fine Gael
Dublin North-Central	Seat added					George Birmingham style="width: 2px; background-color: #6699FF;" data-sort-value="Fine Gael" |	Fine Gael
Dublin Central	Vivion de Valera style="width: 2px; background-color: #66BB66;" data-sort-value="Fianna Fáil" |	Fianna Fáil	Retired (from Dublin Cabra)	(Ahern: moved from Dublin Finglas)	Bertie Ahern style="width: 2px; background-color: #66BB66;" data-sort-value="Fianna Fáil" |	Fianna Fáil
	Tom Leonard style="width: 2px; background-color: #66BB66;" data-sort-value="Fianna Fáil" |	Fianna Fáil	Lost seat (moved from Dublin Cabra)	(Colley: from Dublin Clontarf)	George Colley style="width: 2px; background-color: #66BB66;" data-sort-value="Fianna Fáil" |	Fianna Fáil
	Luke Belton style="width: 2px; background-color: #6699FF;" data-sort-value="Fine Gael" |	Fine Gael	Lost seat (moved from Dublin Finglas)		Alice Glenn style="width: 2px; background-color: #6699FF;" data-sort-value="Fine Gael" |	Fine Gael
Dublin North-East						Liam Fitzgerald style="width: 2px; background-color: #66BB66;" data-sort-value="Fianna Fáil" |	Fianna Fáil
						Seán Loftus style="width: 2px; background-color: #F8F9FA;" data-sort-value="Independent politicians in Ireland" |	Independent politicians in Ireland
Dublin North-West						Mary Flaherty style="width: 2px; background-color: #6699FF;" data-sort-value="Fine Gael" |	Fine Gael
	Timothy Killeen style="width: 2px; background-color: #66BB66;" data-sort-value="Fianna Fáil" |	Fianna Fáil	Lost seat (moved from Dublin Artane)		Michael Barrett style="width: 2px; background-color: #66BB66;" data-sort-value="Fianna Fáil" |	Fianna Fáil
Dublin South						Nuala Fennell style="width: 2px; background-color: #6699FF;" data-sort-value="Fine Gael" |	Fine Gael
	Síle de Valera style="width: 2px; background-color: #66BB66;" data-sort-value="Fianna Fáil" |	Fianna Fáil	Lost seat (moved from Dublin County Mid)		Séamus Brennan style="width: 2px; background-color: #66BB66;" data-sort-value="Fianna Fáil" |	Fianna Fáil
	John Horgan style="width: 2px; background-color: #CC0000;" data-sort-value="Labour Party (Ireland)" |	Labour	Lost seat(moved from Dublin County South)		Alan Shatter style="width: 2px; background-color: #6699FF;" data-sort-value="Fine Gael" |	Fine Gael
Dublin South-West						Mary Harney style="width: 2px; background-color: #66BB66;" data-sort-value="Fianna Fáil" |	Fianna Fáil
						Mervyn Taylor style="width: 2px; background-color: #CC0000;" data-sort-value="Labour Party (Ireland)" |	Labour
Dublin West					Burke: Former TD	Richard Burke style="width: 2px; background-color: #6699FF;" data-sort-value="Fine Gael" |	Fine Gael
	Mark Clinton style="width: 2px; background-color: #6699FF;" data-sort-value="Fine Gael" |	Fine Gael	Retired (from Dublin County West)		Brian Fleming style="width: 2px; background-color: #6699FF;" data-sort-value="Fine Gael" |	Fine Gael
	Liam Lawlor style="width: 2px; background-color: #66BB66;" data-sort-value="Fianna Fáil" |	Fianna Fáil	Lost seat (moved from Dublin County West)	(Lemass: from Dublin Ballyfermot)	Eileen Lemass style="width: 2px; background-color: #66BB66;" data-sort-value="Fianna Fáil" |	Fianna Fáil
Dublin South-Central	Seat added				(Briscoe: from Dublin Rathmines West)	Ben Briscoe style="width: 2px; background-color: #66BB66;" data-sort-value="Fianna Fáil" |	Fianna Fáil
	Seat added					Gay Mitchell style="width: 2px; background-color: #6699FF;" data-sort-value="Fine Gael" |	Fine Gael
	Frank Cluskey style="width: 2px; background-color: #CC0000;" data-sort-value="Labour Party (Ireland)" |	Labour	Lost seat	(O'Connell:from Dublin Ballyfermot)	John O'Connell style="width: 2px; background-color: #F8F9FA;" data-sort-value="Independent politicians in Ireland" |	Independent politicians in Ireland
Dublin South-East	Seat added				(Brady: from Dublin Rathimines West)	Gerard Brady style="width: 2px; background-color: #66BB66;" data-sort-value="Fianna Fáil" |	Fianna Fáil
	Ruairi Quinn style="width: 2px; background-color: #CC0000;" data-sort-value="Labour Party (Ireland)" |	Labour	Lost seat	(Ryan: from Dublin Rathimines West)	Richie Ryan style="width: 2px; background-color: #6699FF;" data-sort-value="Fine Gael" |	Fine Gael
Dún Laoghaire	Liam Cosgrave style="width: 2px; background-color: #6699FF;" data-sort-value="Fine Gael" |	Fine Gael	Retired		Liam T. Cosgrave style="width: 2px; background-color: #6699FF;" data-sort-value="Fine Gael" |	Fine Gael
	Seat added					Sean Barrett style="width: 2px; background-color: #6699FF;" data-sort-value="Fine Gael" |	Fine Gael
Galway East	John Donnellan style="width: 2px; background-color: #6699FF;" data-sort-value="Fine Gael" |	Fine Gael	(moved to Galway West)		Paul Connaughton Snr style="width: 2px; background-color: #6699FF;" data-sort-value="Fine Gael" |	Fine Gael
	Mark Killilea Jnr style="width: 2px; background-color: #66BB66;" data-sort-value="Fianna Fáil" |	Fianna Fáil	(moved to Galway West)	Kitt: Former TD	Michael P. Kitt style="width: 2px; background-color: #66BB66;" data-sort-value="Fianna Fáil" |	Fianna Fáil
	Thomas Hussey style="width: 2px; background-color: #66BB66;" data-sort-value="Fianna Fáil" |	Fianna Fáil	Lost seat	Seat abolished
Galway West	John Mannion Jnr style="width: 2px; background-color: #6699FF;" data-sort-value="Fine Gael" |	Fine Gael	Retired	(Donnellan: from Galway East)	John Donnellan style="width: 2px; background-color: #6699FF;" data-sort-value="Fine Gael" |	Fine Gael
	Seat added					Michael D. Higgins style="width: 2px; background-color: #CC0000;" data-sort-value="Labour Party (Ireland)" |	Labour
	Bill Loughnane style="width: 2px; background-color: #66BB66;" data-sort-value="Fianna Fáil" |	Fianna Fáil	(moved to Clare)	(Killilea moved from Galway East)	Mark Killilea Jnr style="width: 2px; background-color: #66BB66;" data-sort-value="Fianna Fáil" |	Fianna Fáil
Kerry North	Kit Ahern style="width: 2px; background-color: #66BB66;" data-sort-value="Fianna Fáil" |	Fianna Fáil	Lost seat		Denis Foley style="width: 2px; background-color: #66BB66;" data-sort-value="Fianna Fáil" |	Fianna Fáil
	Dan Spring style="width: 2px; background-color: #CC0000;" data-sort-value="Labour Party (Ireland)" |	Labour	Retired		Dick Spring style="width: 2px; background-color: #CC0000;" data-sort-value="Labour Party (Ireland)" |	Labour
Kerry South	Timothy O'Connor style="width: 2px; background-color: #66BB66;" data-sort-value="Fianna Fáil" |	Fianna Fáil	Lost seat		Michael Moynihan style="width: 2px; background-color: #CC0000;" data-sort-value="Labour Party (Ireland)" |	Labour
Kildare	Seat added					Bernard Durkan style="width: 2px; background-color: #6699FF;" data-sort-value="Fine Gael" |	Fine Gael
	Seat added					Alan Dukes style="width: 2px; background-color: #6699FF;" data-sort-value="Fine Gael" |	Fine Gael
Laois–Offaly	Patrick Lalor style="width: 2px; background-color: #66BB66;" data-sort-value="Fianna Fáil" |	Fianna Fáil	Retired		Liam Hyland style="width: 2px; background-color: #66BB66;" data-sort-value="Fianna Fáil" |	Fianna Fáil
Limerick East	Michael Herbert style="width: 2px; background-color: #66BB66;" data-sort-value="Fianna Fáil" |	Fianna Fáil	Retired		Peadar Clohessy style="width: 2px; background-color: #66BB66;" data-sort-value="Fianna Fáil" |	Fianna Fáil
	Michael Lipper style="width: 2px; background-color: #CC0000;" data-sort-value="Labour Party (Ireland)" |	Labour	Lost seat		Jim Kemmy style="width: 2px; background-color: #F8F9FA;" data-sort-value="Independent politicians in Ireland" |	Independent politicians in Ireland
	Seat added					Michael Noonan style="width: 2px; background-color: #6699FF;" data-sort-value="Fine Gael" |	Fine Gael
Limerick West	No membership changes
Longford–Westmeath	Joseph Sheridan style="width: 2px; background-color: #F8F9FA;" data-sort-value="Independent politicians in Ireland" |	Independent politicians in Ireland	Retired	Cooney: Former TD	Patrick Cooney style="width: 2px; background-color: #6699FF;" data-sort-value="Fine Gael" |	Fine Gael
Louth	Paddy Donegan style="width: 2px; background-color: #6699FF;" data-sort-value="Fine Gael" |	Fine Gael	Retired		Bernard Markey style="width: 2px; background-color: #6699FF;" data-sort-value="Fine Gael" |	Fine Gael
	Joseph Farrell style="width: 2px; background-color: #66BB66;" data-sort-value="Fianna Fáil" |	Fianna Fáil	Retired	Republican prisoner in Long Kesh, not on hunger strike.	Paddy Agnew style="width: 2px; background-color: #008800;" data-sort-value="Anti H-Block" |	Anti H-Block
Mayo East	No membership changes
Mayo West	No membership changes
Meath	Seat added					John Farrelly style="width: 2px; background-color: #6699FF;" data-sort-value="Fine Gael" |	Fine Gael
Roscommon	Joan Burke style="width: 2px; background-color: #6699FF;" data-sort-value="Fine Gael" |	Fine Gael	Retired		John Connor style="width: 2px; background-color: #6699FF;" data-sort-value="Fine Gael" |	Fine Gael
Sligo–Leitrim	James Gallagher style="width: 2px; background-color: #66BB66;" data-sort-value="Fianna Fáil" |	Fianna Fáil	Retired		John Ellis style="width: 2px; background-color: #66BB66;" data-sort-value="Fianna Fáil" |	Fianna Fáil
	Eugene Gilhawley style="width: 2px; background-color: #6699FF;" data-sort-value="Fine Gael" |	Fine Gael	Retired		Joe McCartin style="width: 2px; background-color: #6699FF;" data-sort-value="Fine Gael" |	Fine Gael
	Seat added					Ted Nealon style="width: 2px; background-color: #6699FF;" data-sort-value="Fine Gael" |	Fine Gael
Tipperary North	Michael O'Kennedy style="width: 2px; background-color: #66BB66;" data-sort-value="Fianna Fáil" |	Fianna Fáil	Retired		David Molony style="width: 2px; background-color: #6699FF;" data-sort-value="Fine Gael" |	Fine Gael
Tipperary South	Noel Davern style="width: 2px; background-color: #66BB66;" data-sort-value="Fianna Fáil" |	Fianna Fáil	Retired		Carrie Acheson style="width: 2px; background-color: #66BB66;" data-sort-value="Fianna Fáil" |	Fianna Fáil
	Seat added					Seán McCarthy style="width: 2px; background-color: #66BB66;" data-sort-value="Fianna Fáil" |	Fianna Fáil
Waterford	No membership changes
Wexford	Seán Browne style="width: 2px; background-color: #66BB66;" data-sort-value="Fianna Fáil" |	Fianna Fáil	Lost seat		Hugh Byrne style="width: 2px; background-color: #66BB66;" data-sort-value="Fianna Fáil" |	Fianna Fáil
	Seat added					Ivan Yates style="width: 2px; background-color: #6699FF;" data-sort-value="Fine Gael" |	Fine Gael
Wicklow	Seat added				Brennan: Former TD	Paudge Brennan style="width: 2px; background-color: #66BB66;" data-sort-value="Fianna Fáil" |	Fianna Fáil

See also

• Members of the 22nd Dáil
• Government of the 22nd Dáil
• Ministers of State of the 22nd Dáil