Members of the 1st Dáil
This is a list of the 105 MPs who were elected for Irish seats at the 1918 United Kingdom general election. Sinn Féin emerged as the largest party, in their first general election. They adopted a policy of abstention from the House of British House of Commons in Westminster. Instead they took their election as a mandate for independence and established a revolutionary parliament known as Dáil Éireann, with its members known as Teachtaí Dála or TDs. It met for the first time on 21 January 1919 in Mansion House in Dublin. The majority of Sinn Féin's MPs were imprisoned at the time so only 27 elected representatives attended the initial meeting of the First Dáil. The First Dáil lasted 892 days. Those elected for the remaining Irish seats, from the Irish Parliamentary Party and the Irish Unionist Party, for the most part ignored the invitation to attend the First Dáil. Thomas Harbison, elected for the Irish Parliamentary Party for North East Tyrone, did acknowledge the invitation, but "stated he should decline for obvious reasons".[1]
| 1st Dáil Éireann | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
 | |||
| Overview | |||
| Legislative body | Dáil Éireann | ||
| Jurisdiction | Irish Republic | ||
| Meeting place | Mansion House UCD (Earlsfort Terrace) | ||
| Term | 21 January 1919 – 10 May 1921 | ||
| Election | 1918 general election | ||
| Government | 1st Dáil Ministry until 22 January 1919 2nd Dáil Ministry1919–22 | ||
| Members | 105 | ||
| Ceann Comhairle | Seán T. O'Kelly — Count Plunkett 22 January 1919 — Cathal Brugha until 22 January 1919 | ||
| President of Dáil Éireann | Éamon de Valera — Cathal Brugha until 1 April 1919 | ||
Under this Irish republican theory, all 105 MPs were members of the Dáil, and their names were called out on the roll of membership. The database of Oireachtas members includes only those elected for Sinn Féin.[2] For clarity on the representation of constituencies, they are listed here in a single list.
Election result (Ireland only)
| Party | Seats | |
|---|---|---|
| Sinn Féin | 73[lower-alpha 1] | |
| Irish Unionist | 22 | |
| Irish Parliamentary | 6[lower-alpha 2] | |
| Labour Unionist | 3 | |
| Independent Unionist | 1 | |
Members by constituency
Changes
Vacancies
When Pierce McCan died on 6 March 1919, his East Tipperary seat was left vacant at Westminster. In April 1919 a Dáil committee considering how to fill the vacancy considered allowing nomination by the Labour Party (which had stood aside in the 1918 election to avoid splitting the nationalist vote)[4] before recommending that the Sinn Féin constituency organisation should nominate.[5] However, in June 1919 the Dáil decided that "it was due to the memory of the late Pierce McCann that his place should not be filled at present".[6] Later vacancies were also left unfilled; when Diarmuid Lynch resigned his seat in 1920, Arthur Griffith said "as the letter of resignation was addressed to the people of South-East Cork, the next step in the matter lay with the South-East Cork Executive of Sinn Fein".[7]
Four TDs represented two separate constituencies: Éamon de Valera, Arthur Griffith, Eoin MacNeill and Liam Mellowes. Ordinarily, this would prompt them to choose one constituency to represent, and to move a writ for a by-election in the other constituency.
| Constituency | Outgoing TD | Party | Reason for vacancy | Date of vacancy | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tipperary East | Pierce McCan | Sinn Féin | Death in prison | 6 March 1919 | |
| Cork South East | Diarmuid Lynch | Sinn Féin | Resignation | 6 August 1920 | |
| Cork Mid | Terence MacSwiney | Sinn Féin | Death from hunger strike | 25 October 1920 | |
By-elections
The following Westminster by-elections to Irish seats were filled by Unionists who sat at Westminster.
| Winner | Party | Constituency | Date | Outgoing | Party | Reason for vacancy | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hugh T. Barrie | Irish Unionist | North Londonderry | 4 March 1919 | Hugh Anderson | Irish Unionist | Resignation | The only by-election contested by Sinn Féin, Patrick McGilligan losing.[8] | ||
| George Hanna | Independent Unionist | East Antrim | 27 May 1919 | Robert McCalmont | Irish Unionist | Appointed commander of the Irish Guards | |||
| William Jellett | Irish Unionist | University of Dublin | 28 July 1919 | Arthur Samuels | Irish Unionist | Appointed to the High Court of Justice in Ireland | |||
Notes
- Sinn Féin won 73 constituencies but 4 MPs were elected for 2 constituencies, so there were 69 persons elected for Sinn Féin in total.
- T. P. O'Connor also elected for Liverpool Scotland.
- Arthur Griffith was elected for two constituencies: Cavan East and Tyrone North West.
- Éamon de Valera was elected for two constituencies: Clare East and Mayo East.
- Attended the opening session of the First Dáil on 21 January 1919.
- Liam Mellows was elected for two constituencies: Galway East and Meath North.
- Eoin MacNeill was elected for two constituencies: Londonderry City and National University of Ireland.
See also
References
- "ROLL CALL". Houses of the Oireachtas. 22 January 1919. Retrieved 28 August 2018.
- "TDs & Senators". Houses of the Oireachtas. Retrieved 28 August 2018.
- "3. AN ROLLA". Houses of the Oireachtas. 21 January 1919. Retrieved 28 August 2018.
- Mitchell, Arthur (1995). Revolutionary Government in Ireland: Dáil Éireann, 1919-22. Gill & MacMillan. p. 24. ISBN 9780717114818.
- "East Tipperary Vacancy". Dáil Éireann debate. Oireachtas. 17 June 1919. Retrieved 18 August 2018.
- "Report of Select Committee on East Tipperary Vacancy – Dáil Éireann (1st Dáil) – Wednesday, 18 June 1919". Oireachtas. 17 June 1919. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
- "Resignation Of Deputy For South-East Cork". Dáil Éireann debate. Oireachtas. 6 August 1920. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
- Laffan, Michael (1999). The Resurrection of Ireland: The Sinn Féin Party, 1916–1923. Cambridge University Press. p. 309. ISBN 9781139426299. Retrieved 13 August 2018.