The 1937 Irish general election to the 9th Dáil was held on Thursday, 1 July, just over two weeks after the dissolution of the 8th Dáil on 14 June. The general election took place in 34 parliamentary constituencies throughout the Irish Free State for 138 seats in

Dáil Éireann Dáil Éireann ( , ; ) is the lower house, and principal chamber, of the Oireachtas (Irish legislature), which also includes the President of Ireland and Seanad Éireann (the upper house).Article 15.1.2º of the Constitution of Ireland read ...

. The number of seats in the Dáil was reduced by 15, from 153 to 138 seats, under the Electoral (Revision of Constituencies) Act 1935. A plebiscite on whether to approve the new Constitution of Ireland was held on the same day. It was approved with the support of 56.5% of voters and would come into force on 29 December 1937. The 9th Dáil met at Leinster House on 21 July 1937 to elect the President of the Executive Council and approve the appointment of the

Executive Council Executive Council may refer to: Government * Executive Council (Commonwealth countries), a constitutional organ that exercises executive power and advises the governor * Executive Council of Bern, the government of the Swiss canton of Bern * Ex ...

of the Irish Free State. Outgoing president Éamon de Valera was re-elected leading a single-party Fianna Fáil government.

Result

Voting summary

Seats summary

First time TDs

Ernest Benson Ernest Edmondson Benson (5 October 1898 – 15 March 1975) was an Irish Fine Gael politician and businessman. He was born 5 October 1898 in Dublin, the second child of Robert Benson, a company director, and Bessie Benson (née Hulme); the famil ...

* Cormac Breslin * Patrick Browne * Thomas Burke *

A. P. Byrne Alfred Patrick Byrne (12 June 1913 – 26 July 1952) was an Irish politician. A clerk by profession, he was elected to Dáil Éireann as an Independent Teachta Dála (TD) for Dublin North-West at the 1937 general election. He was re-elected at ...

* Michael Colbert * Matthew Davis * John Esmonde * John Friel *

Archie Heron Archibald Heron (29 August 1896 – 10 May 1971) was an Irish Labour Party politician and trade unionist. He was born in Portadown, County Armagh, to a presbyterian family, one of seven children of Samuel Heron, a physician and surgeon, and h ...

Timothy Linehan Timothy Linehan (4 August 1905 – date of death unknown) was an Irish Fine Gael politician. A solicitor, he was first elected to Dáil Éireann as a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Cork North constituency at the 1937 general election. He was re-el ...

* Gerrard McGowan * John Munnelly * Jeremiah Ryan *

Laurence Walsh Laurence Joseph Walsh (1 August 1883 – 11 August 1962) was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician. A farmer and merchant, he was first elected to Dáil Éireann as a Fianna Fáil Teachta Dála (TD) for the Louth constituency at the 1937 general el ...

Re-elected TDs

* Patrick Gorry * Joseph Mongan

Outgoing TDs

William Broderick William Joseph Broderick (20 May 1877 – 1 June 1957) was an Irish politician and farmer. He was first elected to Dáil Éireann as a Cumann na nGaedheal Teachta Dála (TD) for the Cork East constituency at the 1932 general election. He was ...

(Lost seat) * William Browne (Lost seat) *

Eamonn Cooney Eamonn Cooney (died 7 February 1975) was an Irish politician. He was first elected to Dáil Éireann as a Fianna Fáil Teachta Dála (TD) for the Dublin North constituency at the September 1927 general election. He was re-elected at the 1932 a ...

(Lost seat) * Robert Davitt (Lost seat) * Hugh Doherty (Retired) * Eamon Donnelly (Retired) * Stephen Jordan (Lost seat) * Séamus Keely (Retired) * Patrick Kehoe (Retired) * William Kent (Retired) * James McGuire (Lost seat) * Conor Maguire (Resigned on appointment as judge in 1936) * James Morrisroe (Lost seat) * Patrick Murphy (Lost seat) * Patrick O'Dowd (Lost seat) *

Margaret Mary Pearse Margaret Mary Pearse (4 August 1878 – 7 November 1968) was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician and teacher. She was the sister of Patrick and Willie Pearse, two of the leaders of the 1916 Easter Rising. Early life Margaret Mary Pearse was born ...

(Lost seat) *

James Reidy James Reidy (1890 – 7 December 1963) was an Irish politician. He was first elected to Dáil Éireann as a Cumann na nGaedheal Teachta Dála (TD) for the Limerick constituency at the 1932 general election. He was re-elected at the 1933 gener ...

(Lost seat)

Government formation

Fianna Fáil formed a

minority government A minority government, minority cabinet, minority administration, or a minority parliament is a government and Cabinet (government), cabinet formed in a parliamentary system when a political party or Coalition government, coalition of parties do ...

, the 8th Executive Council of the Irish Free State, with the support of the Labour Party. This became the

1st Government of Ireland First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and reco ...

on 29 December 1937 on the coming into operation of the Constitution.

Seanad election

After the coming into operation of the Constitution, an election took place under Article 53 of the Constitution for the 2nd Seanad in March 1938.

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Irish General Election, 1937 1937 in Irish politics General election, 1937

1937 Events January * January 1 – Anastasio Somoza García becomes President of Nicaragua. * January 5 – Water levels begin to rise in the Ohio River in the United States, leading to the Ohio River flood of 1937, which continues into Fe ...

9th Dáil July 1937 events