Seán Dunne (18 December 1918 – 25 June 1969) was a trade union leader and Irish Labour Party politician. He was a

Teachta Dála A Teachta Dála ( ; ; plural ), abbreviated as TD (plural ''TDanna'' in Irish language, Irish, TDs in English), is a member of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas, the parliament of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The official Engli ...

(TD) from 1948 to 1957 and from 1961 to 1969.

Early life

Dunne was born in

Waterford Waterford ( ) is a City status in Ireland, city in County Waterford in the South-East Region, Ireland, south-east of Ireland. It is located within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster. The city is situated at the head of Waterford H ...

, to Michael Dunne, an RIC constable, and Bridget Coppinger, a schoolteacher. On 10 May 1920, in an ambush at nearby Ahawadda, his father and two other constables were killed by

Irish Volunteers The Irish Volunteers (), also known as the Irish Volunteer Force or the Irish Volunteer Army, was a paramilitary organisation established in 1913 by nationalists and republicans in Ireland. It was ostensibly formed in response to the format ...

in an ambush. Dunne subsequently grew up in his mother's native area of

County Waterford County Waterford () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and is part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. It is named after the city of Waterford. ...

. At 16, he became involved in the Labour and Republican movements. He joined the

Workers' Union of Ireland The Workers' Union of Ireland (WUI), later the Federated Workers' Union of Ireland, was an Ireland, Irish trade union formed in 1924. In 1990, it merged with the Irish Transport and General Workers Union to form the SIPTU, Services, Industrial, P ...

(WUI) in 1936 and led "hunger marches" in 1937. As a Republican, he was interned in the

Curragh The Curragh ( ; ) is a flat open plain in County Kildare, Ireland. This area is well known for horse breeding and training. The Irish National Stud is on the edge of Kildare town, beside the Japanese Gardens. Pollardstown Fen, the larges ...

and

Arbour Hill Prison Arbour Hill Prison () is a prison located in the Arbour Hill area near Heuston Station in the centre of Dublin, Ireland. The prison is the national centre for male sex offenders. Adjacent to the prison are the Church of the Sacred Heart (Dubl ...

for the first two years of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, rejoining the WUI on his release. In 1944, he became Secretary of the Agricultural Workers' section of the WUI. It was eventually decided that a separate union was required for agricultural workers and in May 1946 the

Federation of Rural Workers The Federation of Rural Workers of Ireland (FRW) was a trade union representing agricultural workers in Ireland. History Agricultural workers in Ireland had been represented by the Irish National Agricultural and General Labourers' Union, but this ...

was founded with Dunne as Organising Secretary, a post he held until 1954. Dunne organised many strikes among rural workers, and was instrumental in achieving the weekly half-day for members in the early 1950s.

Political career

Dunne first stood for election to

Dáil Éireann Dáil Éireann ( ; , ) is the lower house and principal chamber of the Oireachtas, which also includes the president of Ireland and a senate called Seanad Éireann.Article 15.1.2° of the Constitution of Ireland reads: "The Oireachtas shall co ...

in the Dublin County constituency at the

by-election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, or a bypoll in India, is an election used to fill an office that has become vacant between general elections. A vacancy may arise as a result of an incumben ...

held on 29 October 1947, as a Labour Party candidate, following the death of

Fianna Fáil Fianna Fáil ( ; ; meaning "Soldiers of Destiny" or "Warriors of Fál"), officially Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party (), is a centre to centre-right political party in Ireland. Founded as a republican party in 1926 by Éamon de ...

TD Patrick Fogarty. He finished last of the four candidates; the seat was won by

Seán MacBride Seán MacBride (26 January 1904 – 15 January 1988) was an Irish Republican activist, politician, and diplomat who served as Minister for External Affairs from 1948 to 1951, Leader of Clann na Poblachta from 1946 to 1965 and Chief of Staff o ...

, leader of the new

Clann na Poblachta Clann na Poblachta (; "Family/Children of the Republic") was an Irish republican Irish republicanism () is the political movement for an Irish republic, void of any British rule. Throughout its centuries of existence, it has encompassed var ...

party, who would become Minister for External Affairs in 1948. At the 1948 general election, Dunne stood again in Dublin County, and won the third of the three seats. He was elected without reaching the quota and took his seat in the 13th Dáil. He was re-elected at the 1951 general election and again at the 1954 general election, but did not contest the 1957 general election. He stood again in Dublin County at the 1961 election as an independent candidate, when he was returned to the

17th Dáil The 17th Dáil was elected at the 1961 general election on 4 October 1961 and met on 11 October 1961. The members of Dáil Éireann, the house of representatives of the Oireachtas (legislature) of Ireland, are known as TDs. It sat with the 10 ...

. He joined the Labour Party in 1963. He held his seat at the 1965 general election, this time as a Labour Party candidate. He constantly carried "Leabhar Ballyfermot", a notebook containing his constituents' problems. His frequent boast was: "If Dunne can't do it, it can't be done". He had the distinction of being ejected from two parliaments, Dáil Éireann and Stormont, as well as British Labour Party conferences.

Seán MacEntee Seán Francis MacEntee (; 23 August 1889 – 9 January 1984) was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who served as Tánaiste from 1959 to 1965, Minister for Social Welfare from 1957 to 1961, Minister for Health from 1957 to 1965, Minister for Lo ...

once labelled him "an extreme communist". Dunne died aged 50 on 25 June 1969, only seven days after being returned at the 1969 general election for the Dublin South-West constituency, before he could sign the roll in the

19th Dáil The 19th Dáil was elected at the 1969 Irish general election, 1969 general election on 18 June 1969 and met on 2 July 1969. The members of Dáil Éireann, the house of representatives of the Oireachtas (legislature) of Republic of Ireland, Ire ...

. The by-election for his seat was held on 4 March 1970, and won for Fianna Fáil by

Seán Sherwin Seán Sherwin (12 December 1946 – 30 April 2025) was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician. Life and career Sherwin was an unsuccessful candidate for the Dublin South-West (Dáil constituency), Dublin South-West constituency at the 1969 Irish gen ...

; the Labour candidate, Matt Merrigan, lost by only 262 votes after Dunne's widow Cora stood as an independent candidate.

References

External links

Haughey, Ryan and Dunne Address Voters 1969. Radio Archives RTE.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dunne, Sean 1918 births 1969 deaths Irish trade union leaders Labour Party (Ireland) TDs Independent TDs Members of the 13th Dáil Members of the 14th Dáil Members of the 15th Dáil Members of the 17th Dáil Members of the 18th Dáil Members of the 19th Dáil Trade unionists from County Waterford Politicians from County Waterford