The 20th Dáil was elected at the 1973 general election on 28 February 1973 and met on 14 March 1973. The members of Dáil Éireann, the house of representatives of the Oireachtas (legislature) of Ireland, are known as TDs. It sat with the 13th Seanad as the two Houses of the Oireachtas.

20th Dáil
19th Dáil 21st Dáil
Overview
Legislative bodyDáil Éireann
JurisdictionIreland
Meeting placeLeinster House
Term14 March 1973 – 25 May 1977
Election1973 general election
Government14th government of Ireland
Members144
Ceann ComhairleSeán Treacy
TaoiseachLiam Cosgrave
TánaisteBrendan Corish
Chief WhipJohn Kelly
Leader of the OppositionJack Lynch
Sessions
1st14 March 1973 – 27 July 1973
2nd17 October 1973 – 26 July 1974
3rd23 October 1974 – 30 July 1975
4th22 October 1975 – 1 July 1976
5th31 August 1976 – 25 May 1977

On 25 May 1977, President Patrick Hillery dissolved the Dáil on the request of Taoiseach Liam Cosgrave. The 20th Dáil lasted 1,534 days.

Composition of the 20th Dáil

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Party Feb. 1973 May 1977
Fianna Fáil 69 66
Fine Gael 54 53
Labour Party 19 19
Independent Fianna Fáil 1 2
Independent 1 1
Ceann Comhairle 1
Vacant 2

Fine Gael and the Labour Party, denoted with bullets (), formed the 14th government of Ireland, known as the National Coalition, with Liam Cosgrave as Taoiseach and Brendan Corish as Tánaiste.

Graphical representation

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This is a graphical comparison of party strengths in the 20th Dáil from March 1973. This was not the official seating plan.

 

Ceann Comhairle

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On the meeting of the Dáil, Seán Treacy (Lab) was proposed by Liam Cosgrave (FG) and seconded by Brendan Corish (Lab) for the position. His election was approved without a vote.[1]

TDs by constituency

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The list of the 144 TDs elected is given in alphabetical order by Dáil constituency.[2]

Members of the 20th Dáil
Constituency Name Party
Carlow–Kilkenny Kieran Crotty Fine Gael
Jim Gibbons Fianna Fáil
Desmond Governey Fine Gael
Tom Nolan Fianna Fáil
Séamus Pattison Labour
Cavan Tom Fitzpatrick Fine Gael
Paddy Smith Fianna Fáil
John Wilson Fianna Fáil
Clare Sylvester Barrett Fianna Fáil
Brendan Daly Fianna Fáil
Frank Taylor Fine Gael
Clare–South Galway Johnny Callanan Fianna Fáil
Brigid Hogan-O'Higgins Fine Gael
Bill Loughnane Fianna Fáil
Cork City North-West Liam Burke Fine Gael
Seán French Fianna Fáil
Jack Lynch Fianna Fáil
Cork City South-East Peter Barry Fine Gael
Gus Healy Fianna Fáil
Pearse Wyse Fianna Fáil
Cork Mid Donal Creed Fine Gael
Eileen Desmond Labour
Gene Fitzgerald Fianna Fáil
Thomas Meaney Fianna Fáil
Cork North-East Liam Ahern Fianna Fáil
Richard Barry Fine Gael
Jerry Cronin Fianna Fáil
Patrick Hegarty Fine Gael
Cork South-West Flor Crowley Fianna Fáil
Michael Pat Murphy Labour
John O'Sullivan Fine Gael
Donegal–Leitrim Joseph Brennan Fianna Fáil
Cormac Breslin Fianna Fáil
James White Fine Gael
Donegal North-East Neil Blaney Independent Fianna Fáil
Liam Cunningham Fianna Fáil
Paddy Harte Fine Gael
Dublin Central Frank Cluskey Labour
Vivion de Valera Fianna Fáil
Maurice E. Dockrell Fine Gael
Tom Fitzpatrick Fianna Fáil
Dublin County North Ray Burke Fianna Fáil
Mark Clinton Fine Gael
Justin Keating Labour
Seán Walsh Fianna Fáil
Dublin County South Ruairí Brugha Fianna Fáil
Richard Burke Fine Gael
Larry McMahon Fine Gael
Dublin North-Central Luke Belton Fine Gael
George Colley Fianna Fáil
Celia Lynch Fianna Fáil
Michael O'Leary Labour
Dublin North-East Paddy Belton Fine Gael
Charles Haughey Fianna Fáil
Conor Cruise O'Brien Labour
Eugene Timmons Fianna Fáil
Dublin North-West Hugh Byrne Fine Gael
Richard Gogan Fianna Fáil
David Thornley Labour
Jim Tunney Fianna Fáil
Dublin South-Central Philip Brady Fianna Fáil
Ben Briscoe Fianna Fáil
John Kelly Fine Gael
Richie Ryan Fine Gael
Dublin South-East Garret FitzGerald Fine Gael
Seán Moore Fianna Fáil
Fergus O'Brien Fine Gael
Dublin South-West Declan Costello Fine Gael
Joseph Dowling Fianna Fáil
Noel Lemass Fianna Fáil
John O'Connell Labour
Dún Laoghaire and Rathdown David Andrews Fianna Fáil
Liam Cosgrave Fine Gael
Barry Desmond Labour
H. Percy Dockrell Fine Gael
Galway North-East John Donnellan Fine Gael
Thomas Hussey Fianna Fáil
Michael F. Kitt Fianna Fáil
Galway West Fintan Coogan Snr Fine Gael
Johnny Geoghegan Fianna Fáil
Bobby Molloy Fianna Fáil
Kerry North Gerard Lynch Fine Gael
Tom McEllistrim Fianna Fáil
Dan Spring Labour
Kerry South Michael Begley Fine Gael
Timothy O'Connor Fianna Fáil
John O'Leary Fianna Fáil
Kildare Joseph Bermingham Labour
Patrick Malone Fine Gael
Paddy Power Fianna Fáil
Laois–Offaly Ger Connolly Fianna Fáil
Tom Enright Fine Gael
Oliver J. Flanagan Fine Gael
Patrick Lalor Fianna Fáil
Charles McDonald Fine Gael
Limerick East Stephen Coughlan Labour
Michael Herbert Fianna Fáil
Tom O'Donnell Fine Gael
Desmond O'Malley Fianna Fáil
Limerick West Gerry Collins Fianna Fáil
Denis Jones Fine Gael
Michael J. Noonan Fianna Fáil
Longford–Westmeath Frank Carter Fianna Fáil
Patrick Cooney Fine Gael
Gerry L'Estrange Fine Gael
Joe Sheridan Independent
Louth Paddy Donegan Fine Gael
Joseph Farrell Fianna Fáil
Pádraig Faulkner Fianna Fáil
Mayo East Seán Calleary Fianna Fáil
Martin Finn Fine Gael
Seán Flanagan Fianna Fáil
Mayo West Denis Gallagher Fianna Fáil
Henry Kenny Fine Gael
Myles Staunton Fine Gael
Meath John Bruton Fine Gael
Brendan Crinion Fianna Fáil
James Tully Labour
Monaghan Erskine H. Childers Fianna Fáil
John Conlan Fine Gael
Jimmy Leonard Fianna Fáil
Roscommon–Leitrim Joan Burke Fine Gael
Hugh Gibbons Fianna Fáil
Patrick J. Reynolds Fine Gael
Sligo–Leitrim Eugene Gilhawley Fine Gael
Joseph McLoughlin Fine Gael
Ray MacSharry Fianna Fáil
Tipperary North Thomas Dunne Fine Gael
Michael O'Kennedy Fianna Fáil
John Ryan Labour
Tipperary South Noel Davern Fianna Fáil
Jackie Fahey Fianna Fáil
Brendan Griffin Fine Gael
Seán Treacy Labour
Waterford Edward Collins Fine Gael
Billy Kenneally Fianna Fáil
Thomas Kyne Labour
Wexford Lorcan Allen Fianna Fáil
Seán Browne Fianna Fáil
Brendan Corish Labour
John Esmonde Fine Gael
Wicklow Liam Kavanagh Labour
Ciarán Murphy Fianna Fáil
Godfrey Timmins Fine Gael

Changes

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Date Constituency Loss Gain Note
14 March 1973 Tipperary South Labour Ceann Comhairle Seán Treacy takes office as Ceann Comhairle[1]
30 May 1973 Monaghan Fianna Fáil   Erskine H. Childers elected as president of Ireland
27 November 1973 Monaghan   Fine Gael Brendan Toal wins seat vacated by Childers
13 July 1974 Cork North-East Fianna Fáil   Death of Liam Ahern
13 November 1974 Cork North-East   Fianna Fáil Seán Brosnan holds seat vacated by the death of Ahern
24 December 1974 Galway North-East Fianna Fáil   Death of Michael F. Kitt
5 January 1975 Galway West Fianna Fáil   Death of Johnny Geoghegan
4 March 1975 Galway North-East   Fianna Fáil Michael P. Kitt holds seat vacated by the death of his father Michael F. Kitt
4 March 1975 Galway West   Fianna Fáil Máire Geoghegan-Quinn holds seat vacated by the death of her father Johnny Geoghegan
25 September 1975 Mayo West Fine Gael   Death of Henry Kenny
12 November 1975 Mayo West   Fine Gael Enda Kenny holds seat vacated by the death of his father Henry Kenny
29 February 1976 Donegal North-East Fianna Fáil   Death of Liam Cunningham
13 April 1976 Dublin South-West Fianna Fáil   Death of Noel Lemass
28 April 1976 Dublin North-West Labour Independent David Thornley loses party whip after appearing on Sinn Féin platform during Easter Rising commemorations[3]
10 June 1976 Donegal North-East   Independent Fianna Fáil Paddy Keaveney gains seat vacated by the death of Cunningham
10 June 1976 Dublin South-West   Labour Brendan Halligan gains seat vacated by the death of Lemass
25 January 1977 Dublin County South Fine Gael   Resignation of Richard Burke on nomination as EC Commissioner[4]
2 February 1977 Dublin North-West Independent Labour David Thornley readmitted to parliamentary party[5]
19 May 1977 Dublin South-West Fine Gael   Resignation of Declan Costello on nomination as High Court judge[6]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Election of Ceann Comhairle – Dáil Éireann (20th Dáil) – Vol. 265 No. 1". Houses of the Oireachtas. 14 March 1973. Archived from the original on 8 July 2022. Retrieved 27 August 2022.
  2. ^ "TDs & Senators (20th Dáil)". Houses of the Oireachtas. Archived from the original on 5 May 2018. Retrieved 21 June 2022.
  3. ^ Walsh, Dick (29 April 1976). "Whip withdrawn from Thornley, by 22 votes to 3". The Irish Times. p. 1. Retrieved 3 December 2022.
  4. ^ "Resignation of Member – Dáil Debates (20th Dáil)". Houses of the Oireachtas. 25 January 1977. Archived from the original on 4 November 2019. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
  5. ^ Walsh, Dick (3 February 1977). "Thornely is back in party fold". The Irish Times. p. 1. Retrieved 3 December 2022.
  6. ^ "Resignation of Member – Dáil Debates (20th Dáil)". Houses of the Oireachtas. 19 May 1977. Archived from the original on 21 October 2019. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
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