Records of members of the Oireachtas
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This is a list of records relating to the Oireachtas, the national parliament of Ireland, which consists of the President of Ireland, and two Houses, Dáil Éireann, a house of representatives whose members are known as Teachtaí Dála or TDs, and Seanad Éireann, a senate whose members are known as senators.
The First Dáil consisted of the Sinn Féin MPs who were elected in the United Kingdom general election of 14 December 1918. They refused to attend the British House of Commons and instead assembled for the first time on 21 January 1919 in the Mansion House in Dublin as the revolutionary unicameral Dáil Éireann.
1,292 TDs have served in the Dáil between 1919 and 2018. The title Father of the Dáil is usually and unofficially conferred on the longest-serving member.
Longest-serving former TDs
[edit]This is a list of former TDs who have served at least 30 years in the Dáil. Unless otherwise specified, start and end dates given are those of the relevant general election. Unless stated, the TD listed did not stand in the end-date election.
Shortest-serving former TDs
[edit]This is a list of former TDs who served for less than 1 year in the Dáil. Unless otherwise specified, start and end dates given are those of the relevant general election.
The following were eligible for membership of the Dáil, but as Unionists, they did not recognise it. Those elected to Westminster in 1918 were eligible for the First Dáil.[1]
Name | Party | Elected | Vacated Westminster seat | Months | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Hugh Anderson | Irish Unionist | 1918 | Resignation in 1919 | < 3m | By-election was held on 4 March 1919 | |
Robert McCalmont | Irish Unionist | 1918 | Appointment as Commander of the Irish Guards in 1919 | < 6m | By-election was held on 27 May 1919 | |
Arthur Samuels | Irish Unionist | 1918 | Appointment to the King's Bench in 1919 | < 8m | By-election was held on 28 July 1919 |
Current office-holders, longest service in the Oireachtas
[edit]This is a list of current members of the Oireachtas who have served for at least 20 years, with continuous or broken service. Unless otherwise specified, start dates given are those of the relevant election.
Name | Party | Office | First elected/appointed b = by-election |
Years/Months (as of 10 November 2024) |
Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Michael D. Higgins | Labour |
|
1973 | 46 years, 3 month(s) (as of Oct 2024) |
Current President of Ireland Did not hold office between 1977 and 1981, and February and November 2011 | |
Bernard Durkan | Fine Gael |
|
1981 | 43 years, 4 months | Senator from February 1982 to November 1982 | |
Richard Bruton | Fine Gael |
|
1981 | 43 years, 1 month | Senator from October 1981 to February 1982. Father of the Dáil. | |
Willie O'Dea | Fianna Fáil | TD | February 1982 | 42 years, 8 months | Father of the Dáil | |
Brendan Howlin | Labour |
|
1983 | 41 years, 8 months | Senator from 1983 to 1987 | |
Michael Lowry | Independent | TD | 1987 | 37 years, 8 months | ||
Micheál Martin | Fianna Fáil | TD | 1989 | 35 years, 4 months | Leader of Fianna Fáil | |
Éamon Ó Cuív | Fianna Fáil |
|
1989 | 35 years, 1 month | Senator from 1989 to 1992 | |
Charles Flanagan | Fine Gael | TD | 1987 | 32 years, 5 month(s) (as of Oct 2024) |
Did not hold office between 2002 and 2007 | |
Seán Haughey | Fianna Fáil |
|
1987 | 32 years, 3 month(s) (as of Oct 2024) |
Senator from 1987 to 1992. Did not hold office between February 2011 and February 2016. | |
Róisín Shortall | Social Democrats | TD | 1992 | 31 years, 11 months | Overtook Mary Harney in August 2022 as longest-serving female TD. | |
Brendan Smith | Fianna Fáil | TD | 1992 | 31 years, 11 months | ||
Paddy Burke | Fine Gael | Senator | 1993 | 31 years, 8 months | Cathaoirleach (2011–2016) | |
Michael Ring | Fine Gael | TD | 1994 b | 30 years, 5 months | ||
Michael Creed | Fine Gael | TD | 1989 | 30 years, 2 month(s) (as of Oct 2024) |
Did not hold office between May 2002 and May 2007 | |
Denis O'Donovan | Fianna Fáil |
|
1989 | 30 years, 0 month(s) (as of Oct 2024) |
Did not hold office between December 1992 and September 1997 | |
Denis Naughten | Independent |
|
1997 | 27 years, 9 months | Senator from January to June 1997 | |
John McGuinness | Fianna Fáil | TD | 1997 | 27 years, 5 months | ||
David Stanton | Fine Gael | TD | 1997 | 27 years, 5 months | ||
Michael Moynihan | Fianna Fáil | TD | 1997 | 27 years, 5 months | ||
Seán Fleming | Fianna Fáil | TD | 1997 | 27 years, 5 months | ||
Fergus O'Dowd | Fine Gael |
|
1997 | 27 years, 1 month | Senator from 1997 to 2002 | |
Simon Coveney | Fine Gael | TD | 1998 b | 26 years | ||
Seán Ó Fearghaíl | Fianna Fáil |
|
2000 b | 24 years, 4 months | Senator from 2000 to 2002 | |
Damien English | Fine Gael | TD | 2002 | 22 years, 5 months | ||
Noel Grealish | Independent | TD | 2002 | 22 years, 5 months | ||
Paul Kehoe | Fine Gael | TD | 2002 | 22 years, 5 months | ||
Aengus Ó Snodaigh | Sinn Féin | TD | 2002 | 22 years, 5 months | ||
John Paul Phelan | Fine Gael |
|
2002 | 22 years, 1 month | Senator from 2002 to 2011 | |
Marc MacSharry | Fianna Fáil |
|
2002 | 22 years, 1 month | Senator from 2002 to 2016 | |
Timmy Dooley | Fianna Fáil |
|
2002 | 21 years, 8 months (as of Oct 2024) |
Senator from 2002 to 2007, and since 2020. TD from 2007 to 2020 |
Longest-serving Senators
[edit]This is a list of current and former senators who have served for at least 20 years in the Seanad, including both the Free State Seanad and the Seanad established under the 1937 Constitution. There was a 22-month gap between the abolition of the Free State Seanad in 1936 and the inauguration in 1938 of the 2nd Seanad, the first incarnation of the new body.
- denotes serving senator
Name | Party | First elected | Vacated seat | Years/Months | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
David Norris | Independent | 25 April 1987 | 22 January 2024 | 36 years, 8 months | Resigned seat | |
Henry Barniville | Fine Gael | 6 December 1922 | 23 September 1960 | 35 years, 11 months | Service interrupted by the abolition of the Free State Seanad | |
Paddy Burke | Fine Gael | 17 February 1993 | Incumbent | 31 years, 8 months | ||
Margaret Mary Pearse | Fianna Fáil | 27 April 1938 | 7 November 1968 | 30 years, 6 months | ||
Denis O'Donovan | Fianna Fáil | 1 November 1989 | Incumbent | 30 years, 0 months (as of Oct 2024) |
Did not serve in 20th or 22nd Seanad | |
Eoin Ryan Snr | Fianna Fáil | 22 May 1957 | 3 April 1987 | 29 years, 10 months | ||
Liam Ó Buachalla | Fianna Fáil | 7 October 1939 | 24 July 1969 | 29 years, 9 months | ||
Shane Ross | Independent | 8 October 1981 | 26 February 2011 | 29 years, 4 months | ||
James G. Douglas | Independent | 6 December 1922 | 16 September 1954 | 28 years, 9 months | Service interrupted by the abolition of the Free State Seanad; Did not serve in 4th Seanad | |
Rory Kiely | Fianna Fáil | 27 October 1977 | 22 July 2007 | 28 years, 9 months | Did not serve in 16th Seanad | |
Patrick McGowan | Fianna Fáil | 23 June 1965 | 3 October 1999 | 28 years, 5 months | Did not serve in 15th, 16th and 17th Seanad | |
Des Hanafin | Fianna Fáil | 5 November 1969 | 26 June 2002 | 27 years, 10 months | Did not serve in 20th Seanad | |
William Ryan | Fianna Fáil | 14 December 1961 | 5 July 1989 | 27 years, 6 months | ||
Michael Hayes | Fine Gael | 27 April 1938 | 28 April 1965 | 27 years | ||
Charles McDonald | Fine Gael | 14 December 1961 | 17 December 1992 | 26 years, 4 months | Did not serve in 13th Seanad | |
Paschal Mooney | Fianna Fáil | 25 April 1987 | April 2016 | 26 years, 4 months | Did not serve 2y, 6m from July 2007 to January 2010 | |
John Counihan | Independent | 6 December 1922 | 25 July 1951 | 26 years, 3 months | Did not serve in 2nd Seanad | |
Thomas Ruane | Fianna Fáil | 6 December 1934 | 28 April 1965 | 25 years, 9 months | Service interrupted by the abolition of the Free State Seanad; Did not serve in 4th and 6th Seanad | |
Patrick O'Reilly | Fianna Fáil | 18 August 1944 | 24 July 1969 | 24 years, 11 months | ||
Seán O'Donovan | Fianna Fáil | 27 April 1938 | 24 July 1969 | 24 years, 10 months | Did not serve in 6th and 8th Seanad | |
Mick Lanigan | Fianna Fáil | 27 October 1977 | 26 June 2002 | 24 years, 7 months | ||
Joe O'Toole | Independent | 25 April 1987 | 29 April 2011 | 24 years | ||
Donie Cassidy | Fianna Fáil | 13 May 1982 | 29 April 2011 | 24 years | Did not serve in 22nd Seanad from 2002 to 2007 | |
Feargal Quinn | Independent | 17 February 1993 | April 2016 | 23 years, 2 months | ||
James Parkinson | Fine Gael | 6 December 1922 | 31 July 1947 | 22 years, 9 months | Service interrupted by the abolition of the Free State Seanad | |
Paul Coghlan | Fine Gael | 20 September 1997 | 27 March 2020 | 22 years, 6 months | ||
Patrick Baxter | Clann na Talmhan | 6 December 1934 | 3 April 1959 | 22 years, 5 months | Service interrupted by the abolition of the Free State Seanad | |
John Butler | Labour | 27 April 1938 | 28 April 1965 | 22 years, 3 months | Did not serve in 9th Seanad | |
Diarmuid Wilson | Fianna Fáil | 12 September 2002 | Incumbent | 22 years, 1 month | ||
Seán Hayes | Fianna Fáil | 27 April 1938 | 28 April 1965 | 22 years, 2 months | Did not serve in 4th and 6th Seanad | |
William O'Callaghan | Independent | 27 April 1938 | 1 September 1961 | 22 years, 2 months | Did not serve in 4th Seanad | |
James Tunney | Labour | 27 April 1938 | 1 September 1961 | 22 years, 2 months | Did not serve in 4th Seanad | |
Thomas Foran | Labour | 28 November 1923 | 12 March 1948 | 22 years | Did not serve in 2nd Seanad | |
Patrick Fitzsimons | Independent | 21 April 1948 | 30 March 1973 | 22 years | Did not serve in 8th Seanad | |
Peter Lynch | Independent | 7 September 1938 | 1 September 1961 | 22 years | ||
Sir John Keane | Independent | 6 December 1922 | 12 March 1948 | 21 years, 10 months | Did not serve in 1934–1936 Seanad | |
Francis O'Brien | Fianna Fáil | 1 October 1989 | 29 April 2011 | 21 years, 7 months | ||
William Quirke | Independent | 6 December 1931 | 5 March 1955 | 21 years, 4 months | Service interrupted by the abolition of the Free State Seanad | |
William Bedell Stanford | Independent | 21 April 1948 | 24 July 1969 | 21 years, 3 months | ||
Michael Yeats | Fianna Fáil | 14 August 1951 | 12 March 1980 | 21 years | Did not serve in 8th and 9th Seanad | |
James Dooge | Fine Gael | 14 December 1961 | 3 April 1987 | 20 years, 10 months | Did not serve in 14th Seanad | |
Micheál Prendergast | Fine Gael | 22 July 1954 | 26 May 1977 | 20 years, 9 months | Did not serve from March 1973 to April 1975 | |
Brian Mullooly | Fianna Fáil | 8 October 1981 | 26 June 2002 | 20 years, 8 months | ||
Brendan Ryan | Independent | 13 May 1982 | 22 July 2007 | 20 years, 5 months | Did not serve in 20th Seanad | |
Eddie Bohan | Fianna Fáil | 25 April 1987 | 22 July 2007 | 20 years, 2 months | ||
Don Lydon | Fianna Fáil | 25 April 1987 | 22 July 2007 | 20 years, 2 months | ||
Bernard McGlinchey | Fianna Fáil | 14 December 1961 | 21 December 1982 | 20 years, 2 months | Did not serve in 15th Seanad | |
Patrick Quinlan | Independent | 22 May 1957 | 26 May 1977 | 20 years |
Oldest living former office-holders
[edit]Aged 85 or older:
Name | Office(s) held | Date of birth | Age | Year retired |
---|---|---|---|---|
Tom Fitzpatrick | TD | 29 July 1926 | 98 years, 3 months | 1982 |
Patrick Norton | TD / Senator | 1928 | 95 years, 10 months+ | 1973 |
Patrick Cooney | TD / Senator / MEP | 2 March 1931 | 93 years, 8 months | 1994 |
Gerard Lynch | TD / Senator | 15 June 1931 | 93 years, 4 months | 1981 |
Eileen Lemass | TD / MEP | 7 July 1932 | 92 years, 4 months | 1989 |
Roger Garland | TD | February 1933 | 91 years, 8 months+ | 1992 |
Liam Hyland | TD / Senator / MEP | 23 April 1933 | 91 years, 6 months | 2004 |
Tom Raftery | Senator / MEP | 15 August 1933 | 91 years, 2 months | 1993 |
Jim Corr | TD | 25 January 1934 | 90 years, 9 months | 1982 |
Rory O'Hanlon | TD | 7 February 1934 | 90 years, 9 months | 2011 |
Robert Fausset | Senator | 8 August 1934 | 90 years, 3 months | 1982 |
Catherine McGuinness | Senator | 14 November 1934 | 89 years, 11 months | 1987 |
Ann Ormonde | Senator | 20 January 1935 | 89 years, 9 months | 2011 |
Bríd Rodgers | Senator | 20 February 1935 | 89 years, 8 months | 2002 |
Brian Mullooly | Senator | 21 February 1935 | 89 years, 8 months | 2002 |
David Andrews | TD | 15 March 1935 | 89 years, 7 months | 2002 |
Barry Desmond | TD | 15 May 1935 | 89 years, 5 months | 1994 |
Charles McDonald | TD / Senator / MEP | 11 June 1935 | 89 years, 4 months | 1993 |
Brendan Griffin | TD | 28 August 1935 | 89 years, 2 months | 1989 |
Michael Woods | TD | 8 December 1935 | 88 years, 11 months | 2011 |
Camilla Hannon | Senator | 21 July 1936 | 88 years, 3 months | 1982 |
Máirín Quill | TD / Senator | 15 September 1936 | 88 years, 1 month | 2002 |
Barry Cogan | TD / Senator | 27 September 1936 | 88 years, 1 month | 1982 |
Matt Brennan | TD | 16 October 1936 | 88 years | 2002 |
Jim Fitzsimons | TD / MEP | 16 December 1936 | 87 years, 10 months | 2004 |
John Donnellan | TD | 27 March 1937 | 87 years, 7 months | 1989 |
Donal Carey | TD | 15 October 1937 | 87 years | 2002 |
Paddy O'Toole | TD / Senator | 15 January 1938 | 86 years, 9 months | 1987 |
Mick Lanigan | Senator | 30 January 1938 | 86 years, 9 months | 2002 |
Ray MacSharry | TD | 29 April 1938 | 86 years, 6 months | 1988 |
Gerry Collins | TD / MEP | 16 October 1938 | 86 years | 2004 |
Gemma Hussey | TD / Senator | 11 November 1938 | 85 years, 11 months | 1989 |
Oldest ever office-holders
[edit]Office holders aged 75 or older:
Name | Office | Age | Year retired |
---|---|---|---|
Éamon de Valera | President | Retired aged 90 | 1973 |
Gerald Boland | Senator | Retired aged 84 | 1969 |
Michael D. Higgins | President | In office aged 83 years, 6 months | — |
Seán MacEntee | TD | Retired aged 80 | 1969 |
Maurice Hayes | Senator | Retired aged 80 | 2007 |
Charles Fagan | TD | Retired aged 80 | 1961 |
David Norris | Senator | Retired aged 79 | 2024 |
Jackie Healy-Rae | TD | Retired aged 79 | 2011 |
Feargal Quinn | Senator | Retired aged 79 | 2016 |
Bernard Durkan | TD | In office aged 79 years, 7 months | — |
James Ryan | Senator | Retired aged 77 | 1969 |
Seán T. O'Kelly | President | Retired aged 77 | 1959 |
P. J. Sheehan | TD | Retired aged 77 | 2011 |
Rory O'Hanlon | TD | Retired aged 77 | 2011 |
Paddy Smith | TD | Retired aged 76 | 1977 |
Ann Ormonde | Senator | Lost seat aged 76 | 2011 |
Labhrás Ó Murchú | Senator | Retired aged 76 | 2016 |
Michael Noonan | TD | Retired aged 76 | 2020 |
Fergus O'Dowd | TD | In office aged 76 years, 2 months | — |
Paul Coghlan | Senator | Retired aged 75 | 2020 |
Seán Barrett | TD | Retired aged 75 | 2020 |
Youngest ever office-holders
[edit]Name | Office | Age on election | Year elected |
---|---|---|---|
William J. Murphy | TD | 21y 1m | 1949 |
Joseph Sweeney | TD | 21y 6m | 1918 |
Lorcan Allen | TD | 21y 6m | 1961 |
Kathleen O'Connor | TD | 21y 7m | 1956 |
Ivan Yates | TD | 21y 8m | 1981 |
Mary Coughlan | TD | 21y 9m | 1987 |
John Bruton | TD | 22y 1m | 1969 |
Paddy Smith | TD | 22y 2m | 1923 |
Miriam Kearney | Senator | 22y 3m | 1981 |
Myra Barry | TD | 22y 4m | 1979 |
Síle de Valera | TD | 22y 6m | 1977 |
Kathryn Reilly | Senator | 22y 7m | 2011 |
James O'Connor | TD | 22y 7m | 2020 |
Oliver J. Flanagan | TD | 23y 1m | 1943 |
Liam Cosgrave | TD | 23y 2m | 1943 |
Longest surviving cabinet members
[edit]Longest surviving Dáil members
[edit]Dáil | Election | Members |
---|---|---|
1st Dáil | 1918 | Seán MacEntee (died 1984) |
2nd Dáil | 1921 | Tom Maguire (died 1993) |
3rd Dáil | 1922 | |
4th Dáil | 1923 | |
5th Dáil | 1927 (June) | Seán MacEntee (died 1984) |
6th Dáil | 1927 (Sept) | |
7th Dáil | 1932 | James Dillon (died 1986) |
8th Dáil | 1933 | James McGuire (died 1989) |
9th Dáil | 1937 | James Dillon (died 1986) |
10th Dáil | 1938 | |
11th Dáil | 1943 | Liam Cosgrave (died 2017) |
12th Dáil | 1944 | |
13th Dáil | 1948 | William J. Murphy (died 2018) |
14th Dáil | 1951 | Liam Cosgrave (died 2017) |
15th Dáil | 1954 | Patrick Byrne (died 2021) |
16th Dáil | 1957 | Brigid Hogan (died 2022) |
17th Dáil | 1961 | Lorcan Allen, John Donnellan |
18th Dáil | 1965 | Lorcan Allen, David Andrews, John Donnellan, Thomas J. Fitzpatrick, Patrick Norton |
Longest lived former office-holders
[edit]Aged 90 or more at time of death:
Name | Date of birth | Date of death | Age |
---|---|---|---|
Philip Brady | 10 June 1893 | 6 January 1995 | 101 years, 6 months |
Eddie Filgate | 16 September 1915 | 19 January 2017 | 101 years, 4 months |
Tom Maguire | 28 March 1892 | 5 July 1993 | 101 years, 3 months |
T. K. Whitaker | 8 December 1916 | 9 January 2017 | 100 years, 1 month |
Edward MacLysaght | 6 November 1887 | 4 March 1986 | 98 years, 3 months |
Tom Fitzpatrick | 29 July 1926 | 98 years, 3 months | |
Seán Ó Ceallaigh | 17 April 1896 | 15 June 1994 | 98 years, 1 month |
Domhnall Ua Buachalla | 5 February 1866 | 30 October 1963 | 97 years, 8 months |
Liam Cosgrave | 13 April 1920 | 4 October 2017 | 97 years, 5 months |
Matthew Stafford | 1852 | 12 June 1950 | 97 years, 5 months+ |
Patrick Byrne | 2 April 1925 | 19 October 2021 | 96 years, 6 months |
George Noble Plunkett | 3 December 1851 | 12 March 1948 | 96 years, 3 months |
Patrick Norton | 1928 | 95 years, 10 months | |
Séamus Dolan | 10 December 1914 | 10 August 2010 | 95 years, 8 months |
Thomas Finlay | 17 September 1922 | 3 December 2017 | 95 years, 2 months |
John A. Murphy | 17 January 1927 | 28 February 2022 | 95 years, 1 month |
Thomas Westropp Bennett | 30 January 1867 | 1 February 1962 | 95 years |
Jimmy Leonard | 5 June 1927 | 13 April 2022 | 94 years, 10 months |
Seán Treacy | 23 September 1923 | 23 March 2018 | 94 years, 6 months |
Kathleen Clarke | 11 April 1878 | 29 September 1972 | 94 years, 5 months |
Robert Barton | 4 March 1881 | 10 August 1975 | 94 years, 5 months |
Joseph Farrell | 1 July 1905 | 24 November 1999 | 94 years, 4 months |
Seán MacEntee | 22 August 1889 | 10 January 1984 | 94 years, 4 months |
William McMullen | 22 July 1888 | 12 December 1982 | 94 years, 4 months |
Pádraig Faulkner | 12 March 1918 | 1 June 2012 | 94 years, 2 months |
Jack Harte | 10 December 1920 | 9 March 2015 | 94 years, 2 months |
Tom O'Donnell | 30 August 1926 | 8 October 2020 | 94 years, 1 month |
Hugh Conaghan | 6 May 1926 | 25 March 2020 | 93 years, 10 months |
Tras Honan | 4 January 1930 | 25 November 2023 | 93 years, 10 months |
Richard Barry | 4 September 1919 | 28 April 2013 | 93 years, 7 months |
Patrick Cooney | 2 March 1931 | 93 years, 8 months | |
Tony Herbert | 9 August 1920 | 6 March 2014 | 93 years, 6 months |
Patrick Finucane | 5 December 1890 | 10 April 1984 | 93 years, 4 months |
Gerard Lynch | 15 June 1931 | 93 years, 4 months | |
Denis Cullen | 23 September 1878 | 26 November 1971 | 93 years, 2 months |
Peadar O'Donnell | 22 February 1893 | 13 May 1986 | 93 years, 2 months |
Donal Creed | 7 September 1924 | 23 November 2017 | 93 years, 2 months |
Sam McAughtry | 24 March 1921 | 28 March 2014 | 93 years |
Kit Ahern | 13 January 1915 | 27 December 2007 | 92 years, 11 months |
Éamon de Valera | 14 October 1882 | 29 August 1975 | 92 years, 10 months |
William Sheldon | 18 January 1907 | 1 November 1999 | 92 years, 9 months |
Charles Fagan | 1 October 1881 | 8 May 1974 | 92 years, 7 months |
Ted Russell | 1 April 1912 | 28 November 2004 | 92 years, 7 months |
Joseph Dowling | 2 February 1922 | 31 May 2014 | 92 years, 3 months |
Eileen Lemass | 7 July 1932 | 92 years, 4 months | |
Patrick O'Reilly | 1911 | March 2003 | 92 years+ |
Patrick Shanahan | 10 March 1908 | 1 February 2000 | 91 years, 10 months |
Andy O'Brien | 21 January 1915 | 4 December 2006 | 91 years, 10 months |
Kieran Crotty | 30 August 1930 | 22 July 2022 | 91 years, 10 months |
Roger Garland | February 1933 | 91 years, 9 months | |
Eileen Costello | 27 June 1870 | 4 March 1962 | 91 years, 8 months |
John N. Ross | 17 May 1920 | 24 December 2011 | 91 years, 7 months |
Robert Malachy Burke | 1 March 1907 | 20 September 1998 | 91 years, 6 months |
Liam Hyland | 23 April 1933 | 91 years, 6 months | |
Peter Sands | 1 May 1924 | 17 October 2015 | 91 years, 5 months |
Séamus de Brún | 1 October 1911 | 5 March 2003 | 91 years, 5 months |
Hugh Gibbons | 6 July 1916 | 13 November 2007 | 91 years, 4 months |
Thomas Meaney | 11 August 1931 | 26 December 2022 | 91 years, 4 months |
Tom Raftery | 15 August 1933 | 91 years, 2 months | |
Jackie Fahey | 23 January 1928 | 18 March 2019 | 91 years, 1 month |
Conor Cruise O'Brien | 3 November 1917 | 18 December 2008 | 91 years, 1 month |
Edward McGuire | 28 August 1901 | 27 October 1992 | 91 years, 1 month |
Richard Conroy | 12 September 1933 | 14 October 2024 | 91 years, 1 month |
Bryan Cusack | 2 August 1882 | 24 May 1973 | 90 years, 9 months |
Jim Corr | 25 January 1934 | 90 years, 9 months | |
Thomas Johnson | 17 May 1872 | 17 January 1963 | 90 years, 8 months |
Rory O'Hanlon | 7 February 1934 | 90 years, 9 months | |
Brigid Hogan-O'Higgins | 10 March 1932 | 2 November 2022 | 90 years, 7 months |
Patrick McGilligan | 12 April 1889 | 15 November 1979 | 90 years, 7 months |
Dominick Murphy | 1918 | 1 June 2009 | 90 years, 5 months+ |
Maurice Hayes | 8 July 1927 | 23 December 2017 | 90 years, 5 months |
William J. Murphy | 17 May 1928 | 18 September 2018 | 90 years, 4 months |
Margaret Mary Pearse | 24 August 1878 | 7 November 1968 | 90 years, 2 months |
Michael D'Arcy | 7 March 1934 | 1 May 2024 | 90 years, 1 month |
Richie Ryan | 27 February 1929 | 17 March 2019 | 90 years |
John Griffith | 5 October 1848 | 21 October 1938 | 90 years |
Patrick Lalor | 21 July 1926 | 29 July 2016 | 90 years |
Shortest lived office-holders
[edit]Aged 40 or younger at time of death:
Name | Date of birth | Date of death | Age | Cause of death |
---|---|---|---|---|
Kieran Doherty | 16 October 1955 | 2 August 1981 | 25y | Hunger strike |
Liam Mellows | 25 May 1895 | 8 December 1922 | 27y 6m | Execution during the Irish Civil War |
Michael Collins | 16 October 1890 | 22 August 1922 | 31y 10m | Shot during the Irish Civil War |
Don Davern | 4 March 1935 | 2 November 1968 | 33y 7m | Sudden illness |
Michael Derham | 1889 | 20 November 1923 | 34y 10m- | Sudden illness |
Kevin O'Higgins | 7 June 1892 | 10 July 1927 | 35y 1m | Assassinated by former Civil War opponents |
Séamus Dwyer | 15 November 1886 | 20 December 1922 | 36y 1m | Assassinated during the Irish Civil War |
Billy Fox | 3 January 1939 | 12 March 1974 | 35y 2m | Assassinated during the Troubles |
Harry Boland | 27 April 1887 | 31 July 1922 | 35y 3m | Shot during the Irish Civil War |
Frank Carney | 25 April 1896 | 19 October 1932 | 36y 5m | Ill-health |
Pierce McCan | 2 August 1882 | 6 March 1919 | 36y 7m | Influenza epidemic |
Séamus Ryan | 6 December 1895 | 30 June 1933 | 37y 6m | Sudden illness |
Thomas A. Finlay | 11 October 1893 | 22 November 1932 | 39y 1m | Typhoid fever |
A. P. Byrne | 12 June 1913 | 26 July 1952 | 39y 1m | |
Sir Osmond Esmonde | 4 April 1896 | 22 July 1936 | 40y 3m | Sudden illness |
Clement Coughlan | 14 August 1942 | 1 February 1983 | 40y 5m | Traffic accident |
Members who died in office
[edit]Longest-serving cabinet ministers (in same office)
[edit]Name | Office | Years |
---|---|---|
Seán Lemass | Minister for Industry and Commerce | 19 years, 2 months |
Éamon de Valera | Minister for External Affairs | 15 years, 11 months |
Frank Aiken | Minister for External Affairs | 15 years, 3 months |
James Ryan | Minister for Agriculture | 14 years, 10 months |
Thomas Derrig | Minister for Education | 14 years, 1 month |
Gerald Boland | Minister for Justice | 11 years, 4 months |
Oscar Traynor | Minister for Defence | 11 years, 4 months |
Seán MacEntee | Minister for Finance | 10 years, 5 months |
Shortest-serving cabinet ministers
[edit]This table lists the shortest periods that a member of government held a particular ministerial office. In some of these cases, the minister held it as well as another ministerial office, being appointed after the resignation of another member of government. Acting Ministers are not listed. Jim McDaid, who was proposed as Minister for Defence on 13 November 1991, but whose name was withdrawn later that day, is not included.[2][3]
Name | Office | Length | Term of Office | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bertie Ahern | Minister for Industry and Commerce | 8 days | 4 January 1993 | 12 January 1993 | Following nomination of Pádraig Flynn as European Commissioner |
Brian Cowen | Minister for Energy | 11 days | 12 January 1993 | 20 January 1993 | Prior to reconfiguration of government departments |
Frank Aiken | Minister for Agriculture | 11 days | 16 November 1957 | 27 November 1957 | Following death of Seán Moylan |
Barry Cowen | Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine | 17 days | 27 June 2020 | 14 July 2020 | Sacked as minister |
Kevin O'Higgins | Minister for Foreign Affairs | 17 days | 23 June 1927 | 10 July 1927 | Died in office |
Arthur Griffith | Minister for Foreign Affairs | 17 days | 26 July 1922 | 12 August 1922 | Died in office |
Thomas Derrig | Minister for Posts and Telegraphs | 19 days | 8 September 1939 | 27 September 1939 | |
Seán T. O'Kelly | Minister for Education | 19 days | 8 September 1939 | 27 September 1939 | |
Paddy Power | Minister for Trade, Commerce and Tourism | 20 days | 7 October 1982 | 27 October 1982 | Following resignation of Desmond O'Malley |
Erskine Childers | Director of Propaganda | 20 days | 12 February 1921 | 8 March 1921 | |
John Wilson | Minister for Communications | 27 days | 10 March 1987 | 31 March 1987 | Prior to reconfiguration of government departments |
Bertie Ahern | Minister for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht | 27 days | 18 November 1994 | 15 December 1994 | Following resignation of Michael D. Higgins |
Charlie McCreevy | Minister for Enterprise and Employment | 27 days | 18 November 1994 | 15 December 1994 | Following resignation of Ruairi Quinn |
Máire Geoghegan-Quinn | Minister for Equality and Law Reform | 27 days | 18 November 1994 | 15 December 1994 | Following resignation of Mervyn Taylor |
Michael Smith | Minister for Education | 27 days | 18 November 1994 | 15 December 1994 | Following resignation of Niamh Bhreathnach |
Michael Woods | Minister for Health | 27 days | 18 November 1994 | 15 December 1994 | Following resignation of Brendan Howlin |
Dara Calleary | Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine | 38 days | 15 July 2020 | 21 August 2020 | Resignation |
People appointed to cabinet at the start of their first term as TD
[edit]Name | Office | Date |
---|---|---|
Noël Browne | Minister for Health | February 1948 |
Kevin Boland | Minister for Defence | March 1957 |
Martin O'Donoghue | Minister for Economic Planning and Development | July 1977 |
Alan Dukes | Minister for Agriculture | June 1981 |
Niamh Bhreathnach | Minister for Education | January 1993 |
Katherine Zappone | Minister for Children and Youth Affairs | May 2016 |
Norma Foley | Minister for Education | June 2020 |
Roderic O'Gorman | Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth | June 2020 |
People appointed as Minister of State at the start of their first term as TD
[edit]Senators appointed to cabinet
[edit]Name | Office | Date | Government |
---|---|---|---|
Joseph Connolly | Minister for Posts and Telegraphs | March 1932 | 6th Exec. Council |
Minister for Lands and Fisheries | February 1933 | 7th Exec. Council | |
Seán Moylan | Minister for Agriculture | May 1957 | 8th government |
James Dooge | Minister for Foreign Affairs | October 1981 | 17th government |
Oldest person currently in office
[edit]Politicians born before 1954:
Name | Office | Date of birth | Age as of 10 November 2024 |
---|---|---|---|
Michael D. Higgins | President | 18 April 1941 | 83 years, 6 months |
Bernard Durkan | TD | 26 March 1945 | 79 years, 7 months |
Fergus O'Dowd | TD | 1 September 1948 | 76 years, 2 months |
Éamon Ó Cuív | TD | 23 June 1950 | 74 years, 4 months |
Ned O'Sullivan | Senator | 25 November 1950 | 73 years, 11 months |
Michael McDowell | Senator | 1 May 1951 | 73 years, 6 months |
Willie O'Dea | TD | 1 November 1952 | 72 years |
Youngest person currently in office
[edit]Politicians born since 1984:
Name | Office | Date of birth | Age as of 10 November 2024 |
---|---|---|---|
James O'Connor | TD | 20 June 1997 | 27 years, 4 months |
Claire Kerrane | TD | 24 April 1992 | 32 years, 6 months |
Fintan Warfield | Senator | 16 March 1992 | 32 years, 7 months |
Jack Chambers | TD | 21 November 1990 | 33 years, 11 months |
John McGahon | Senator | 20 November 1990 | 33 years, 11 months |
Mairéad Farrell | TD | 6 January 1990 | 34 years, 10 months |
Eileen Flynn | Senator | 1990 | 34 years, 10 months |
Holly Cairns | TD | 4 November 1989 | 35 years |
Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire | TD | 8 February 1989 | 35 years, 9 months |
Annie Hoey | Senator | 3 October 1988 | 36 years, 1 month |
John Cummins | Senator | 29 June 1988 | 36 years, 4 months |
Violet-Anne Wynne | TD | 30 March 1987 | 37 years, 7 months |
Gary Gannon | TD | 18 February 1987 | 37 years, 8 months |
Simon Harris | TD | 17 October 1986 | 38 years |
Lisa Chambers | Senator | 24 August 1986 | 38 years, 2 months |
Helen McEntee | TD | 8 June 1986 | 38 years, 5 months |
Lynn Ruane | Senator | 20 October 1984 | 40 years |
Pádraig O'Sullivan | TD | 11 May 1984 | 40 years, 5 months |
Members of the current government by age
[edit]Name | Date of birth | Age as of 10 November 2024 |
---|---|---|
Micheál Martin | 1 August 1960 | 64 years, 3 months |
Heather Humphreys | 1960 | 64 years, 1 month |
Eamon Ryan | 28 July 1963 | 61 years, 3 months |
Norma Foley | 1970 | 54 years, 10 months |
Catherine Martin | 7 December 1972 | 51 years, 11 months |
Darragh O'Brien | 8 July 1974 | 50 years, 4 months |
Paschal Donohoe | 19 September 1974 | 50 years, 1 month |
Stephen Donnelly | 14 December 1975 | 48 years, 10 months |
Patrick O'Donovan | 21 March 1977 | 47 years, 7 months |
Charlie McConalogue | 4 October 1977 | 47 years, 1 month |
Roderic O'Gorman | 12 December 1981 | 42 years, 10 months |
Peter Burke | 22 October 1982 | 42 years |
Helen McEntee | 8 June 1986 | 38 years, 5 months |
Simon Harris | 17 October 1986 | 38 years |
Jack Chambers | 21 November 1990 | 33 years, 11 months |
Longest service (cumulative)
[edit]Name | Office(s) | Years |
---|---|---|
Éamon de Valera | TD / President | 55 |
Paddy Smith | TD | 54 |
Frank Aiken | TD | 50 |
James Ryan | TD / Senator | 50 |
Neil Blaney | TD / MEP | 47 |
Gerald Boland | TD / Senator | 46 |
Married couples/Domestic partners in the same Oireachtas
[edit]Couple | Oireachtas | Notes[b] | |
---|---|---|---|
Michael O'Higgins | Brigid Hogan-O'Higgins | 16th, 17th and 18th Dáil | Married in 1958 when both were members of the 16th Dáil |
Alexis FitzGerald Jnr | Mary Flaherty | 23rd Dáil and 15th Seanad; 24th Dáil and 17th Seanad | Married couple |
Joe McHugh | Olwyn Enright | 29th Dáil and 22nd Seanad; 30th Dáil | Married in 2005 when they were a Senator and TD respectively |
Paul Bradford | Lucinda Creighton | 24th Seanad and 31st Dáil | Married in 2013 when they were a Senator and TD respectively |
Martin McAleese | Mary McAleese | 24th Seanad and President of Ireland | Married couple |
Francis Noel Duffy | Catherine Martin | 33rd Dáil | Married couple |
Eoin Ó Broin | Lynn Boylan | 33rd Dáil and 26th Seanad | Domestic partners |
Members of both the British Parliament and of the Oireachtas
[edit]This lists those with a separate mandate to the Oireachtas and the Parliament of the United Kingdom, and therefore does not include members of the 1st Dáil.
Notes:
- R Sat as an Irish representative peer under the Act of Union 1800
- H Sat as an Hereditary peer
- L Sat as a Life peer
Diversity records
[edit]Women
[edit]- First female TD – Constance Markievicz, elected to the First Dáil in 1918
- First female minister – Constance Markievicz was appointed as Minister for Labour in the Ministry of Dáil Éireann from 1919 to 1922
- First female Senators – Eileen Costello, Ellen Cuffe, Alice Stopford Green and Jennie Wyse Power, elected or nominated in 1922
- First female Minister of State – Máire Geoghegan-Quinn was appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Industry, Commerce and Energy in 1977 (becoming Minister of State in 1978 when the position was reformed)
- First female cabinet minister since independence – Máire Geoghegan-Quinn was appointed Minister for the Gaeltacht in 1979
- First female President of Ireland – Mary Robinson, who was elected in 1990 and served until 1997
- First female Tánaiste – Mary Harney, appointed in 1997
- First female Leader of the Opposition – Mary Lou McDonald – 2020
Religion
[edit]- First Jewish Senator – Ellen Cuffe, appointed to the Irish Free State Seanad Éireann as an independent member (1922–1931)
- First Jewish TD – Robert Briscoe, Fianna Fáil TD for Dublin South (1932–1948) and Dublin South-West (1948–1961)
- First openly atheist TD – Jim Kemmy, Democratic Socialist Party/Labour Party TD for Limerick East 1981–1982 and 1987–1997
- First Muslim TD – Moosajee Bhamjee, Labour Party TD for Clare from 1992 to 1997
- First Quaker Senator – James G. Douglas, Independent Senator from 1922 to 1936 and 1938 to 1954
LGBT people
[edit]Seanad
[edit]- First openly gay Oireachtas member – David Norris, independent senator for Dublin University from 1987 to 2024.
- First openly lesbian Oireachtas member – Katherine Zappone, independent senator from 2011 to 2016.
- First member of the Oireachtas in a recognised same-sex relationship – Katherine Zappone, who married Ann Louise Gilligan in British Columbia, Canada in 2003. This was recognised in Irish law as a civil partnership from 2010 and as marriage from 2015.
- First serving member of the Oireachtas to enter into a same-sex marriage – Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael senator) in December 2017.
- First serving member of the Oireachtas to come out as bisexual – Annie Hoey, (Labour Party senator) in 2020.
- First openly gay Cathaoirleach – Jerry Buttimer since December 2022.
Dáil
[edit]- First openly gay TDs – John Lyons (Labour Party TD) and Dominic Hannigan (Labour Party TD), both elected in 2011.
- First serving member of the Oireachtas to come out – Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael), Senator 2007–2011 and since 2016, TD 2011–2016, came out in April 2012.
- First openly lesbian TD – Katherine Zappone, Independent TD from 2016 to 2020.
- First openly gay TD elected in a by-election, and first openly gay Fianna Fáil TD – Malcolm Byrne, elected in November 2019, served until February 2020.
- First openly gay Social Democrats TD – Cian O'Callaghan, TD since February 2020. Previously first openly gay mayor of a city or county council in Ireland. Mayor of Fingal County Council in 2012.
- First openly gay Green Party TD – Roderic O'Gorman, TD since February 2020.
- First openly gay TD to be elected the leader of a political party in Dáil Eireann, Leo Varadkar (leader of Fine Gael from June 2017 to March 2024[4][5]). (Roderic O'Gorman becomes the second openly gay TD to be elected leader of a political party in the Dáil when he was elected leader of the Green Party in July 2024).[6]
- First openly gay deputy leader of Fianna Fail, Jack Chambers, since June 2024.[7]
- First Dáil constituency to elect two openly gay TDs in the same election – Dublin West since February 2020, with Roderic O'Gorman and Leo Varadkar. A third TD for Dublin West, Jack Chambers, came out as gay in January 2024.[8] This makes the four-seater Dublin West constituency the first constituency to be represented by a majority of openly gay TDs in the same Dáil.[9]
- First serving TD to enter into a same-sex marriage – Roderic O'Gorman (Green Party TD) in August 2023.
Government
[edit]- First serving cabinet minister to come out – Leo Varadkar (Fine Gael TD), first elected in 2007, became a Minister in 2011, came out in 2015. Pat Carey (Fianna Fáil) who was a TD from 1997 to 2011, and served as a Minister from 2010 to 2011, came out in 2015 after his retirement.
- First openly lesbian serving cabinet minister – Katherine Zappone, Minister from 2016 to 2020.
- First openly gay Taoiseach – Leo Varadkar (Fine Gael TD), Taoiseach from June 2017 to June 2020.
- First openly gay Tánaiste – Leo Varadkar (Fine Gael TD), Tánaiste from June 2020 to December 2022.
- First constituency to have two openly gay cabinet Ministers – Dublin West since June 2020; Leo Varadkar and Roderic O'Gorman, and again from 26 June 2024, Jack Chambers and Roderic O'Gorman.
- First serving cabinet minister to enter into a same-sex marriage – Roderic O'Gorman (Green Party TD) in August 2023.
Ethnic minorities
[edit]- First Indian South African/Irish of Indian descent in the Oireachtas – Moosajee Bhamjee, Labour TD for Clare 1992–1997.
- First Irish of Indian descent to be a government minister (2011), Taoiseach (2017–2020, 2022–2024) and Tánaiste (2020–2022) – Leo Varadkar, Fine Gael TD elected in 2007 for Dublin West.
- First Irish of Czech descent member of the Oireachtas – Ivana Bacik, elected to the Seanad in 2007 for the Labour Party.
- First person of Traveller descent member of the Oireachtas – Pádraig Mac Lochlainn, Sinn Féin TD elected to the Dáil in 2011 for Donegal.
- First Traveller member of the Oireachtas – Eileen Flynn, appointed to the Seanad in 2020.
Party leaders
[edit]Party leaders serving 10 years or more:
See also
[edit]- Families in the Oireachtas
- List of Irish politicians
- List of Irish politicians who changed party affiliation
- List of members of the Oireachtas imprisoned since 1923
- List of members of the Oireachtas imprisoned during the Irish revolutionary period
- List of female cabinet ministers of the Republic of Ireland
- List of female members of Dáil Éireann
- List of female members of Seanad Éireann
- Records of Irish heads of government since 1922
- First women holders of political offices in Ireland
- List of members of Seanad Éireann who died in office
- List of members of Dáil Éireann who died in office
Footnotes
[edit]- ^ The office was called Parliamentary Secretary until 1978.
- ^ David Cullinane and Kathleen Funchion were both elected to the Dáil in 2016. They had been married from 2007 to 2013.
- ^ While Mulcahy was a member of the Seanad in 1944, Tom O'Higgins acted as parliamentary party leader.
- ^ Between 1948 and 1959, John A. Costello served as parliamentary leader.
References
[edit]- ^ "3. AN ROLLA. – Dáil Éireann (1st Dáil) – Tuesday, 21 January 1919". Houses of the Oireachtas (in Irish). Retrieved 23 March 2020.
- ^ "Nomination of Members of Government: Motion – Dáil Éireann (26th Dáil) – Wednesday, 13 November 1991". Houses of the Oireachtas. Retrieved 24 August 2020.
- ^ "Nomination of Members of Government: Motion (Resumed) – Dáil Éireann (26th Dáil) – Wednesday, 13 November 1991". Houses of the Oireachtas. Retrieved 24 August 2020.
I wish to request leave of the House to withdraw the motion concerning nomination of Members of the Government which I moved today.
- ^ "Varadkar outlines his priorities after winning election". 2 June 2017.
- ^ "Simon Harris rules out early election after taking over as Fine Gael leader". The Irish Times. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
- ^ "Roderic O'Gorman 'deeply humbled' after being elected new leader of the Green Party". The Irish Times. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
- ^ Irish Times (19 June 2024). ""Micheál Martin names Jack Chambers as Fianna Fáil's deputy leader"". Irish Times. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
- ^ "Minister of State Jack Chambers announces he is gay". The Irish Times. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
- ^ Linehan, Alice (15 January 2024). "Irish Cabinet minister Jack Chambers comes out as gay". GCN. Retrieved 10 July 2024.