Members of the 26th Seanad

From Infogalactic: the planetary knowledge core
Jump to: navigation, search
26th Seanad Éireann
← 25th Seanad
Oireachtas logo.svg
Overview
Jurisdiction Ireland
Meeting place Leinster House
Election 30–31 March 2020
Members 60
Cathaoirleach Jerry Buttimer (FG)
Leas-Chathaoirleach Mark Daly (FF)
Leader of the
Seanad		 Lisa Chambers (FF)
Deputy Leader of the Seanad Regina Doherty (FG)
Leader of the
Opposition		 Niall Ó Donnghaile (SF)
Leader of the
Opposition		 Rebecca Moynihan (Lab)
Sessions
1st 29 June 2020 – 31 July 2020
2nd 16 September 2020 – 16 July 2021
3rd 21 September 2021 – 14 July 2022
4th 14 September 2022 –

The election to the 26th Seanad took place after the dissolution of the 32nd Dáil on 14 January 2020. The Constitution of Ireland requires a general election for Seanad Éireann, the Senate of the Oireachtas (Irish parliament), to take place not later than ninety days after a dissolution of the Dáil. There are 60 seats in the Seanad: 43 were elected on five vocational panels by serving politicians, for which polling closed on 30 March 2020; 6 were elected in two university constituencies, for which polling closed on 31 March 2020; and 11 were nominated by the Taoiseach (Micheál Martin) on 27 June 2020.

The government has a clear majority (40 to 20) in the Seanad. Of the 60 members, twenty-four (40%) are women, and thirty (50%) are first-time Senators. Five Senators (8%) are members of the LGBT+ community.[1] 33 members (55%) of the 26th Seanad were unsuccessful candidates at the 2020 general election, 10 of those (17%) being outgoing TDs who failed to get re-elected. In total 41 members (68%) of the 26th Seanad had contested general elections in the past, while 15 (25%) were former TDs. Eileen Flynn is the first Irish Traveller to be a member of the Seanad.[2]

Senator Mark Daly was elected as Cathaoirleach at the opening of the term, and Senator Jerry Buttimer as Leas Cathaoirleach. As part of a government rotation agreement between Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael, and the Green Party, Jerry Buttimer replaced Daly as Cathaoirleach on 16 December 2022, with Daly becoming Leas Cathaoirleach.[1] The political leadership of the Seanad also swapped on 16 December 2022, with outgoing Leader of the Seanad, Regina Doherty becoming Deputy Leader, and outgoing Deputy Leader Lisa Chambers becoming Leader. Outgoing Government Chief Whip of the Seanad, Senator Seán Kyne of Fine Gael also swapped positions with Seanad Government Deputy Chief Whip Senator Robbie Gallagher, who took over as Seanad Chief Whip. The leadership of the Green Party group in the Seanad also changed with Senator Pauline O'Reilly stepping down as Group leader to be replaced by Senator Róisín Garvey.

This rotation in Seanad leadership followed the corresponding rotation of Taoiseach and Tánaiste on 17 December, for the second half of the Dáil/Seanad term.[3][4]

Electoral system

There are 60 seats in the Seanad: 43 Senators are elected by the Vocational panels, six elected by the two university constituencies, and eleven are nominated by the Taoiseach. Three seats are elected by graduates of the four colleges of the National University of Ireland (University College Cork, University College Dublin, University of Galway and Maynooth University) and three seats are elected by graduates of the University of Dublin (as Trinity College Dublin is the sole constituent college, this is often referred to as the Trinity College constituency).[5]

Article 18.8 of the Constitution requires that an election for Seanad Éireann must take place not later than 90 days after a dissolution of the Dáil. On 21 January, Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government Eoghan Murphy signed the orders for the Seanad election.[6]

Timetable

  • 24 February 2020: deadline for proposals for nominations to the vocational panels by nominating bodies (civic society groups)
  • 2 March 2020: deadline for proposals for nominations to the vocational panels by Members of the Oireachtas (President of Ireland, TDs and Senators)
  • 9 March 2020: Seanad Returning Officer completed the panels of candidates
  • 16 March 2020: postal balloting began
  • 30 March 2020, 11 a.m.: polling closed for the five special panels, counting of votes commences[7][8]
  • 31 March 2020, 11 a.m.: polling closed in the two university constituencies
  • 27 June 2020: Taoiseach's nominees announced

Composition of the 26th Seanad

Results of 2020 Seanad election

<templatestyles src="Diagonal split header 2/styles.css" />
Origin
Party
 Vocational panels NUI DU Nominated Total
Admin Agri Cult & Educ Ind & Comm Labour
● Fianna Fáil 3 4 2 3 4 0 0 4 20
● Fine Gael 2 3 2 2 3 0 0 4 16
Sinn Féin 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 5
Labour Party 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 5
● Green Party 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 2 4
Human Dignity Alliance 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1
Independent 0 1 0 2 1 2 2 1 9
Total 7 11 5 9 11 3 3 11 60

Government parties denoted with bullets (●)

Leadership

Government

<templatestyles src="Module:Hatnote/styles.css"></templatestyles>

Main article: Government of the 33rd Dáil

Opposition

List of senators

Panel Name Portrait Party affiliation
(Technical group)		 Assumed office
Start of Seanad term Current
Administrative Panel Garret Ahearn[lower-alpha 1] 90px Fine Gael 29 June 2020
Martin Conway 90px Fine Gael 25 May 2011
Mark Daly 90px Fianna Fáil 13 September 2007
Rebecca Moynihan[lower-alpha 1] 90px Labour 29 June 2020
Niall Ó Donnghaile 90px Sinn Féin 8 June 2016
Fiona O'Loughlin[lower-alpha 1][lower-alpha 2] 90px Fianna Fáil 29 June 2020
Diarmuid Wilson 90px Fianna Fáil 12 September 2002
Agricultural Panel Niall Blaney[lower-alpha 1] 90px Fianna Fáil 29 June 2020
Victor Boyhan 90px Independent 8 June 2016
Lynn Boylan[lower-alpha 1] 90px Sinn Féin 29 June 2020
Paddy Burke 90px Fine Gael 17 February 1993
Maria Byrne 90px Elected in 2021 by-election Fine Gael 23 April 2021[lower-alpha 3]
Paul Daly 90px Fianna Fáil 8 June 2016
Michael D'Arcy[lower-alpha 2] 90px Fine Gael Resigned in 2020 29 June 2020[lower-alpha 3]
Pippa Hackett 90px Green Party 5 November 2019
Annie Hoey[lower-alpha 1] 90px Labour 29 June 2020
Tim Lombard 90px Fine Gael 8 June 2016
Eugene Murphy[lower-alpha 1][lower-alpha 2] 90px Fianna Fáil 29 June 2020
Denis O'Donovan 90px Fianna Fáil 13 September 2007[lower-alpha 3]
Cultural and Educational Panel Malcolm Byrne[lower-alpha 1][lower-alpha 2] 90px Fianna Fáil 29 June 2020
Lisa Chambers[lower-alpha 1][lower-alpha 2] 90px Fianna Fáil 29 June 2020
Seán Kyne[lower-alpha 2] 90px Fine Gael 29 June 2020[lower-alpha 4]
John McGahon[lower-alpha 1] 90px Fine Gael 29 June 2020
Fintan Warfield 90px Sinn Féin 8 June 2016
Industrial and Commercial Panel Catherine Ardagh 90px Fianna Fáil 8 June 2016
Frances Black 90px Independent
(Civil Engagement Group)		 8 June 2016
Micheál Carrigy[lower-alpha 1] 90px Fine Gael 29 June 2020
Ollie Crowe[lower-alpha 1] 90px Fianna Fáil 29 June 2020
Aidan Davitt 90px Fianna Fáil 8 June 2016
Gerry Horkan 90px Elected in 2021 by-election Fianna Fáil 23 April 2021[lower-alpha 3]
Elisha McCallion[lower-alpha 1] 90px Sinn Féin Resigned in 2020 29 June 2020
Sharon Keogan[lower-alpha 1] 90px Independent 29 June 2020
Mark Wall[lower-alpha 1] 90px Labour 29 June 2020
Barry Ward[lower-alpha 1] 90px Fine Gael 29 June 2020
Labour Panel Jerry Buttimer 90px Fine Gael Cathaoirleach 8 June 2016[lower-alpha 3]
Pat Casey[lower-alpha 1][lower-alpha 2] 90px Fianna Fáil 29 June 2020
Shane Cassells[lower-alpha 1][lower-alpha 2] 90px Fianna Fáil 29 June 2020
Gerard Craughwell 90px Independent 14 October 2014
John Cummins[lower-alpha 1] 90px Fine Gael 29 June 2020
Robbie Gallagher 90px Fianna Fáil 8 June 2016
Paul Gavan 90px Sinn Féin 8 June 2016
Joe O'Reilly 90px Fine Gael 8 June 2016[lower-alpha 3]
Pauline O'Reilly[lower-alpha 1] 90px Green Party 29 June 2020
Ned O'Sullivan 90px Fianna Fáil 13 September 2007
Marie Sherlock[lower-alpha 1] 90px Labour 29 June 2020
National University of Ireland Alice-Mary Higgins 90px Independent
(Civil Engagement Group)		 8 June 2016
Michael McDowell 90px Independent 8 June 2016
Rónán Mullen 90px Human Dignity Alliance 13 September 2007
Dublin University Ivana Bacik 90px Labour Elected to the Dáil in 2021 13 September 2007
Tom Clonan 90px Elected in 2022 by-election Independent 5 April 2022
David Norris 90px Independent 25 April 1987
Lynn Ruane 90px Independent
(Civil Engagement Group)		 8 June 2016
Nominated by the Taoiseach Lorraine Clifford-Lee 90px Fianna Fáil 8 June 2016
Emer Currie[lower-alpha 5] 90px Fine Gael 29 June 2020
Regina Doherty[lower-alpha 2][lower-alpha 5] 90px Fine Gael 29 June 2020
Aisling Dolan[lower-alpha 5] 90px Fine Gael 29 June 2020
Timmy Dooley[lower-alpha 2] 90px Fianna Fáil 29 June 2020[lower-alpha 3]
Mary Fitzpatrick[lower-alpha 5] 90px Fianna Fáil 29 June 2020
Eileen Flynn[lower-alpha 5] 90px Independent
(Civil Engagement Group)		 29 June 2020
Róisín Garvey[lower-alpha 5] 90px Green Party 29 June 2020
Vincent P. Martin[lower-alpha 5] 90px Green Party 29 June 2020
Erin McGreehan[lower-alpha 5] 90px Fianna Fáil 29 June 2020
Mary Seery Kearney[lower-alpha 5] 90px Fine Gael 29 June 2020
Notes

<templatestyles src="Reflist/styles.css" />

Cite error: Invalid <references> tag; parameter "group" is allowed only.

Use <references />, or <references group="..." />

Changes

<templatestyles src="Module:Hatnote/styles.css"></templatestyles>

See also: 2021 Seanad by-elections and 2022 Dublin University by-election
Date Panel Gain Loss Note
28 September 2020 Agricultural Panel   Fine Gael Michael W. D'Arcy resigns from the Seanad[9]
29 October 2020 Industrial and Commercial Panel   Sinn Féin Elisha McCallion resigns from the Seanad[10]
21 April 2021 Agricultural Panel Fine Gael   Maria Byrne elected in a by-election[11]
21 April 2021 Industrial and Commercial Panel Fianna Fáil   Gerry Horkan elected in a by-election[11]
9 July 2021 Dublin University   Labour Party Ivana Bacik elected to the Dáil at a by-election
31 March 2022 Dublin University [[Independent politician (Ireland) | Template:Independent politician (Ireland)/meta/shortname]]   Tom Clonan elected in a by-election[12]

See also

References

<templatestyles src="Reflist/styles.css" />

Cite error: Invalid <references> tag; parameter "group" is allowed only.

Use <references />, or <references group="..." />

External links

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.


Cite error: <ref> tags exist for a group named "lower-alpha", but no corresponding <references group="lower-alpha"/> tag was found, or a closing </ref> is missing

Retrieved from "https://infogalactic.com/w/index.php?title=Members_of_the_26th_Seanad&oldid=727090504"