1981 Irish general election

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The 1981 Irish general election to the 22nd Dáil was held on Thursday, 11 June, following the dissolution of the 21st Dáil on 21 May by President Patrick Hillery on the request of Taoiseach Charles Haughey. The general election took place in 41 Dáil constituencies throughout Ireland for 166 seats in Dáil Éireann, the house of representatives of the Oireachtas. The number of seats in the Dáil was increased by 18 from 148 under the Electoral (Amendment) Act 1980.

The 22nd Dáil met at Leinster House on 30 June to nominate the Taoiseach for appointment by the president and to approve the appointment of a new government of Ireland. Garret FitzGerald was appointed Taoiseach, forming the 17th government of Ireland, a minority coalition government of Fine Gael and the Labour Party.

Campaign

The general election of 1981 was the first one of five during the 1980s. The election also saw three new leaders of the three main parties fight their first general election. Charles Haughey had become Taoiseach and leader of Fianna Fáil at the end of 1979, Garret FitzGerald was the new leader of Fine Gael and Frank Cluskey was leading the Labour Party.

Haughey and Fianna Fáil seemed extremely popular with the electorate in early 1981. He was expected to call the election at the time of the Fianna Fáil ardfheis on 14 February, but the Stardust fire caused the ardfheis to be postponed, and the Republican hunger strike in the Maze Prison began in March.^[1] By the dissolution in May, much of the earlier optimism in the party had filtered out. The Anti H-Block movement fielded abstentionist candidates in solidarity with the hunger strikers, undermining the Republican credentials of Fianna Fáil.

Fianna Fáil's manifesto promised more spending programmes and Fine Gael put forward a series of tax-cutting plans.

Result

Voting summary

First preference vote

Fianna Fáil			45.26%
Fine Gael			36.36%
Labour			9.89%
Sinn Féin (Workers' Party)			1.72%
Others			0.46%
Independent			6.2%

Seats summary

Dáil seats

Fianna Fáil			46.99%
Fine Gael			39.16%
Labour			9.04%
Sinn Féin (Workers' Party)			0.60%
Socialist Labour Party			0.60%
Independent			3.61%

Government formation

Fianna Fáil lost seats as a result of sympathy to the Anti H-Block candidates and the attractive tax proposals of Fine Gael. It was the worst performance for Fianna Fáil in twenty years. Meanwhile, Labour Party leader Frank Cluskey lost his seat, necessitating a leadership change with Michael O'Leary succeeding Cluskey. A Fine Gael–Labour Party coalition government came to power. Fine Gael and the Labour Party formed the 17th Government of Ireland, a minority coalition government, with Garret FitzGerald becoming Taoiseach.

Dáil membership changes

The following changes took place at this election:

20 outgoing TDs retired
18 additional seats added to the Dáil
127 outgoing TDs stood for re-election (also Pádraig Faulkner, the outgoing Ceann Comhairle who was automatically returned)
- 109 of those were re-elected
- 18 failed to be re-elected
56 successor TDs were elected
- 50 were elected for the first time
- 6 had previously been TDs
There were 7 successor female TDs, replacing 3 outgoing, increasing the total by 4 to 11.

Where more than one change took place in a constituency the concept of successor is an approximation for presentation only. Where a number of related constituency changes took place in an area, such as Cork, the outgoing constituency for retiring TDs and the allocation of new seats are approximations for presentation only. Outgoing TDs re-elected in a new constituency, with no related changes, are not recorded as a change

Constituency	Departing TD	Party		Change	Comment	Successor TD	Party
Carlow–Kilkenny	Jim Gibbons	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell	Lost seat	Governey: Former TD	Desmond Governey	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell
Cavan–Monaghan	Jimmy Leonard	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell	Lost seat	Doherty: Anti H-Block. Was on hunger strike at the time of his election	Kieran Doherty	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell
Clare	Frank Taylor	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell	Retired		Madeleine Taylor	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell
Clare	Seat added				Loughnane: moved from Galway West	Bill Loughnane	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell
Cork East	Jerry Cronin	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell	Retired (from Cork North-East)		Carey Joyce	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell
Cork East	Richard Barry	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell	Retired (from Cork North-East)	First TD to be elected for Official Sinn Féin/The Workers' Party.	Joe Sherlock	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell
Cork North-Central	Jack Lynch	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell	Retired (from Cork City)		Denis Lyons	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell
	Seat added					Bernard Allen	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell
	Seat added					Toddy O'Sullivan	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell
Cork North-West						Frank Crowley	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell
Cork South-Central	Barry Cogan	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell	Lost seat (moved from Cork Mid)		Hugh Coveney	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell
Cork South-West	Michael Pat Murphy	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell	Retired		P. J. Sheehan	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell
Cork South-West	Joe Walsh	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell	Lost seat	Crowley: Former TD	Flor Crowley	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell
Donegal North-East	No membership changes
Donegal South-West	Seat added					Pat "the Cope" Gallagher	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell
Dublin North	Joe Fox	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell	Lost seat (moved from Dublin County North)		Nora Owen	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell
Dublin North-Central	Seat added					George Birmingham	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell
Dublin Central	Vivion de Valera	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell	Retired (from Dublin Cabra)	(Ahern: moved from Dublin Finglas)	Bertie Ahern	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell
	Tom Leonard	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell	Lost seat (moved from Dublin Cabra)	(Colley: from Dublin Clontarf)	George Colley	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell
	Luke Belton	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell	Lost seat (moved from Dublin Finglas)		Alice Glenn	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell
Dublin North-East						Liam Fitzgerald	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell
Dublin North-East						Seán Loftus	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell
Dublin North-West						Mary Flaherty	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell
Dublin North-West	Timothy Killeen	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell	Lost seat (moved from Dublin Artane)		Michael Barrett	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell
Dublin South						Nuala Fennell	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell
	Síle de Valera	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell	Lost seat (moved from Dublin County Mid)		Séamus Brennan	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell
	John Horgan	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell	Lost seat(moved from Dublin County South)		Alan Shatter	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell
Dublin South-West						Mary Harney	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell
Dublin South-West						Mervyn Taylor	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell
Dublin West					Burke: Former TD	Richard Burke	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell
	Mark Clinton	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell	Retired (from Dublin County West)		Brian Fleming	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell
	Liam Lawlor	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell	Lost seat (moved from Dublin County West)	(Lemass: from Dublin Ballyfermot)	Eileen Lemass	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell
Dublin South-Central	Seat added				(Briscoe: from Dublin Rathmines West)	Ben Briscoe	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell
	Seat added					Gay Mitchell	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell
	Frank Cluskey	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell	Lost seat	(O'Connell:from Dublin Ballyfermot)	John O'Connell	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell
Dublin South-East	Seat added				(Brady: from Dublin Rathimines West)	Gerard Brady	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell
Dublin South-East	Ruairi Quinn	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell	Lost seat	(Ryan: from Dublin Rathimines West)	Richie Ryan	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell
Dún Laoghaire	Liam Cosgrave	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell	Retired		Liam T. Cosgrave	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell
Dún Laoghaire	Seat added					Sean Barrett	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell
Galway East	John Donnellan	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell	(moved to Galway West)		Paul Connaughton Snr	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell
	Mark Killilea Jnr	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell	(moved to Galway West)	Kitt: Former TD	Michael P. Kitt	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell
	Thomas Hussey	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell	Lost seat	Seat abolished
Galway West	John Mannion Jnr	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell	Retired	(Donnellan: from Galway East)	John Donnellan	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell
	Seat added					Michael D. Higgins	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell
	Bill Loughnane	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell	(moved to Clare)	(Killilea moved from Galway East)	Mark Killilea Jnr	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell
Kerry North	Kit Ahern	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell	Lost seat		Denis Foley	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell
Kerry North	Dan Spring	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell	Retired		Dick Spring	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell
Kerry South	Timothy O'Connor	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell	Lost seat		Michael Moynihan	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell
Kildare	Seat added					Bernard Durkan	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell
Kildare	Seat added					Alan Dukes	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell
Laois–Offaly	Patrick Lalor	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell	Retired		Liam Hyland	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell
Limerick East	Michael Herbert	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell	Retired		Peadar Clohessy	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell
	Michael Lipper	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell	Lost seat		Jim Kemmy	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell
	Seat added					Michael Noonan	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell
Limerick West	No membership changes
Longford–Westmeath	Joseph Sheridan	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell	Retired	Cooney: Former TD	Patrick Cooney	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell
Louth	Paddy Donegan	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell	Retired		Bernard Markey	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell
Louth	Joseph Farrell	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell	Retired	Agnew: Anti H-Block. Republican prisoner in Long Kesh, not on hunger strike.	Paddy Agnew	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell
Mayo East	No membership changes
Mayo West	No membership changes
Meath	Seat added					John Farrelly	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell
Roscommon	Joan Burke	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell	Retired		John Connor	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell
Sligo–Leitrim	James Gallagher	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell	Retired		John Ellis	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell
	Eugene Gilhawley	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell	Retired		Joe McCartin	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell
	Seat added					Ted Nealon	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell
Tipperary North	Michael O'Kennedy	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell	Retired		David Molony	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell
Tipperary South	Noel Davern	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell	Retired		Carrie Acheson	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell
Tipperary South	Seat added					Seán McCarthy	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell
Waterford	No membership changes
Wexford	Seán Browne	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell	Lost seat		Hugh Byrne	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell
Wexford	Seat added					Ivan Yates	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell
Wicklow	Seat added				Brennan: Former TD	Paudge Brennan	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell

Seanad election

The Dáil election was followed by an election to the 15th Seanad.

Notes

Template:Notelist

References

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1981 Irish general election

Contents

Campaign

Result

Voting summary

Seats summary

Government formation

Dáil membership changes

Seanad election

Notes

References

Further reading

Navigation menu

1981 Irish general election

Campaign

Result

Voting summary

Seats summary

Government formation

Dáil membership changes

Seanad election

Notes

References

Further reading

Navigation menu

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