Irish general election, 1948

Irish general election, 1948

1944 ← 4 February 1948 → 1951

outgoing members ← → TDs elected

146 of 147 seats in Dáil Éireann 74 seats were needed for a majority Turnout 74.2%   First party Second party Third party   Leader Éamon de Valera Richard Mulcahy William Norton Party Fianna Fáil Fine Gael Labour Party Leader since 26 March 1926 1944 1932 Leader's seat Clare Tipperary Kildare Last election 76 seats, 48.9% 30 seats, 20.5% 8 seats, 8.8% Seats before 77 28 8 Seats won 69 31 14 Seat change 9 3 6 Percentage 41.9% 19.8% 8.7% Swing 7.0% 0.7% 0.1%   Fourth party Fifth party Sixth party   Leader Seán MacBride Joseph Blowick James Everett Party Clann na Poblachta Clann na Talmhan National Labour Party Leader since 1946 1944 1944 Leader's seat Dublin South-West Mayo South Wicklow Last election N/A 9 seats, 10.1% 4 seats, 2.7% Seats before 2 9 4 Seats won 10 7 5 Seat change 8 2 1 Percentage 13.2% 5.6% 2.6% Swing 13.2% 4.5% 0.1%

Percentage of seats gained by each of the five biggest parties, and number of seats gained by smaller parties and independents.

Taoiseach before election Éamon de Valera Fianna Fáil Subsequent Taoiseach John A. Costello Fine Gael

Éamon de Valera
Fianna Fáil

John A. Costello
Fine Gael

The Irish general election of 1948 was held on 4 February 1948. The 147 newly elected members of the 13th Dáil assembled on 18 February when the First Inter-Party government in the history of the Irish state was appointed.

The general election took place in 40 parliamentary constituencies throughout Ireland for 147 seats in the lower house of parliament, Dáil Éireann. For this election the membership of the Dáil was increased to 147 seats, an increase of 9 since the previous election. The 1948 general election is considered an important election in 20th-century Ireland, as it paved the way for the First Inter-Party Government.

The general election of 1948 was caused by a desire by the Taoiseach Éamon de Valera, to stop the rise of a new party, Clann na Poblachta. In 1947 the rapid rise of Clann na Poblachta threatened the position of Fianna Fáil. The government of Éamon de Valera introduced the Electoral (Amendment) Act 1947 which increased the size of the Dáil from 138 to 147 and increased the number of three-seat constituencies from fifteen to twenty-two. The result was described by historian Tim Pat Coogan as "a blatant attempt at gerrymander which no Six County Unionist could have bettered."

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Wikipedia