| 12th Dáil | |||||||||||
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| Overview | |||||||||||
| Legislative body | Dáil Éireann | ||||||||||
| Jurisdiction | Ireland | ||||||||||
| Meeting place | Leinster House | ||||||||||
| Term | 9 June 1944 – 12 January 1948 | ||||||||||
| Election | 1944 general election | ||||||||||
| Government | 4th government of Ireland | ||||||||||
| Members | 138 | ||||||||||
| Ceann Comhairle | Frank Fahy | ||||||||||
| Taoiseach | Éamon de Valera | ||||||||||
| Tánaiste | Seán Lemass —Seán T. O'Kelly until 14 June 1945 | ||||||||||
| Chief Whip | Eamon Kissane | ||||||||||
| Leader of the Opposition | Richard Mulcahy | ||||||||||
| Sessions | |||||||||||
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The12th Dáil was elected at the1944 general election on 30 May 1944 and first met on 9 June 1944. The members ofDáil Éireann, thehouse of representatives of theOireachtas (legislature), ofIreland are known asTDs. It sat with the5th Seanad as the two Houses of the Oireachtas.
The 12th Dáil was dissolved byPresidentSeán T. O'Kelly on 12 January 1948, at the request of theTaoiseachÉamon de Valera. The 12th Dáil lasted 3 years, 217 days.
| Party | May 1944 | Jan. 1948 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fianna Fáil | 76 | 76 |  | |
| Fine Gael | 30 | 25 |  5 | |
| Clann na Talmhan | 11 | 11 | | |
| Labour | 8 | 8 | | |
| National Labour | 4 | 4 | | |
| Monetary Reform | 1 | 1 | | |
| Clann na Poblachta | — | 2 |  2 | |
| Independent | 8 | 8 | | |
| Ceann Comhairle | — | 1 | 1 | |
| Vacant | — | 2 | 2 | |
| Total | 138 | |||
This is a graphical comparison of party strengths in the 12th Dáil from June 1944. This was not the official seating plan.
On 9 June 1944,Frank Fahy (FF), who had served asCeann Comhairle since 1932, was proposed byÉamon de Valera and seconded byRichard Mulcahy for the position, and was elected without a vote.[1]
The list of the 138 TDs elected, is given in alphabetical order byDáil constituency.[2]
| Date | Constituency | Loss | Gain | Note | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 June 1944 | Galway East | Fianna Fáil | Ceann Comhairle | Frank Fahy takes office as Ceann Comhairle[1] | ||
| 3 October 1944 | Kerry South | Fine Gael | Resignation ofFionán Lynch (FG) on appointment as aCircuit Court judge[3] | |||
| 10 November 1944 | Kerry South | Fianna Fáil | Donal O'Donoghue (FF) wins the seat vacated by Lynch. | |||
| 7 February 1945 | Clare | Fine Gael | Death ofPatrick Burke (FG) | |||
| 5 May 1945 | Kerry South | Fianna Fáil | Death ofFrederick Crowley (FF) | |||
| 14 June 1945 | Dublin North-West | Fianna Fáil | Election ofSeán T. O'Kelly (FF) aspresident of Ireland | |||
| 19 July 1945 | Wexford | Labour | Death ofRichard Corish (Lab) | |||
| 10 October 1945 | Mayo South | Fianna Fáil | ResignationMicheál Clery (FF) on appointment as County Registrar of Dublin[4] | |||
| 4 December 1945 | Clare | Fianna Fáil | Patrick Shanahan (FF) wins the seat vacated by the death of Burke | |||
| 4 December 1945 | Kerry South | Fianna Fáil | Honor Crowley (FF) holds the seat vacated by the death of her husband Frederick Crowley | |||
| 4 December 1945 | Dublin North-West | Fianna Fáil | Vivion de Valera (FF) holds the seat vacated by O'Kelly | |||
| 4 December 1945 | Wexford | Labour | Brendan Corish (Lab) holds the seat vacated by the death of his father Richard Corish | |||
| 4 December 1945 | Mayo South | Clann na Talmhan | Bernard Commons (CnaT) wins the seat vacated by Clery | |||
| 29 March 1946 | Cork Borough | Independent | Resignation ofWilliam Dwyer (Ind)[5] | |||
| 14 June 1946 | Cork Borough | Fianna Fáil | Patrick McGrath (FF) wins the seat vacated by Dwyer | |||
| 4 February 1947 | Tipperary | Clann na Talmhan | Death ofWilliam O'Donnell (CnaT) | |||
| 2 May 1947 | Dublin County | Fianna Fáil | Death ofPatrick Fogarty (FF) | |||
| 10 May 1947 | Waterford | Fianna Fáil | Death ofMichael Morrissey (FF) | |||
| 31 July 1947 | Meath–Westmeath | Fine Gael | Independent | Charles Fagan (FG) resigns from party[6] | ||
| 29 October 1947 | Tipperary | Clann na Poblachta | Patrick Kinane (CnaP) wins the seat vacated by the death of O'Donnell | |||
| 29 October 1947 | Dublin County | Clann na Poblachta | Seán MacBride (CnaP) wins the seat vacated by the death of Fogarty | |||
| 29 October 1947 | Waterford | Fianna Fáil | John Ormonde (FF) holds the seat vacated by the death of Morrissey | |||
| 1 January 1948 | Carlow–Kildare | Fine Gael | Death ofJames Hughes (FG) | |||
| 8 January 1948 | Sligo | Fine Gael | Death ofMartin Roddy (FG) | |||
Eamonn Coogan (FG), an outgoing TD forKilkenny, died after the dissolution of the 12th Dáil, during the1948 general election campaign.