General Elections,
Heads of Government,
and Chairmen of the Dail
1918 - 2003
Dail

Election Date

 Seats Government Taoiseach4 Ceann Comhairle
        Head of the
Government or
Prime Minister		 Chairman of
Dail ƒireann
1 14 December 1918 73 Sinn Fein Cathal Brugha 1,5
22 January 1919 -
1 April 1919		 Séan T. O'Kelly
from
22 January 1919
      Sinn Fein Eamon de Valera 1
1 April 1919 -
26 August 1921		  
2 24th May 1921 128 Sinn Fein Eamon de Valera 1
26 August 1921 -
9 January 1922		 Eoin MacNeill
from
18 August 1921
Sinn Féin
 Arthur Griffith 1
10 January 1922 -
died on
12 August 1922		  
Sinn Fein William T. Cosgrave 1
9 September 1922 -		  
Provisional
Government
Sinn Fein		 Michael Collins 2
January 1922 -
killed on
22 August 1922		  
Provisional
Government
Sinn Fein		 William T. Cosgrave 2
August 1922 -
6 December 1922		  
3 16th June 1922 128 Sinn Fein
(Pro Treaty)		 William T. Cosgrave 3
from
6 December 1922		 Michael Hayes
4 27 August 1923 153 Cumann
na nGael		 William T. Cosgrave 3 Michael Hayes
5 9 June 1927 153 Cumann
na nGael		 William T. Cosgrave 3 Michael Hayes
6 15 September 1927 153 Cumann
na nGael		 William T. Cosgrave 3 Michael Hayes
7 16 February 1932 153 Fianna Fail Eamon De Valera 3 Frank Fahy
8 24 January 1933 153 Fianna Fail Eamon De Valera 3 Frank Fahy
9 1 July 1937 138 Fianna Fail Eamon De Valera 3 Frank Fahy
10 17 June 1938 138 Fianna Fail Eamon De Valera 3 Frank Fahy
11 23 June 1943 138 Fianna Fail Eamon De Valera Frank Fahy
12 30 May 1944 138 Fianna Fail Eamon De Valera Frank Fahy
13 4 February 1948 147 Inter Party John A. Costello Frank Fahy
14 30 May 1951 147 Fianna Fail Eamon De Valera Frank Fahy
1953       Patrick Hogan
15 18 May 1954 147 Inter Party John A. Costello Patrick Hogan
16 5 March 1957 147 Fianna Fail Eamon De Valera
to 1959		 Patrick Hogan
Séan Lemass
from 1959		 Patrick Hogan
17 4 October 1961 144 Fianna Fail Séan Lemass Patrick Hogan
18 7 April 1965 144 Fianna Fail Séan Lemass
to 1966		 Cormac Breslin
Jack Lynch
from 1966		 Cormac Breslin
19 18 June 1969 144 Fianna Fail Jack Lynch Cormac Breslin
20 28 February 1973 144 Fine Gael /
Labour		 Liam Cosgrave Séan Treacy
21 16 June 1977 148 Fianna Fail Jack Lynch
to 1979		 Padraig Faulkner
Charles J. Haughey
from 1979		 Padraig Faulkner
22 11 June 1981 166 Fine Gael /
Labour		 Garret FitzGerald John O’Connell
23 18 February 1982 166 Fianna F‡il Charles J. Haughey John O’Connell
24 24 November 1982 166 Fine Gael /
Labour		 Garret FitzGerald Thomas J. Fitzpatrick
25 17 February 1987 166 Fianna Fail Charles J. Haughey Séan Treacy
26 15 June 1989 166 Fianna Fail /
Progressive
Democrats		 Charles J. Haughey
to 1992		 Séan Treacy
Albert Reynolds
from 1992		 Séan Treacy
27 25 November 1992 166 Fianna Fail /
Labour		 Albert Reynolds
to Dec. 1994		 Séan Treacy
Fine Gael /
Labour /
Democratic
Left		 John Bruton
from Dec 1994		 Séan Treacy
28 6th June 1997 166 Fianna Fail /
Progressive
Democrats		 Bertie Ahern Séamus Pattison
29 17th May 2002 166 Fianna Fail /
Progressive
Democrats		 Bertie Ahern Dr. Rory O'Hanlon

Notes
1 President of Dail Eireann
2 Chairman of the Provisional Government
3 From 6 December 1922 until 29 December 1938, the Head of Government of the Irish Free State was known as President of the Executive Council.
4 Following the adoption of the 1937 Constitution, the title was changed to "An Taoiseach".
5 On 21 January 1919, Cathal Brugha was elected Ceann Comhairle for the day. On 22 January 1919, Count Plunkett took the Chair, Cathal Brugha was appointed President of the Ministry pro. tem., and Sean T. O'Kelly was elected Speaker of the House (Ceann Comhairle).

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