Government of the 13th Dáil
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| Govt of the 11th Dáil | (1943) |
| Govt of the 12th Dáil | (1944) |
| Govt of the 13th Dáil | (1948) |
| Govt of the 14th Dáil | (1951) |
| Govt of the 15th Dáil | (1954) |
The 13th Dáil was elected on February 4, 1948 and first met on February 18 when the 5th Government of Ireland was appointed. The 13th Dáil lasted for 1,211 days.
The 5th Government of Ireland (18 February 1948–13 June 1951) - or more commonly the First Inter-Party Government - is the name given to the government which led Ireland from 1948 to 1951. The government was made up of a number of political parties including Fine Gael, the Labour Party, Clann na Poblachta and Clann na Talmhan - and one TD who was (at least in theory) an Independent - James Dillon. It was the first change of government since 1932. The parties had many different aims and viewpoints, but a united dislike of Fianna Fáil overcame all difficulties in forming a government. The Cabinet was made up of representatives of all parties and ministers were given a great degree of independence. Some key events during the lifetime of the government include the declaration of the Republic of Ireland in 1949 and the crisis surrounding the "Mother and Child Scheme" in 1951.
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[edit] Origins
Fianna Fáil had ruled uninterrupted since 1932 with Éamon de Valera as the head of government (as President of the Executive Council of the Irish Free State until 1937 and since then as Taoiseach). However, the 1948 general election left the party six seats short of a majority. Negotiations for confidence and supply with National Labour failed. At first, it seemed that de Valera would attempt to govern alone in a minority government. Fianna Fáil had 37 more seats than the next-biggest party, Fine Gael, and thus appeared to be the only party capable of governing.
However, to the surprise of most observers, the other parties realized that if they banded together, they would have only one seat fewer than Fianna Fáil, and would be able to form a government with the support of seven independents. It was expected that the Taoiseach would come from Fine Gael. However, Sean MacBride let it be known that he and his party, Clann na Poblachta, would not serve in a government under Fine Gael's leader, Richard Mulcahy. Many Irish Republicans had never forgiven Mulcahy for his role in carrying out 77 executions under the government of the Irish Free State in the 1920s and early 1930s. Since the other parties needed MacBride's support to topple de Valera, Mulcahy unselfishly bowed out in favour of John A. Costello.
On 18 February 1948 Costello was elected as the second Taoiseach of the Irish state, consigning de Valera to the opposition benches for the first time in 16 years. Costello found himself as leader of a disparate group--young and old politicians, republicans and Free Staters, conservatives and socialists. The government's survival depended on the skill of Costello as Taoiseach and the independence of various ministers.
[edit] 5th Government of Ireland
The government positions are listed in alphabetical order, rather than in terms of seniority.
[edit] Footnotes
- ^ Dillon resigned from Fine Gael in 1942 over his opposition to neutrality and rejoined the party only in 1953; however, he remained closely associated with Fine Gael in the intervening period.
- ^ Noel Browne resigned on 11 April 1951 due to controversy surrounding the Mother and Child Scheme.
[edit] See also
- Members of the 13th Dáil
- Parliamentary Secretaries of the 13th Dáil
- Dáil Éireann
- Irish Government
- Bunreacht na hÉireann
- Irish general election, 1948
- Politics of the Republic of Ireland
