List of longest-serving members of Dáil Éireann

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The First Dáil Éireann consisted of the Sinn Féin MPs who were elected in the UK general election of 14 December 1918. They refused to attend the British House of Commons and instead assembled for the first time on 21 January 1919 in the Mansion House, Dublin as the revolutionary unicameral Dáil Éireann.

1118 Teachtaí Dála served in the Dáil between 1919 and 2003.[1]

The title "Father of the Dáil" is usually and unofficially conferred on the longest-serving member.

Contents

[edit] Longest-serving former TDs

This is a list of former TDs who have served at least 33 years in the Dáil. Unless otherwise specified, start and end dates given are those of the relevant general election. It can be assumed unless stated otherwise that the member did not stand in the end-date election, as opposed to standing and failing to be elected. All former Taoisigh served long enough to be included in this list, except Garret FitzGerald who served 23 years, 6 months from 1969 to 1992.

Name Party Took seat Vacated seat Yrs/Mnths Notes
Paddy Smith Anti-Treaty Sinn Féin/ Fianna Fáil 1923 1977 53y 11m Former cabinet minister
Frank Aiken Anti-Treaty Sinn Féin/ Fianna Fáil 1923 1973 49y 6m Longest-serving cabinet minister (1932–1948,1951–1954,1957–1969)
Neil Blaney Fianna Fáil/ Independent Fianna Fáil 1948 Death on October 8, 1995 46y 10m Former minister
Thomas McEllistrim Anti-Treaty Sinn Féin/ Fianna Fáil 1923 1969 45y 10m
Séamus Pattison Labour Party 1961 2007 45y 8m Former Ceann Comhairle
Seán MacEntee Sinn Féin/ Fianna Fáil 1918 election to the First Dáil 1969 45y 6m Did not serve between the general elections of 1922 and June 1927
James Ryan Sinn Féin/ Fianna Fáil 1918 election to the First Dáil 1965 45y 2m Long-serving cabinet minister. Did not serve between the general elections of 1922 and 1923 (1y 2m)
Seán Lemass Anti-Treaty Sinn Féin/ Fianna Fáil Dublin South by-election, November 18, 1924 1969 44y 7m Taoiseach from 1959 until 1966
James Everett Labour Party/ National Labour Party 1923 Death on 18 December 1967 44y 4m Cabinet minister on a number of occasions; leader of the breakaway National Labour Party 1944-50
Oliver J. Flanagan Fine Gael 1943 1987 43y 8m Former Minister for Defence
Martin Corry Fianna Fáil June 1927 1969 41y 10m
Patrick McGilligan Cumann na nGaedhael/ Fine Gael NUI by-election, November 3, 1923 1965 41y 5m Attorney-General from 1954 until 1957
Richard Mulcahy Sinn Féin/ Cumann na nGaedhael/ Fine Gael 1918 election to the First Dáil 1961 41y Did not serve between general elections of 1937 and 1938, nor between those of 1943 and 1944
Éamon de Valera Sinn Féin/ Fianna Fáil 1918 election to the First Dáil elected President in 1959 40y 6m Former Taoiseach and President of Ireland
Cormac Breslin Fianna Fáil 1937 1977 40y Ceann Comhairle from 1967 until 1973
Patrick Hogan Labour Party 1923 Death on January 24, 1969 39y 8m Did not serve between the general elections of 1938 and 1943, nor between those of 1944 and 1948
Gerald Boland Anti-Treaty Sinn Féin/ Fianna Fáil 1923 1961 38y 2m Long-serving cabinet minister
Liam Cosgrave Fine Gael 1943 1981 38y Taoiseach from 1973 until 1977
Dan Spring Labour Party/ National Labour Party 1943 1981 38y member of the breakaway National Labour Party 1944-50
Michael Kennedy Fianna Fáil June 1927 1965 37y 10m
Bob Briscoe Fianna Fáil September 1927 1965 37y 7m
James Dillon Centre Party/ Fine Gael 1932 1969 37y 4m Leader of Fine Gael from 1959 until 1965
Ben Briscoe Fianna Fáil 1965 2002 37y 1m
David Andrews Fianna Fáil 1965 2002 37y 1m
Bobby Molloy Fianna Fáil/ Progressive Democrats 1965 2002 37y 1m Joined Progressive Democrats in 1986; previously Fianna Fáil
Brendan Corish Labour Party Wexford by-election, December 4, 1945 February 1982 36y 2m Tánaiste from 1973 until 1977
Dan Breen Anti-Treaty Sinn Féin/ Fianna Fáil 1923 1965 35y 11m Did not serve between the general elections of June 1927 and 1932
Paddy Harte Fine Gael 1961 1997 35y 8m Father of the Dáil
Charles Haughey Fianna Fáil 1957 1992 35y 8m Taoiseach on three occasions
Seán Treacy Labour Party/ Independent 1961 1997 35y 8m Ceann Comhairle from 1987 until 1997
Vivion de Valera Fianna Fáil Dublin North-West by-election December 4, 1945 1981 35y 7m Son of Éamon de Valera
John A. Costello Fine Gael 1933 1969 35y 7m Did not serve between the general elections of 1943 and 1944. Taoiseach on two occasions
John Bruton Fine Gael 1969 Resignation on October 31, 2004 35y 4m Taoiseach from 1994 until 1997. Resigned to become European Union Ambassador to the United States
Erskine H. Childers Fianna Fáil 1938 elected President in 1973 35y Former Tánaiste and President of Ireland
Frank Fahy Sinn Féin/ Fianna Fáil 1918 election to the First Dáil Death on July 14, 1953 34y 10m Former Ceann Comhairle
Micheál Ó Móráin Fianna Fáil 1938 1973 34y 8m Cabinet minister on several occasions
Maurice E. Dockrell Fine Gael 1943 1977 34y 1m
Desmond O'Malley Fianna Fáil/ Progressive Democrats Limerick East by-election May 22, 1968 2002 34y Founder of the Progressive Democrats
Daniel Morrissey Cumann na nGaedhael/ Fine Gael 1923 1957 33y 7m Cabinet minister on one occasion
Jack Lynch Fianna Fáil 1948 1981 33y 4m Taoiseach on two occasions
Gerald Bartley Fianna Fáil 1932 1965 33y 2m Former cabinet minister
Seán Mac Eoin Cumann na nGaedhael/ Fine Gael 1932 1965 33y 2m Cabinet minister on a number of occasions

[edit] All time shortest-serving TDs

Name Party Took seat Vacated seat Yrs/Mnths Notes
Kieran Doherty Independent (Anti-H-Block) 1981 Death on August 2, 1981 2m Died after 73 days on hunger strike
Patrick Gaffney Farmers' Party 1922 Resigned September 1922 3m Resigned after refusing to take the Oath of Allegiance[2]
Carrie Acheson Fianna Fáil 1981 Lost seat in February 1982 9m
Seán Dublin Bay Loftus Independent (Environmentalist) 1981 Lost seat in February 1982 9m
Patrick Agnew Independent (Anti-H-Block) 1981 Lost seat in February 1982 9m
Gerry Brady Fianna Fáil February 1982 Lost seat in November 1982 10m

[edit] Longest-serving current TDs

As of 6 January 2008:

Name Party Took seat Yrs/Mnths Notes
Enda Kenny Fine Gael 1975 32y 2m Current Leader of the Opposition. Current "Father of the Dáil"
Bertie Ahern Fianna Fáil 1977 30y 7m Former Taoiseach
Rory O'Hanlon Fianna Fáil 1977 30y 7m Former Ceann Comhairle
Michael Woods Fianna Fáil 1977 30y 7m
Jim O'Keeffe Fine Gael 1977 30y 7m
Ruairi Quinn Labour Party 1977 30y 0m Did not hold seat between the general elections of 1981 and February 1982
Mary Harney Fianna Fáil/ PD 1981 26y 7m Former Tánaiste and longest ever serving female TD
Bernard Allen Fine Gael 1981 26y 7m
Séamus Brennan Fianna Fáil 1981 26y 7m
Paul Connaughton Fine Gael 1981 26y 7m
Michael Noonan Fine Gael 1981 26y 7m
Michael Ahern Fianna Fáil February 1982 25y 11m
Richard Bruton Fine Gael February 1982 25y 11m
Tony Gregory Independent February 1982 25y 11m
Dinny McGinley Fine Gael February 1982 25y 11m
Willie O'Dea Fianna Fáil February 1982 25y 11m
Bernard Durkan Fine Gael 1981 25y 9m Did not hold seat between the general elections of Feb 1982 and Nov 1982

[edit] References

  1. ^ Members of Dáil Éireann 1919 - 2003 (Chronological Listing). Government of Ireland (2003). Retrieved on 2007-06-20.
  2. ^ Laffan, Michael (1999). The Resurrection of Ireland: The Sinn Féin Party, 1916-1923. Cambridge University Press, p.391. ISBN 0521650739. 

[edit] See also