Irish constitutional referendum, 1937
Plebiscite on the Constitution of Ireland | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Do you approve of the Draft Constitution which is the subject of this plebiscite? | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Constituency results from the referendum |
The Constitution of Ireland plebiscite, also known as the Plebiscite on the Draft Constitution,[1] was a plebiscite held in the Irish Free State to approve the adoption of a new constitution for the country.[2] The vote was held on 1 July 1937, the same day as the 1937 general election. It was passed by a plurality, with 56% of voters in favour, comprising 38.6% of the whole electorate. As a result, the current Constitution of Ireland came into effect on 29 December 1937, ending the Irish Free State.[3] It was the first and only plebiscite to take place in the Irish Free State.[4] Moreover, it was the only plebiscite that has ever been held in the country although there have been many referendums since then.
Background
The desire to replace the Constitution of the Irish Free State was motivated largely by the association of the existing constitution with the Anglo-Irish Treaty, and a belief that it had been imposed upon Ireland by the government of the United Kingdom. The main opponents of the Treaty had been elected to power as Fianna Fáil under Éamon de Valera in 1932, and a commitment was made to replace the constitution of the Free State.[5] So closely tied to the policies of Fianna Fáil was the proposed new constitution that the 1937 referendum has been described as a vote of confidence in the republican government.[6] After a new constitution was drafted by John Hearne, supervised by de Valera, the draft was accepted by the Oireachtas. The Oireachtas subsequently passed the Plebiscite (Draft Constitution) Act 1937, which allowed for a plebiscite to be held so that the people of Ireland could either accept or reject the new constitution.[7]
Supporters of replacing the Irish Free State Constitution were largely sympathetic to the Fianna Fáil party, or republicans who believed in removing the remaining constitutional and legal links to the British state. Opponents of the new constitution included a coalition of supporters of Fine Gael and the Labour Party,[8] and unionists who were concerned about permanently losing the last vestiges of Britain's influence on the institutions of Irish government. The National University Women Graduates' Association opposed the new constitution on the basis that it could undermine women's rights and privacy in the home.[9]
The vote
Voting took place on 1 July 1937, on the same day as the 1937 Irish general election.[10] Voter turnout was 75.84%
The question put to the electorate was, "Do you approve of the Draft Constitution which is the subject of this plebiscite?".
Result
The result of the plebiscite was a clear vote in support of the adoption of the new constitution.[11] Over 56% of voters were in favour. With the turnout, this did not represent a majority of the electorate, but a clear enough plurality for the draft constitution to be deemed to have been approved by the people.[12] The number of invalid or blank votes was high, at almost 10% of the total votes cast.
The 'yes' vote won a majority in all but five constituencies, representing a solid level of support across Ireland. Geographically, the 'no' vote was strongest in the east coast constituencies of Dublin County, Wicklow, and in Cork West. The draft constitution had least support in Dublin Townships, and gained most support in Galway West, where three quarters of voters backed the proposal.[13] The plebiscite vote was heavily influenced by party political loyalties.[14] Fianna Fáil voters overwhelmingly voted 'yes', while Fine Gael voters and Protestants largely voted 'no'. The bulk of Labour voters supported the new constitution, despite the opposition of the party leadership.[15]
Constituency results
Constituency | Electorate | Votes | Turnout | Yes | No | Spoilt | Percent Yes |
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Cork City | 53,019 | 38,850 | 73.3 | 20,765 | 15,392 | 2,693 | 57.4 |
Dublin North–East | 50,323 | 36,579 | 72.7 | 18,651 | 16,496 | 1,432 | 53.1 |
Dublin North–West | 69,174 | 47,638 | 68.9 | 26,095 | 19,210 | 2,333 | 57.6 |
Dublin South | 82,659 | 57,560 | 69.6 | 32,669 | 21,504 | 3,387 | 60.3 |
Dublin Townships | 52,664 | 37,690 | 71.6 | 14,810 | 21,336 | 1,544 | 41 |
Athlone–Longford | 38,295 | 29,849 | 77.9 | 15,648 | 11,367 | 2,834 | 57.9 |
Carlow–Kildare | 48,536 | 36,793 | 75.8 | 18,745 | 14,407 | 3,641 | 56.5 |
Cavan | 47,008 | 37,824 | 80.5 | 17,412 | 16,508 | 3,904 | 51.3 |
Clare | 62,551 | 49,731 | 79.5 | 29,279 | 16,454 | 3,998 | 64 |
Cork North | 47,822 | 39,372 | 82.3 | 17,458 | 16,350 | 5,564 | 51.6 |
Cork South–East | 41,669 | 32,061 | 76.9 | 13,764 | 12,733 | 5,564 | 51.9 |
Cork West | 67,017 | 53,866 | 80.4 | 19,741 | 24,668 | 9,457 | 44.5 |
Donegal East | 48,975 | 36,908 | 75.4 | 18,680 | 13,041 | 5,187 | 58.9 |
Donegal West | 38,532 | 27,639 | 71.7 | 14,160 | 11,086 | 2,393 | 56.1 |
Dublin County | 83,457 | 58,855 | 70.5 | 26,901 | 28,840 | 3,114 | 48.3 |
Galway East | 49,476 | 34,642 | 70.0 | 21,273 | 10,049 | 3,320 | 67.9 |
Galway West | 42,796 | 26,141 | 61.1 | 17,836 | 6,234 | 2,071 | 74.1 |
Kerry North | 48,621 | 35,533 | 73.1 | 21,292 | 10,857 | 3,384 | 66.2 |
Kerry South | 35,390 | 26,325 | 74.4 | 13,658 | 9,573 | 3,094 | 58.8 |
Kilkenny | 40,900 | 33,589 | 82.1 | 16,926 | 13,746 | 2,917 | 55.2 |
Leitrim | 36,368 | 27,551 | 75.8 | 12,583 | 8,429 | 6,539 | 59.9 |
Leix–Offaly | 60,945 | 48,344 | 79.3 | 25,654 | 17,717 | 4,973 | 59.2 |
Limerick | 81,397 | 66,078 | 81.2 | 35,187 | 21,954 | 8,937 | 61.6 |
Louth | 38,570 | 30,311 | 78.6 | 16,326 | 11,688 | 2,297 | 58.3 |
Mayo North | 38,170 | 25,934 | 67.9 | 15,900 | 8,247 | 1,787 | 65.8 |
Mayo South | 59,999 | 42,205 | 70.3 | 22,225 | 15,734 | 4,246 | 58.6 |
Meath–Westmeath | 61,654 | 49,094 | 79.6 | 27,586 | 18,704 | 2,804 | 59.6 |
Monaghan | 36,469 | 31,511 | 86.4 | 16,189 | 12,107 | 3,215 | 57.2 |
Roscommon | 42,103 | 32,170 | 76.4 | 15,481 | 12,910 | 3,779 | 54.5 |
Sligo | 36,516 | 28,475 | 78.0 | 10,780 | 11,916 | 5,779 | 47.5 |
Tipperary | 82,727 | 67,656 | 81.8 | 34,776 | 28,041 | 4,839 | 55.4 |
Waterford | 51,596 | 41,192 | 79.8 | 22,118 | 16,578 | 2,496 | 57.2 |
Wexford | 61,486 | 48,366 | 78.7 | 23,129 | 20,391 | 4,846 | 53.1 |
Wicklow | 38,171 | 29,875 | 78.3 | 11,408 | 12,678 | 5,789 | 47.4 |
References
- ↑ Government of the Republic of Ireland publication (2013), Referendum Results, 1937 - 2013, p.16 http://www.environ.ie/en/LocalGovernment/Voting/Referenda/PublicationsDocuments/FileDownLoad,1894,en.pdf
- ↑ L. Prakke, C. A. J. M. Kortmann, Constitutional Law of 15 EU Member States, 'Ireland - The Constitution of 1937' (Kluwer, 1 Jan 2004), 427.
- ↑ "Constitution of Ireland Bunreacht Na hÉireann". The All-Party Oireachtas Committee on the Constitution. Archived from the original on 21 July 2011. Retrieved 24 August 2008.
- ↑ Richard Sinnott, Irish Voters Decide: Voting Behaviour in Elections and Referendums Since 1918 (Manchester University Press, 1995), 13.
- ↑ Jessie Blackbourn, Anti-Terrorism Law and Normalising Northern Ireland (Routledge, 7 Aug 2014), 16.
- ↑ Markku Suksi, Bringing in the People: A Comparison of Constitutional Forms and Practices of the Referendum (Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, 1993), 190.
- ↑ L. Prakke, C. A. J. M. Kortmann, Constitutional Law of 15 EU Member States, 'Ireland - The Constitution of 1937' (Kluwer, 1 Jan 2004), 427.
- ↑ Fine Gael, ‘Say No to the Constitution’ advertisement (1937)
- ↑ National University Women Graduates' Association, 'Vote Against the Constitution' advertisement (1937)
- ↑ Government of the Republic of Ireland publication (2013), Referendum Results, 1937 - 2013, p.16 http://www.environ.ie/en/LocalGovernment/Voting/Referenda/PublicationsDocuments/FileDownLoad,1894,en.pdf
- ↑ L. Prakke, C. A. J. M. Kortmann, Constitutional Law of 15 EU Member States, 'Ireland - The Constitution of 1937' (Kluwer, 1 Jan 2004), 427.
- ↑ Government of the Republic of Ireland publication (2013), Referendum Results, 1937 - 2013, p.17 http://www.environ.ie/en/LocalGovernment/Voting/Referenda/PublicationsDocuments/FileDownLoad,1894,en.pdf
- ↑ Government of the Republic of Ireland publication (2013), Referendum Results, 1937 - 2013, p.17 http://www.environ.ie/en/LocalGovernment/Voting/Referenda/PublicationsDocuments/FileDownLoad,1894,en.pdf
- ↑ Joseph Lee, Ireland, 1912-1985: Politics and Society (Cambridge University Press, 1989), 210.
- ↑ Michael Forde, David Leonard, Constitutional Law of Ireland (A&C Black, 30 Jun 2013), 11.
See also
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