1937 Irish general election

{{Short description|Election to the 9th Dáil}}

{{Use Hiberno-English|date=July 2021}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2016}}

{{Infobox election

| election_name = 1937 Irish general election

| country = Ireland

| type = parliamentary

| ongoing = no

| previous_election = 1933 Irish general election

| previous_year = 1933

| election_date = 1 July 1937

| next_election = 1938 Irish general election

| next_year = 1938

| seats_for_election = 138 seats in Dáil Éireann{{efn|name=CC|Including Frank Fahy, returned automatically for Galway East as outgoing Ceann Comhairle, under Art. 21 of the Constitution, as amended by the Constitution (Amendment No. 2) Act 1927, and s. 2 of the Electoral (Amendment) Act 1927, adapted under the constituency revision.{{cite Irish legislation|year=1927|number=6|name=Constitution (Amendment No. 2) Act 1927|date=19 March 1927|section=1|stitle=Re-election at general election of outgoing Chairman of Dáil Eireann}}{{cite Irish legislation|year=1927|number=21|name=Electoral (Amendment) Act 1927|date=22 May 1927|section=2|stitle=Re-election of outgoing Ceann Comhairle}}{{cite Irish legislation|year=1935|number=5|name=Electoral (Revision of Constituencies) Act 1935|date=27 February 1935|section=4|stitle=Constituency of the Ceann Comhairle}}{{cite web |title=9th Dáil 1937: Galway East |url=https://electionsireland.org/result.cfm?election=1937&cons=122 |website=ElectionsIreland.org |access-date=3 July 2022}}}}

| majority_seats = 70

| turnout = 76.2% {{decrease}} 5.1 pp

| previous_mps = 8th Dáil

| elected_mps = 9th Dáil

| image1 = {{CSS image crop|Image =De Valera, 1939 (cropped).jpg|bSize = 120|cWidth = 120|cHeight = 160|oTop = 0|oLeft = 0}}

| leader1 = Éamon de Valera

| party1 = Fianna Fáil

| leader_since1 = 26 March 1926

| leaders_seat1 = Clare

| last_election1 = 77 seats, 49.7%

| seats1 = 69

| seat_change1 = {{decrease}}8

| popular_vote1 = 599,040

| percentage1 = 45.2%

| swing1 = {{decrease}}4.5 pp

| image2 = {{CSS image crop|Image =W. T. Cosgrave, circa 1930 (cropped).jpg|bSize = 120|cWidth = 120|cHeight = 160|oTop = 0|oLeft = 0}}

| leader2 = W. T. Cosgrave

| leader_since2 = September 1934

| party2 = Fine Gael

| leaders_seat2 = Cork Borough

| last_election2 = 59 seats, 39.6%{{efn|name=finegael|The total number of Fine Gael TDs is compared to the combined total won by Cumann na nGaedheal and the National Centre Party at the previous general election.}}

| seats2 = 48{{efn|name=finegael}}

| seat_change2 = {{decrease}}11

| popular_vote2 = 461,171

| percentage2 = 34.8%

| swing2 = {{decrease}}4.8 pp

| image3 = {{CSS image crop|Image =William Norton circa 1927 to 1932.png|bSize = 120|cWidth = 120|cHeight = 160|oTop = 0|oLeft = 0}}

| leader3 = William Norton

| leader_since3 = 19 July 1932

| party3 = Labour Party (Ireland)

| leaders_seat3 = Carlow–Kildare

| last_election3 = 8 seats, 5.7%

| seats3 = 13

| seat_change3 = {{increase}}5

| popular_vote3 = 135,758

| percentage3 = 10.3%

| swing3 = {{increase}}4.6 pp

| map_image = {{Switcher

| 400px

| Election results and first-preference votes in each constituency

| 400px

| Number of seats gained by each party in each constituency}}

| title = President of the Executive Council

| before_election = Éamon de Valera

| before_party = Fianna Fáil

| posttitle = President of the Executive Council after election

| after_election = Éamon de Valera

| after_party = Fianna Fáil

}}

The 1937 Irish general election to the 9th Dáil was held on Thursday, 1 July, following the dissolution of the 8th Dáil on 14 June by Ceann Comhairle Frank Fahy on the direction of the Executive Council. The general election took place in 34 parliamentary constituencies throughout the Irish Free State for 138 seats in Dáil Éireann. The number of seats in the Dáil was reduced by 15, from 153 to 138 seats, under the Electoral (Revision of Constituencies) Act 1935.

A plebiscite on whether to approve the new Constitution of Ireland was held on the same day. It was approved with the support of 56.5% of voters and would come into operation on 29 December 1937.

The 9th Dáil met at Leinster House on 21 July 1937 to elect the President of the Executive Council and approve the appointment of the Executive Council of the Irish Free State. Outgoing president Éamon de Valera was re-elected leading a single-party Fianna Fáil government.