1957 Irish general election
{{Short description|Election to the 16th Dáil}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2022}}
{{Use Hiberno-English|date=April 2013}}
{{Infobox election
| election_name = 1957 Irish general election
| country = Ireland
| type = parliamentary
| ongoing = no
| previous_election = 1954 Irish general election
| previous_year = 1954
| election_date = 5 March 1957
| next_election = 1961 Irish general election
| next_year = 1961
| seats_for_election = 147 seats in Dáil Éireann{{efn|name=CC|Including Patrick Hogan (Lab), returned automatically for Clare as outgoing Ceann Comhairle, under Art. 16.6 of the Constitution and the Electoral (Chairman of Dáil Éireann) Act 1937.{{cite Irish legislation|year=1937|number=25|name=Electoral (Chairman of Dail Eireann) Act 1937|date=1 November 1937|section=3|stitle=Re-election of outgoing Ceann Comhairle}}{{cite web |title=16th Dáil 1957: Clare |url=https://electionsireland.org/result.cfm?election=1957&cons=42 |website=ElectionsIreland.org |access-date=14 July 2022}}}}
| majority_seats = 74
| turnout = 71.3% {{decrease}}5.2 pp
| previous_mps = 15th Dáil
| elected_mps = 16th Dáil
| image1 = {{CSS image crop|Image =Éamon de Valera, President of Ireland, in 1960s (43915959314).jpg|bSize = 130|cWidth = 120|cHeight = 160|oTop = 0|oLeft = 0}}
| leader1 = Éamon de Valera
| leader_since1 = 26 March 1926
| party1 = Fianna Fáil
| leaders_seat1 = Clare
| last_election1 = 65 seats, 43.4%
| seats1 = 78
| seat_change1 = {{increase}}13
| popular_vote1 = 592,994
| percentage1 = 48.3%
| swing1 = {{increase}}4.9 pp
| image2 = {{CSS image crop|Image =Gen. Richard Mulcahy cropped.jpg|bSize = 120|cWidth = 120|cHeight = 160|oTop = 0|oLeft = 0}}
| leader2 = Richard Mulcahy
| leader_since2 = 1944
| party2 = Fine Gael
| leaders_seat2 = Tipperary South
| last_election2 = 50 seats, 32.0%
| seats2 = 40
| seat_change2 = {{decrease}}10
| popular_vote2 = 326,699
| percentage2 = 26.6%
| swing2 = {{decrease}}5.4 pp
| image3 = {{CSS image crop|Image =William Norton, circa 1945 (cropped).png|bSize = 120|cWidth = 120|cHeight = 160|oTop = 0|oLeft = 0}}
| leader3 = William Norton
| leader_since3 = 1932
| party3 = Labour Party (Ireland)
| leaders_seat3 = Kildare
| last_election3 = 19 seats, 12.1%
| seats3 = 12
| seat_change3 = {{decrease}}7
| popular_vote3 = 111,747
| percentage3 = 9.1%
| swing3 = {{decrease}}3.0 pp
| image4 =
| leader4 = Paddy McLogan
| leader_since4 = 1950
| party4 = Sinn Féin
| leaders_seat4 = N/A
| last_election4 = Did not contest
| seats4 = 4
| seat_change4 = {{increase}}4
| popular_vote4 = 65,640
| percentage4 = 5.4%
| swing4 = {{increase}}5.4 pp
| image5 = {{CSS image crop|Image =Joseph Blowick, 1950 (cropped).jpg|bSize = 120|cWidth = 120|cHeight = 160|oTop = 0|oLeft = 0}}
| leader5 = Joseph Blowick
| leader_since5 = 1944
| party5 = Clann na Talmhan
| leaders_seat5 = Mayo South
| last_election5 = 5 seats, 3.8%
| seats5 = 3
| seat_change5 = {{decrease}}2
| popular_vote5 = 28,905
| percentage5 = 2.4%
| swing5 = {{decrease}}1.4 pp
| image6 = {{CSS image crop|Image =Seán MacBride circa 1947.jpg|bSize = 130|cWidth = 120|cHeight = 160|oTop = 0|oLeft = 10}}
| leader6 = Seán MacBride
| leader_since6 = 1946
| party6 = Clann na Poblachta
| leaders_seat6 = {{nowrap|Dublin South-West}}
(defeated)
| last_election6 = 3 seats, 3.1%
| seats6 = 1
| seat_change6 = {{decrease}}2
| popular_vote6 = 20,632
| percentage6 = 1.7%
| swing6 = {{decrease}}1.4 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 = Taoiseach
| before_election = John A. Costello
| before_party = Fine Gael
| posttitle = Taoiseach after election
| after_election = Éamon de Valera
| after_party = Fianna Fáil
}}
The 1957 Irish general election to the 16th Dáil was held on Tuesday, 5 March, following a dissolution of the 15th Dáil on 12 February by President Seán T. O'Kelly on the request of Taoiseach John A. Costello on 4 February. It was the longest election campaign in the history of the state, spanning 30 days. The general election took place in 40 Dáil constituencies throughout Ireland for 147 seats in Dáil Éireann, the house of representatives of the Oireachtas.
The 16th Dáil met at Leinster House on 20 March to nominate the Taoiseach for appointment by the president and to approve the appointment of a new government of Ireland. Costello lost office, and Éamon de Valera was appointed Taoiseach, forming the 8th government of Ireland, a single-party majority Fianna Fáil government.
Campaign
The 1957 general election was precipitated by the crisis in the trade balance and the government's reaction to it. As a result of this crisis, Fianna Fáil tabled a motion of no confidence in the inter-party government of Fine Gael, Labour and Clann na Talmhan. The Dáil had been scheduled to resume on 13 February. Rather than face defeat in the vote, on 4 February the Taoiseach John A. Costello, sought a dissolution of the Dáil for 12 February.{{cite news |title=Dail will be dissolved next Tuesday |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/archive/1957/0205/Pg001.html#Ar00101 |access-date=19 December 2022 |newspaper=The Irish Times |date=5 February 1957 |page=1 |url-access=subscription}} The campaign was fought largely over economic issues and the situation in Northern Ireland. In the North, the IRA had launched Operation Harvest which drew much popular support in the south. Sinn Féin had been re-built and re-organized as a party by Paddy McLogan and was fielding abstentionist candidates.
Fianna Fáil had produced a major policy document in January, criticising many of its own policies in regard to the economy. While they did not know an election was imminent this became the backbone of their manifesto. The importance of free trade was played up by Fianna Fáil in a clear rejection of the protectionist policies they had advocated in the past. The architect of many of these new policies was the spokesperson for Industry and Commerce and the heir-apparent of the party, Seán Lemass. At 75 years of age Éamon de Valera was fighting his last general election as leader of the party. In spite of his age, he carried out a vigorous campaign, often being accompanied by brass bands and torch-lit processions. The Fianna Fáil message was simple: coalition governments were unstable.
The other parties, most of them having enjoyed a stint in government over the previous three years, fought the election on their record in office, Fine Gael in particular. Clann na Talmhan failed to broaden their appeal and remained the voice of the farmers. Clann na Poblachta under Seán MacBride had agreed not to stand in constituencies where Sinn Féin were fielding candidates and lost two of its three seats. Sinn Féin, fighting one of its first post-war elections on an abstentionist ticket won 4 seats.
Result
{{Irish general election header
|elec_no = 16th
|elec_date = 5 March
|elec_year = 1957
|note = {{cite web |title=Election results and transfer of votes in general election (March, 1957) for sixteenth Dáil and bye-elections to fifteenth Dáil (1954–1957) |url=https://opac.oireachtas.ie/Data/Library3/Official%20Publications/pdf/16thDail_March1957_ByeElections15thDail_1954_1957.pdf |website=Houses of the Oireachtas |publisher=Dublin Stationery Office |access-date=14 July 2022 |date=December 1957}}{{cite web|url=http://electionsireland.org/results/general/16dail.cfm|title=16th Dáil 1957 General Election|work=ElectionsIreland.org|access-date=27 May 2009|archive-date=24 November 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071124043639/http://www.electionsireland.org/results/general/16dail.cfm|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=http://www.ark.ac.uk/elections/gdala.htm|title=Dáil elections since 1918|work=ARK Northern Ireland|access-date=27 May 2009|archive-date=27 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201127122828/https://www.ark.ac.uk/elections/gdala.htm|url-status=live}}{{cite book|author-link1=Dieter Nohlen|first1=Dieter|last1=Nohlen|first2=Philip|last2=Stöver|date=2010 |title=Elections in Europe: A data handbook|pages=1009–1017|publisher=Nomos |isbn=978-3-8329-5609-7}}
|image = File:Irish general election 1957.svg
}}
{{Irish general election party
|party = Fianna Fáil
|leader = Éamon de Valera
|seats = 78
|seats_chg = +13
|seats_% = 53.1
|fpv = 592,994
|fpv_% = 48.3
|fpv_chg = +4.9
}}
{{Irish general election party
|party = Fine Gael
|leader = Richard Mulcahy
|seats = 40
|seats_chg = –10
|seats_% = 27.2
|fpv = 326,699
|fpv_% = 26.6
|fpv_chg = –5.4
}}
{{Irish general election party
|party = Labour Party (Ireland)
|leader = William Norton
|seats = 12{{efn|name=CC}}
|seats_chg = –7
|seats_% = 8.2
|fpv = 111,747
|fpv_% = 9.1
|fpv_chg = –3.0
}}
{{Irish general election party
|party = Sinn Féin
|leader = Paddy McLogan
|seats = 4
|seats_chg = +4
|seats_% = 2.7
|fpv = 65,640
|fpv_% = 5.3
|fpv_chg = +5.2
}}
{{Irish general election party
|party = Clann na Talmhan
|leader = Joseph Blowick
|seats = 3
|seats_chg = –2
|seats_% = 2.0
|fpv = 28,905
|fpv_% = 2.4
|fpv_chg = –1.4
}}
{{Irish general election party
|party = Clann na Poblachta
|leader = Seán MacBride{{efn|After the election, while Seán MacBride remained leader of Clann na Poblachta, John Tully was the sole member of the parliamentary party.}}
|seats = 1
|seats_chg = –2
|seats_% = 0.7
|fpv = 20,632
|fpv_% = 1.7
|fpv_chg = –1.4
}}
{{Irish general election party no link
|party = Irish Housewives' Association
|leader =
|seats = 0
|seats_chg = New
|seats_% = 0
|fpv = 4,797
|fpv_% = 0.4
|fpv_chg = –
}}
{{Irish general election party no link
|party = Ratepayers' Association
|leader =
|seats = 0
|seats_chg = New
|seats_% = 0
|fpv = 3,113
|fpv_% = 0.3
|fpv_chg = –
}}
{{Irish general election party
|party = Independent politician (Ireland)
|leader = N/A
|seats = 9
|seats_chg = +4
|seats_% = 6.1
|fpv = 72,492
|fpv_% = 5.9
|fpv_chg = +0.6
}}
{{Irish general election spoilt
|votes = 11,540
}}
{{Irish general election total
|seats = 147
|seats_chg = 0
|fpv = 1,238,559
}}
{{Irish general election electorate
|electorate = 1,738,278
|turnout = 71.3
}}
|}
=Voting summary=
{{bar box
|title=First preference vote
|titlebar=#ddd
|width=600px
|barwidth=350px
|bars=
{{bar percent|Fianna Fáil|{{party color|Fianna Fáil}}|48.34}}
{{bar percent|Fine Gael|{{party color|Fine Gael}}|26.63}}
{{bar percent|Labour|{{party color|Labour Party (Ireland)}}|9.11}}
{{bar percent|Sinn Féin|{{party color|Sinn Féin}}|5.35}}
{{bar percent|Clann na Talmhan|{{party color|Clann na Talmhan}}|2.36}}
{{bar percent border|Clann na Poblachta|{{party color|Clann na Poblachta}}|border=darkgray|1.68}}
{{bar percent|Others|#777777|0.64}}
{{bar percent|Independent|{{party color|Independent politician (Ireland)}}|5.91}}
}}
=Seats summary=
{{bar box
|title=Dáil seats
|titlebar=#ddd
|width=600px
|barwidth=350px
|bars=
{{bar percent|Fianna Fáil|{{party color|Fianna Fáil}}|53.06}}
{{bar percent|Fine Gael|{{party color|Fine Gael}}|27.21}}
{{bar percent|Labour|{{party color|Labour Party (Ireland)}}|8.16}}
{{bar percent|Sinn Féin|{{party color|Sinn Féin}}|2.72}}
{{bar percent|Clann na Talmhan|{{party color|Clann na Talmhan}}|2.04}}
{{bar percent border|Clann na Poblachta|{{party color|Clann na Poblachta}}|border=darkgray|0.68}}
{{bar percent|Independent|{{party color|Independent politician (Ireland)}}|6.12}}
}}
Government formation
A Fianna Fáil majority government was formed. Éamon de Valera became Taoiseach for the last time.
Change in membership
=First time TDs=
- Kevin Boland (Appointed Minister for Defence on his first day in the Dáil)
- Lionel Booth
- Seán Browne
- Batt Donegan
- Paddy Clohessy
- Patrick Dooley
- Pádraig Faulkner
- Jim Gibbons
- Charles Haughey
- Gus Healy
- Brigid Hogan
- John Joe McGirl
- Jack Murphy
- Ruairí Ó Brádaigh
- Eighneachán Ó hAnnluain
- James O'Toole
- John Joe Rice
- Patrick Tierney
=Re-elected TDs=
=Retiring TDs=
=Outgoing TDs=
Seanad election
The Dáil election was followed by an election to the 9th Seanad.
Notes
{{notelist}}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Irish elections}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Irish General Election, 1957}}