1965 Irish general election
{{Short description|Election to the 18th Dáil}}
{{Use Hiberno-English|date=July 2021}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2016}}
{{Infobox election
| election_name = 1965 Irish general election
| country = Ireland
| type = parliamentary
| ongoing = no
| previous_election = 1961 Irish general election
| previous_year = 1961
| previous_mps = 17th Dáil
| next_election = 1969 Irish general election
| next_year = 1969
| seats_for_election = 144 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 Act 1963.{{cite Irish legislation|year=1963|number=19|name=Electoral Act 1963|date=12 July 1963|section=14|stitle=Re-election of outgoing Ceann Comhairle}}{{cite web |title=18th Dáil 1965: Clare |url=https://electionsireland.org/result.cfm?election=1965&cons=42 |website=ElectionsIreland.org |access-date=14 July 2022}}}}
| majority_seats = 73
| election_date = 7 April 1965
| elected_mps = 18th Dáil
| turnout = 75.1% {{increase}} 4.5 pp
|
|image1 = {{CSS image crop|Image =Seán_Lemass,_1966.jpg|bSize = 120|cWidth = 120|cHeight = 160|oTop = 0|oLeft = 0}}
| leader1 = Seán Lemass
| leader_since1 = 22 June 1959
| party1 = Fianna Fáil
| leaders_seat1 = Dublin South-Central
| last_election1 = 70 seats, 43.8%
| seats_before1 = 71
| seats1 = 72
| seat_change1 = {{increase}}2
| popular_vote1 = 597,414
| percentage1 = 47.7%
| swing1 = {{increase}}3.9 pp
| image2 = {{CSS image crop|Image =James Dillon circa 1930s.jpg|bSize = 120|cWidth = 120|cHeight = 160|oTop = 0|oLeft = 0}}
| leader2 = James Dillon
| leader_since2 = 21 March 1959
| party2 = Fine Gael
| leaders_seat2 = Monaghan
| last_election2 = 47 seats, 32.0%
| seats_before2 = 48
| seats2 = 47
| seat_change2 = {{steady}}0
| popular_vote2 = 427,081
| percentage2 = 34.1%
| swing2 = {{increase}}2.1 pp
| image4 = {{CSS image crop|Image =Brendan Corish 1949.png|bSize = 120|cWidth = 120|cHeight = 160|oTop = 0|oLeft = 0}}
| leader4 = Brendan Corish
| leader_since4 = 2 March 1960
| party4 = Labour Party (Ireland)
| leaders_seat4 = Wexford
| last_election4 = 16 seats, 11.6%
| seats_before4 = 18
| seats4 = 22
| seat_change4 = {{increase}}6
| popular_vote4 = 192,740
| percentage4 = 15.4%
| swing4 = {{increase}}3.7 pp
| image5 = {{CSS image crop|Image =Seán MacBride circa 1947.jpg|bSize = 125|cWidth = 120|cHeight = 160|oTop = 0|oLeft = 5}}
| leader5 = Seán MacBride
| leader_since5 = 21 January 1946
| party5 = Clann na Poblachta
| leaders_seat5 = N/A
| last_election5 = 1 seat, 1.1%
| seats_before5 = 1
| seats5 = 1
| seat_change5 = {{steady}}0
| popular_vote5 = 9,427
| percentage5 = 0.8%
| swing5 = {{decrease}}0.3 pp
| map_image = Irish_general_election_1965.png
| map_size = 300px
| map_caption = Percentage of seats gained by each of the three major parties, and number of seats gained by smaller parties and independents.
| title = Taoiseach
| posttitle = Taoiseach after election
| before_election = Seán Lemass
| before_party = Fianna Fáil
| after_election = Seán Lemass
| after_party = Fianna Fáil
}}
The 1965 Irish general election to the 18th Dáil was held on Wednesday, 7 April, following the dissolution of the 17th Dáil on 18 March by President Éamon de Valera on the request of Taoiseach Seán Lemass. The general election took place in 38 Dáil constituencies throughout Ireland for 144 seats in Dáil Éireann, the house of representatives of the Oireachtas. The governing Fianna Fáil saw a slight increase, though did not obtain a majority.
The 18th Dáil met at Leinster House on 21 April to nominate the Taoiseach for appointment by the president and to approve the appointment of a new government of Ireland. Lemass was re-appointed Taoiseach, forming the 11th government of Ireland, a single-party minority Fianna Fáil government.
Campaign
The general election of 1965 followed the failure of the governing Fianna Fáil to gain a seat in a by-election on 10 March 1965. The success of Eileen Desmond of the Labour Party in Cork Mid in holding a seat previously held by her husband Dan Desmond, led to an unacceptable mathematical situation with regard to the government's majority. On 18 March, the Taoiseach, Seán Lemass dissolved the Dáil and the campaign began in earnest.
Fianna Fáil ran its campaign on its record in government. Over the last number of years, the economy had seen a huge improvement and the party played up on its record in government. The party also played up heavily on the personality of the party leader with the slogan "Let Lemass Lead On". Fine Gael put forward a comprehensive manifesto, which included the establishment of a government department concerned with economic planning. However, the older, conservative members of the party did not warm to the new turn the party was taking.
Television and radio
This was the first Irish general election to be covered on television by state broadcaster RTÉ, which had formed on 31 December 1961. Election Newsroom was broadcast live on Telefís Éireann from their Donnybrook studios in Dublin, presented by John O'Donoghue with analysis provided by John Healy (The Irish Times), John O'Sullivan (The Cork Examiner), Garret FitzGerald and Professor Basil Chubb. Cameras were present in four count centres: Bolton Street (Dublin), Wexford, Cork and Monaghan. The GPO provided direct links as results were announced. Raidió Éireann provided special coverage from 3 pm on the day of the count due to the coverage on Telefís Éireann. It was a new approach to election coverage on the state's radio service, which began broadcasting in 1926.{{cite web|url=http://www.rte.ie/laweb/ll/ll_t08b.html|title=RTÉ COVERAGE OF GENERAL ELECTIONS – 1965 GENERAL ELECTION|publisher=RTÉ Libraries and Archives|access-date=20 September 2011|archive-date=4 September 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110904044951/http://www.rte.ie/laweb/ll/ll_t08b.html|url-status=live}}
Result
{{Irish general election header
|elec_no = 18th
|elec_date = 7 April
|elec_year = 1965
|note ={{cite web |title=Election results and transfer of votes in general election (April, 1965) for eighteenth Dáil and bye-elections to seventeenth Dáil (1961–1965) |url=https://opac.oireachtas.ie/Data/Library3/Official%20Publications/pdf/18thDail_April1965_ByeElections17th_1961_1965.pdf |website=Houses of the Oireachtas |publisher=Dublin Stationery Office |access-date=17 July 2022 |date=March 1966}}{{cite web|url=http://electionsireland.org/results/general/18dail.cfm|title=18th Dáil 1965 General Election|work=ElectionsIreland.org|access-date=31 May 2009|archive-date=30 November 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101130164041/http://electionsireland.org/results/general/18dail.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=31 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 1965.svg
}}
{{Irish general election party
|party = Fianna Fáil
|leader = Seán Lemass
|seats = 72
|seats_chg = +2
|seats_% = 50.0
|fpv = 597,414
|fpv_% = 47.7
|fpv_chg = +3.9
}}
{{Irish general election party
|party = Fine Gael
|leader = James Dillon
|seats = 47
|seats_chg = 0
|seats_% = 32.6
|fpv = 427,081
|fpv_% = 34.1
|fpv_chg = +2.1
}}
{{Irish general election party
|party = Labour Party (Ireland)
|leader = Brendan Corish
|seats = 22{{efn|name=CC}}
|seats_chg = +6
|seats_% = 15.3
|fpv = 192,740
|fpv_% = 15.4
|fpv_chg = +3.8
}}
{{Irish general election party
|party = Clann na Poblachta
|leader = Seán MacBride{{efn|After the election, while Seán MacBride was leader of Clann na Poblachta, John Tully became leader and the sole member of the parliamentary party.}}
|seats = 1
|seats_chg = 0
|seats_% = 0.7
|fpv = 9,427
|fpv_% = 0.8
|fpv_chg = –0.3
}}
{{Irish general election party
|party = Irish Workers' Party
|leader = Michael O'Riordan
|seats = 0
|seats_chg = 0
|seats_% = 0
|fpv = 183
|fpv_% = 0.0
|fpv_chg = 0
}}
{{Irish general election party
|party = Independent politician (Ireland)
|leader = N/A
|seats = 2
|seats_chg = –4
|seats_% = 1.4
|fpv = 26,277
|fpv_% = 2.1
|fpv_chg = –3.5
}}
{{Irish general election spoilt
|votes = 11,544
}}
{{Irish general election total
|seats = 144
|seats_chg = 0
|fpv = 1,264,666
}}
{{Irish general election electorate
|electorate = 1,683,019
|turnout = 75.1%
}}
|}
=Voting summary=
{{bar box
|title=First preference vote
|titlebar=#ddd
|width=600px
|barwidth=350px
|bars=
{{bar percent|Fianna Fáil|{{party color|Fianna Fáil}}|47.67}}
{{bar percent|Fine Gael|{{party color|Fine Gael}}|34.08}}
{{bar percent|Labour|{{party color|Labour Party (Ireland)}}|15.38}}
{{bar percent border|Clann na Poblachta|{{party color|Clann na Poblachta}}|border=darkgray|0.75}}
{{bar percent|Irish Workers' Party|{{party color|Irish Workers' Party}}|0.01}}
{{bar percent|Independent|{{party color|Independent politician (Ireland)}}|2.10}}
}}
=Seats summary=
{{bar box
|title=Dáil seats
|titlebar=#ddd
|width=600px
|barwidth=350px
|bars=
{{bar percent|Fianna Fáil|{{party color|Fianna Fáil}}|50.00}}
{{bar percent|Fine Gael|{{party color|Fine Gael}}|32.64}}
{{bar percent|Labour|{{party color|Labour Party (Ireland)}}|15.28}}
{{bar percent border|Clann na Poblachta|{{party color|Clann na Poblachta}}|border=darkgray|0.69}}
{{bar percent|Independent|{{party color|Independent politician (Ireland)}}|1.39}}
}}
Government formation and aftermath
Fianna Fáil formed the 11th Government of Ireland, a single-party government led by Seán Lemass as Taoiseach. Lemass had been in office since 1959.
James Dillon resigned as leader of Fine Gael immediately after the result was announced.
In November 1966, Lemass resigned as Fianna Fáil leader and Taoiseach, and was succeeded in both positions by Jack Lynch, who formed the 12th Government of Ireland.
Changes in membership
=First time TDs=
=Re-elected TDs=
=Outgoing TDs=
=Defeated TDs=
Seanad election
The Dáil election was followed by an election to the 11th Seanad.
Notes
{{notelist}}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Irish elections}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Irish General Election, 1965}}
Category:1965 elections in Europe