Cathaoirleach

{{Short description|Presiding officer of the upper house of the legislature of Ireland}}

{{Infobox political post

|post = Cathaoirleach

|body =
Seanad Éireann

|insignia = Seanad Eireann logo.png

|insigniasize = 200px

|insigniacaption =

|nativename =

|image = Senator Mark Daly at First Sitting of the 27th Seanad Éireann - 12 February 2025 (cropped).jpg

|imagesize = 165px

|incumbent = Mark Daly

|incumbentsince = 12 February 2025

|department = Seanad Éireann

|style =

|status = Presiding officer

|member_of = {{ubl|Seanad Éireann|Committee of Parliamentary Privileges and Oversight|Council of State|Presidential Commission}}

|deputy = Leas-Chathaoirleach

|appointer = Elected by the members of Seanad Éireann

|termlength = No term limits

| constituting_instrument = [https://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/cons/en/html#part4. Article 15 – Constitution of Ireland]

|formation = 6 December 1922

|salary = €138,210 annually{{cite web|url=https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/members/salaries-and-allowances/salaries/|work=Houses of the Oireachtas|title=TDs and Senators salaries|date=5 March 2025|access-date=9 April 2025|url-status=live}}

|succession =

|inaugural = Lord Glenavy

|website = {{Official website|http://www.oireachtas.ie/parliament/tdssenators/officeholders/cathaoirleach/}}

}}

Cathaoirleach ({{IPAc-en|audio=ga-Cathaoirleach.ogg|k|ə|ˈ|h|ɪər|l|ə|x}};For the pronunciation in Irish, see [https://forvo.com/word/cathaoirleach/#ga here] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200727192853/https://forvo.com/word/cathaoirleach/#ga |date=27 July 2020 }}. Irish for chairperson; plural: {{lang|ga|Cathaoirligh}}) is the title of the chair (or presiding officer) of Seanad Éireann, the sixty-member upper house of the Oireachtas, the legislature of Ireland. The current Cathaoirleach is Fianna Fáil Senator Mark Daly, who has held the office since 12 February 2025.

Powers and functions

The Cathaoirleach is the sole judge of order, and has a range of powers and functions, namely:{{cite web|url=https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/members/office-holders/cathaoirleach/|publisher=Houses of the Oireachtas|title=Cathaoirleach|access-date=20 January 2019|archive-date=21 January 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190121064656/https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/members/office-holders/cathaoirleach/|url-status=live}}

Calls on members to speak and all speeches must be addressed to the Chair.
Puts such questions to the House as are required, supervises Divisions and declares the results.
Has authority to suppress disorder, to enforce prompt obedience to Rulings and may order members to withdraw from the House or name them for suspension by the House itself for a period.
In the case of great disorder can suspend or adjourn the House.

The Cathaoirleach is also an {{lang|la|ex officio}} member of the Council of State, which advises the president of Ireland in the exercise of their discretionary powers, and of the Presidential Commission, which performs the powers and functions of the office of president in their absence.

List of office-holders

=Cathaoirleach=

This list includes the panel (since 1938) and political affiliation of each Cathaoirleach, as well as the number of the Seanad and time they spent in the position.

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
Seanad !Name{{cite web\|url=https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/members/office-holders/former-office-holders/#Cathaoirligh\|publisher=Houses of the Oireachtas\|title=Former Cinn Comhairle and Cathaoirligh\|access-date=20 January 2019\|archive-date=26 October 2018\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181026143126/https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/members/office-holders/former-office-holders/#Cathaoirligh\|url-status=live}} {{small\|(Birth–Death)}} !Portrait !colspan=2\|Term of office !colspan=2\|Party !Panel
1922 \|rowspan=2\|Lord Glenavy {{small\|(1851–1931)}} \|rowspan=2\|70px \|rowspan=2\|6 December 1922 \|rowspan=2\|6 December 1928 \|{{party name with colour\|rowspan=2\|Independent politician}} \|rowspan=2\|N/A
1925
1928 \|rowspan=3\|Thomas Westropp Bennett {{small\|(1867–1962)}} \|rowspan=3\|70px \|rowspan=3\|6 December 1928 \|rowspan=3\|19 May 1936The final sitting of Seanad Éireann of the Irish Free State was held on 19 May 1936. The Seanad was abolished on 29 May 1936. The election for the new Seanad, set up in accordance with the 1937 Constitution of Ireland, was held on 28 March 1938, and the first sitting was held on 27 April 1938. \|{{party name with colour\|rowspan=2\|Cumann na nGaedheal}} \|rowspan=3\|N/A
1931
1934 \|{{party name with colour\|rowspan=1\|Fine Gael}}
2nd \|rowspan=2\|Seán Gibbons {{small\|(1883–1952)}} \|rowspan=2\|70px \|rowspan=2\|27 April 1938 \|rowspan=2\|8 September 1943 \|{{party name with colour\|rowspan=2\|Fianna Fáil}} \|rowspan=2\|Agricultural Panel
3rd
4th \|rowspan=2\|Seán Goulding {{small\|(1877–1959)}} \|rowspan=2\|70px \|rowspan=2\|8 September 1943 \|rowspan=2\|21 April 1948 \|{{party name with colour\|rowspan=2\|Fianna Fáil}} \|Industrial and Commercial Panel {{small\|(1943–1944)}}
5th \|Administrative Panel {{small\|(1944–1948)}}
6th \|Timothy O'Donovan {{small\|(1881–1957)}} \|70px \|21 April 1948 \|14 August 1951 \|{{party name with colour\|Fine Gael}} \|Agricultural Panel
7th \|Liam Ó Buachalla {{small\|(1899–1970)}} \|70px \|14 August 1951 \|22 July 1954 \|{{party name with colour\|Fianna Fáil}} \|Cultural and Educational Panel
8th \|Patrick Baxter {{small\|(1891–1959)}} \|70px \|22 July 1954 \|22 May 1957 \|{{party name with colour\|Clann na Talmhan}} \|Agricultural Panel
9th \|rowspan=3\|Liam Ó Buachalla {{small\|(1899–1970)}} \|rowspan=3\|70px \|rowspan=3\|22 May 1957 \|rowspan=3\|5 November 1969 \|{{party name with colour\|rowspan=3\|Fianna Fáil}} \|rowspan=3\|Cultural and Educational Panel
10th
11th
rowspan=2\|12th \|Michael Yeats {{small\|(1921–2007)}} \|70px \|5 November 1969 \|3 January 1973 \|{{party name with colour\|Fianna Fáil}} \|Cultural and Educational Panel
Micheál Cranitch {{small\|(1912–1999)}} \|70px \|3 January 1973 \|1 June 1973 \|{{party name with colour\|Fianna Fáil}} \|Nominated by the Taoiseach
13th \|James Dooge {{small\|(1922–2010)}} \|70px \|1 June 1973 \|27 October 1977 \|{{party name with colour\|Fine Gael}} \|Industrial and Commercial Panel
14th \|Séamus Dolan {{small\|(1914–2010)}} \|70px \|27 October 1977 \|8 October 1981 \|{{party name with colour\|Fianna Fáil}} \|Labour Panel
15th \|Charles McDonald {{small\|(born 1935)}} \|70px \|8 October 1981 \|13 May 1982 \|{{party name with colour\|Fine Gael}} \|Agricultural Panel
16th \|Tras Honan {{small\|(1930–2023)}} \|70px \|13 May 1982 \|23 February 1983 \|{{party name with colour\|Fianna Fáil}} \|Administrative Panel
17th \|Patrick J. Reynolds {{small\|(1920–2003)}} \|70px \|23 February 1983 \|25 April 1987 \|{{party name with colour\|Fine Gael}} \|Industrial and Commercial Panel
18th \|Tras Honan {{small\|(1930–2023)}} \|70px \|25 April 1987 \|1 November 1989 \|{{party name with colour\|Fianna Fáil}} \|Administrative Panel
rowspan=2\|19th \|Seán Doherty {{small\|(1944–2005)}} \|70px \|1 November 1989 \|23 January 1992 \|{{party name with colour\|Fianna Fáil}} \|Administrative Panel
rowspan=2\|Seán Fallon {{small\|(1937–1995)}} \|rowspan=2\|70px \|rowspan=2\|23 January 1992 \|rowspan=2\|4 July 1995 \|{{party name with colour\|rowspan=2\|Fianna Fáil}} \|rowspan=2\|Industrial and Commercial Panel
rowspan=3\|20th
Liam Naughten {{small\|(1944–1996)}} \|70px \|12 July 1995 \|16 November 1996 \|{{party name with colour\|Fine Gael}} \|Agricultural Panel
Liam T. Cosgrave {{small\|(born 1956)}} \|70px \|27 November 1996 \|17 September 1997 \|{{party name with colour\|Fine Gael}} \|Industrial and Commercial Panel
21st \|Brian Mullooly {{small\|(born 1935)}} \|70px \|17 September 1997 \|12 September 2002 \|{{party name with colour\|Fianna Fáil}} \|Labour Panel
22nd \|Rory Kiely {{small\|(1934–2018)}} \|70px \|12 September 2002 \|13 September 2007 \|{{party name with colour\|Fianna Fáil}} \|Agricultural Panel
23rd \|Pat Moylan {{small\|(born 1946)}} \|70px \|13 September 2007 \|25 May 2011 \|{{party name with colour\|Fianna Fáil}} \|Agricultural Panel
24th \|Paddy Burke {{small\|(born 1955)}} \|70px \|25 May 2011 \|8 June 2016 \|{{party name with colour\|Fine Gael}} \|Agricultural Panel
25th \|Denis O'Donovan {{small\|(born 1955)}} \|70px \|8 June 2016 \|29 June 2020 \|{{party name with colour\|Fianna Fáil}} \|Agricultural Panel
rowspan=2\|26th \|Mark Daly {{small\|(born 1973)}} \|70px \|29 June 2020 \|16 December 2022 \|{{party name with colour\|Fianna Fáil}} \|Administrative Panel
Jerry Buttimer {{small\|(born 1967)}} \|70px \|16 December 2022 \|30 November 2024 \|{{party name with colour\|Fine Gael}} \|Labour Panel
27th \|Mark Daly {{small\|(born 1973)}} \|70px \|12 February 2025 \|Incumbent \|{{party name with colour\|Fianna Fáil}} \|Administrative Panel

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"

Seanad

!Name{{cite web|url=https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/members/office-holders/former-office-holders/#Cathaoirligh|publisher=Houses of the Oireachtas|title=Former Cinn Comhairle and Cathaoirligh|access-date=20 January 2019|archive-date=26 October 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181026143126/https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/members/office-holders/former-office-holders/#Cathaoirligh|url-status=live}}
{{small|(Birth–Death)}}

!Portrait

!colspan=2|Term of office

!colspan=2|Party

!Panel

1922

|rowspan=2|Lord Glenavy
{{small|(1851–1931)}}

|rowspan=2|70px

|rowspan=2|6 December 1922

|rowspan=2|6 December 1928

|{{party name with colour|rowspan=2|Independent politician}}

|rowspan=2|N/A

1925

1928

|rowspan=3|Thomas Westropp Bennett
{{small|(1867–1962)}}

|rowspan=3|70px

|rowspan=3|6 December 1928

|rowspan=3|19 May 1936The final sitting of Seanad Éireann of the Irish Free State was held on 19 May 1936. The Seanad was abolished on 29 May 1936. The election for the new Seanad, set up in accordance with the 1937 Constitution of Ireland, was held on 28 March 1938, and the first sitting was held on 27 April 1938.

|{{party name with colour|rowspan=2|Cumann na nGaedheal}}

|rowspan=3|N/A

1931

1934

|{{party name with colour|rowspan=1|Fine Gael}}

2nd

|rowspan=2|Seán Gibbons
{{small|(1883–1952)}}

|rowspan=2|70px

|rowspan=2|27 April 1938

|rowspan=2|8 September 1943

|{{party name with colour|rowspan=2|Fianna Fáil}}

|rowspan=2|Agricultural Panel