16th Dáil
TDs from 1957 to 1961
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The 16th Dáil was elected at the 1957 general election on 5 March 1957 and met on 20 March 1957. The members of Dáil Éireann, the house of representatives of the Oireachtas (legislature) of Ireland, are known as TDs. It sat with the 9th Seanad as the two Houses of the Oireachtas.
1 September 1961
| 16th Dáil | |||||||||||
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| Overview | |||||||||||
| Legislative body | Dáil Éireann | ||||||||||
| Jurisdiction | Ireland | ||||||||||
| Meeting place | Leinster House | ||||||||||
| Term | 20 March 1957 – 1 September 1961 | ||||||||||
| Election | 1957 general election | ||||||||||
| Government |
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| Members | 147 | ||||||||||
| Ceann Comhairle | Patrick Hogan | ||||||||||
| Taoiseach | Seán Lemass — Éamon de Valera until 23 June 1959 | ||||||||||
| Tánaiste | Seán MacEntee — Seán Lemass until 23 June 1959 | ||||||||||
| Chief Whip | Donnchadh Ó Briain | ||||||||||
| Leader of the Opposition | James Dillon — John A. Costello until 21 October 1959 | ||||||||||
| Sessions | |||||||||||
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The 16th Dáil saw a change of Taoiseach from Éamon de Valera to Seán Lemass in June 1959. On 8 September 1961, President Éamon de Valera dissolved the Dáil on the request of Taoiseach Seán Lemass. The 16th Dáil lasted 4 years, 165 days.
Composition of the 16th Dáil
| Party | Mar. 1957 | Sep. 1961 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fianna Fáil | 78 | 75 |  3 | |
| Fine Gael | 40 | 41 |  1 | |
| Labour | 12 | 11 | 1 | |
| Sinn Féin | 4 | 4 |  | |
| Clann na Talmhan | 3 | 3 | | |
| Clann na Poblachta | 1 | 1 | | |
| National Progressive Democrats | N/a | 2 | 2 | |
| Independent | 9 | 7 | 2 | |
| Ceann Comhairle | N/a | 1 | 1 | |
| Vacant | N/a | 2 | 2 | |
| Total | 147 | |||
In line with its policy of abstentionism, the Sinn Féin TDs did not take their seats.
Fianna Fáil, denoted with a bullet formed the 8th government of Ireland led by Éamon de Valera as Taoiseach. Following de Valera's election as president of Ireland in June 1959, Seán Lemass formed the 9th government of Ireland.
Graphical representation
This is a graphical comparison of party strengths in the 16th Dáil from March 1957. This was not the official seating plan.
Ceann Comhairle
On the meeting of the Dáil, Patrick Hogan (Lab), who had served as Ceann Comhairle since 1951, was proposed by John A. Costello (FG) and seconded by Éamon de Valera (FF) for the position. His election was approved without a vote.[1]
TDs by constituency
The list of the 147 TDs elected, is given in alphabetical order by Dáil constituency.[2]