The Government of the 13th Dáil or the 5th Government of Ireland (18 February 1948 – 13 June 1951), formed after the general election held on 4 February 1948 — commonly known as the First Inter-Party Government — was an Irish government of Fine Gael, the Labour Party, Clann na Poblachta, Clann na Talmhan and the National Labour Party—and one TD who was an independent, James Dillon (who had resigned from Fine Gael after opposing its neutral stance in World War II). The parties had many different aims and viewpoints, but opposition to Fianna Fáil overcame difficulties in forming a government; Éamon de Valera had led a series of single-party Fianna Fáil governments since 1932. The cabinet was made up of representatives of all parties, and ministers were given a great degree of independence. Some key events during the lifetime of the government include the declaration of the Republic of Ireland in 1948 and the crisis surrounding the Mother and Child Scheme in 1951.
At first, it seemed that de Valera would attempt to form a minority government. Negotiations for confidence and supply with the National Labour Party failed when National Labour insisted on a formal coalition; at that time, Fianna Fáil would not enter coalitions with other parties. Nevertheless, it initially appeared that Fianna Fáil was the only party that could realistically form a government. Even though it was short of a majority, Fianna Fáil was by far the largest party in the Dáil, with 37 more seats than the next-largest party, Fine Gael.
However, the other parties realised that between them, they only had only one seat fewer than Fianna Fáil, and if they worked together, they could form a government with the support of at least seven independents. As the second-largest party in the Dáil, it was a foregone conclusion that Fine Gael would head such a coalition. In the normal course of events, Fine Gael leader Richard Mulcahy would have been the prospective coalition's nominee for Taoiseach. However, Clann na Poblachta leader Seán MacBride refused to serve under Mulcahy because of his role in carrying out 77 executions under the government of the Irish Free State in the early 1920s during the Irish Civil War. Accordingly, Mulcahy bowed out in favour of former Attorney GeneralJohn A. Costello. Costello found himself as leader of a disparate group of young and old politicians, republicans and Free Staters, conservatives and socialists. The government survived for three years, however, through the skill of Costello as Taoiseach and the independence of various ministers.
^"Nomination of Taoiseach – Dáil Éireann (13th Dáil) – Wednesday, 18 February 1948". Houses of the Oireachtas. Retrieved 27 August 2019.
^"Appointment of Taoiseach – Dáil Éireann (13th Dáil) – Wednesday, 18 February 1948". Houses of the Oireachtas. Retrieved 27 August 2019.
^"Nomination of Taoiseach – Votes – Dáil Éireann (13th Dáil) – Wednesday, 18 February 1948". Houses of the Oireachtas. Retrieved 22 February 2020.
^"Nomination of Members of Government: Motion of Approval – Dáil Éireann (13th Dáil) – Wednesday, 18 February 1948". Houses of the Oireachtas. Retrieved 27 August 2019.
^ ab"Appointment of Members of Government and Parliamentary Secretaries – Dáil Éireann (13th Dáil) – Wednesday, 25 February 1948". Houses of the Oireachtas. Retrieved 22 February 2020.
^"Assignment of Local Government Department – Dáil Éireann (13th Dáil) – Tuesday, 3 May 19459". Houses of the Oireachtas. Retrieved 27 August 2019.
^"Nomination of Member of the Government – Dáil Éireann (13th Dáil) – Wednesday, 11 May 1949". Houses of the Oireachtas. Retrieved 27 August 2019.
^"Appointment of Member of the Government – Dáil Éireann (13th Dáil) – Wednesday, 11 May 1949". Houses of the Oireachtas. Retrieved 27 August 2019.
^"Assignment of Departments— Statement by the Taoiseach – Dáil Éireann (13th Dáil) – Wednesday, 7 March 1951". Houses of the Oireachtas. Retrieved 27 August 2019.
^"Personal Statement by a Deputy – Dáil Éireann (13th Dáil)". Houses of the Oireachtas. 12 April 1951. Retrieved 27 August 2019.
^"Adjournment Debate—Resignation of Minister – Dáil Éireann (13th Dáil)". Houses of the Oireachtas. 12 April 1951. Retrieved 27 August 2019.
^"The Republic of Ireland Act 1948 (Commencement) Order 1949". Irish Statute Book. 4 February 1949. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
Further readingedit
McCullagh, David (1998). A Makeshift Majority: The First Inter-Party Government, 1948-51. Dublin: Institute of Public Administration. ISBN978-1872002699.
February 15, 2024
government, 13th, dáil, government, ireland, february, 1948, june, 1951, formed, after, general, election, held, february, 1948, commonly, known, first, inter, party, government, irish, government, fine, gael, labour, party, clann, poblachta, clann, talmhan, n. The Government of the 13th Dail or the 5th Government of Ireland 18 February 1948 13 June 1951 formed after the general election held on 4 February 1948 commonly known as the First Inter Party Government was an Irish government of Fine Gael the Labour Party Clann na Poblachta Clann na Talmhan and the National Labour Party and one TD who was an independent James Dillon who had resigned from Fine Gael after opposing its neutral stance in World War II The parties had many different aims and viewpoints but opposition to Fianna Fail overcame difficulties in forming a government Eamon de Valera had led a series of single party Fianna Fail governments since 1932 The cabinet was made up of representatives of all parties and ministers were given a great degree of independence Some key events during the lifetime of the government include the declaration of the Republic of Ireland in 1948 and the crisis surrounding the Mother and Child Scheme in 1951 Government of the 13th Dail5th Government of IrelandDate formed18 February 1948Date dissolved13 June 1951People and organisationsPresidentSean T O KellyTaoiseachJohn A CostelloTanaisteWilliam NortonTotal no of members12Member partiesFine GaelLabour PartyClann na PoblachtaClann na TalmhanNational Labour PartyIndependentStatus in legislatureMinority coalitionOpposition partyFianna FailOpposition leaderEamon de ValeraHistoryElection s 1948 general electionLegislature term s 13th Dail6th SeanadPredecessor4th GovernmentSuccessor6th GovernmentThe 5th Government lasted for 1 212 days Contents 1 5th Government of Ireland 1 1 Formation 1 2 Nomination of Taoiseach 1 3 Members of the Government 1 3 1 Change 3 May 1949 1 3 2 Change 11 May 1949 1 3 3 Changes 7 March 1951 1 3 4 Changes 12 April 1951 1 4 Parliamentary Secretaries 2 Republic of Ireland 3 See also 4 References 5 Further reading5th Government of Ireland editFormation edit Fianna Fail had been in office continuously since 1932 with Eamon de Valera as head of government titled as President of the Executive Council of the Irish Free State until 1937 and from then as Taoiseach However after the 1948 general election the party was six seats short of a majority At first it seemed that de Valera would attempt to form a minority government Negotiations for confidence and supply with the National Labour Party failed when National Labour insisted on a formal coalition at that time Fianna Fail would not enter coalitions with other parties Nevertheless it initially appeared that Fianna Fail was the only party that could realistically form a government Even though it was short of a majority Fianna Fail was by far the largest party in the Dail with 37 more seats than the next largest party Fine Gael However the other parties realised that between them they only had only one seat fewer than Fianna Fail and if they worked together they could form a government with the support of at least seven independents As the second largest party in the Dail it was a foregone conclusion that Fine Gael would head such a coalition In the normal course of events Fine Gael leader Richard Mulcahy would have been the prospective coalition s nominee for Taoiseach However Clann na Poblachta leader Sean MacBride refused to serve under Mulcahy because of his role in carrying out 77 executions under the government of the Irish Free State in the early 1920s during the Irish Civil War Accordingly Mulcahy bowed out in favour of former Attorney General John A Costello Costello found himself as leader of a disparate group of young and old politicians republicans and Free Staters conservatives and socialists The government survived for three years however through the skill of Costello as Taoiseach and the independence of various ministers Nomination of Taoiseach edit The 13th Dail first met on 18 February 1948 In the debate on the nomination of Taoiseach Fianna Fail leader and outgoing Taoiseach Eamon de Valera and John A Costello of Fine Gael were both proposed The nomination of de Valera was defeated by 70 to 75 while the nomination of Costello was approved by 75 to 68 1 Costello was appointed as Taoiseach by President Sean T O Kelly 2 18 February 1948Nomination of John A Costello FG as Taoiseach 3 Motion proposed by Richard Mulcahy and seconded by William NortonAbsolute majority 74 147Vote Parties Votes nbsp Y Yes Fine Gael 31 Labour Party 14 Clann na Poblachta 10 Clann na Talmhan 7 National Labour Party 5 Independents 8 75 147No Fianna Fail 66 Independents 2 68 147Absent orNot voting Ceann Comhairle 1 Independents 2 Fianna Fail 1 4 147Members of the Government edit The Ministers of the Government were proposed by the Taoiseach and approved by the Dail 4 They were appointed by the president on the same day 5 Office Name Term PartyTaoiseach John A Costello 1948 1951 Fine GaelTanaiste William Norton 1948 1951 Labour PartyMinister for Social WelfareMinister for Education Richard Mulcahy 1948 1951 Fine GaelMinister for External Affairs Sean MacBride 1948 1951 Clann na PoblachtaMinister for Lands Joseph Blowick 1948 1951 Clann na TalmhanMinister for Posts and Telegraphs James Everett 1948 1951 National Labour PartyLabourMinister for Agriculture James Dillon 1948 1951 IndependentMinister for Finance Patrick McGilligan 1948 1951 Fine GaelMinister for Justice Sean Mac Eoin 1948 1951 Fine GaelMinister for Defence Thomas F O Higgins 1948 1951 Fine GaelMinister for Industry and Commerce Daniel Morrissey 1948 1951 Fine GaelMinister for Local Government Timothy J Murphy 1948 1949 LabourMinister for Health Noel Browne 1948 1951 Clann na PoblachtaChange 3 May 1949 edit Following the death of Timothy J Murphy 6 Office Name Term PartyMinister for Local Government William Norton acting LabourChange 11 May 1949 edit Following the death of Timothy J Murphy 7 8 Office Name Term PartyMinister for Local Government Michael Keyes 1949 1951 LabourChanges 7 March 1951 edit Cabinet reshuffle 9 Office Name Term PartyMinister for Justice Daniel Morrissey 1951 Fine GaelMinister for Industry and Commerce Thomas F O Higgins 1951 Fine GaelMinister for Defence Sean Mac Eoin 1951 Fine GaelChanges 12 April 1951 edit Following the resignation of Noel Browne on 11 April 1951due to controversy surrounding the Mother and Child Scheme 10 11 Office Name Term PartyMinister for Health John A Costello acting Fine GaelParliamentary Secretaries edit On 24 February 1948 the Government appointed the Parliamentary Secretaries on the nomination of the Taoiseach 5 Name Office PartyLiam Cosgrave Government Chief Whip Fine GaelParliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Industry and CommerceMichael Donnellan Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Finance Clann na TalmhanBrendan Corish Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Local Government LabourParliamentary Secretary to the Minister for DefenceRepublic of Ireland editThe Republic of Ireland Act 1948 became law on 21 December 1948 It repealed the Executive Authority External Relations Act 1936 removing any remaining external function of the British monarchy in Ireland It also declared that the description of the state was the Republic of Ireland The Act came into operation on Easter Monday 18 April 1949 12 See also editDail Eireann Constitution of Ireland Politics of the Republic of IrelandReferences edit Nomination of Taoiseach Dail Eireann 13th Dail Wednesday 18 February 1948 Houses of the Oireachtas Retrieved 27 August 2019 Appointment of Taoiseach Dail Eireann 13th Dail Wednesday 18 February 1948 Houses of the Oireachtas Retrieved 27 August 2019 Nomination of Taoiseach Votes Dail Eireann 13th Dail Wednesday 18 February 1948 Houses of the Oireachtas Retrieved 22 February 2020 Nomination of Members of Government Motion of Approval Dail Eireann 13th Dail Wednesday 18 February 1948 Houses of the Oireachtas Retrieved 27 August 2019 a b Appointment of Members of Government and Parliamentary Secretaries Dail Eireann 13th Dail Wednesday 25 February 1948 Houses of the Oireachtas Retrieved 22 February 2020 Assignment of Local Government Department Dail Eireann 13th Dail Tuesday 3 May 19459 Houses of the Oireachtas Retrieved 27 August 2019 Nomination of Member of the Government Dail Eireann 13th Dail Wednesday 11 May 1949 Houses of the Oireachtas Retrieved 27 August 2019 Appointment of Member of the Government Dail Eireann 13th Dail Wednesday 11 May 1949 Houses of the Oireachtas Retrieved 27 August 2019 Assignment of Departments Statement by the Taoiseach Dail Eireann 13th Dail Wednesday 7 March 1951 Houses of the Oireachtas Retrieved 27 August 2019 Personal Statement by a Deputy Dail Eireann 13th Dail Houses of the Oireachtas 12 April 1951 Retrieved 27 August 2019 Adjournment Debate Resignation of Minister Dail Eireann 13th Dail Houses of the Oireachtas 12 April 1951 Retrieved 27 August 2019 The Republic of Ireland Act 1948 Commencement Order 1949 Irish Statute Book 4 February 1949 Retrieved 16 March 2020 Further reading editMcCullagh David 1998 A Makeshift Majority The First Inter Party Government 1948 51 Dublin Institute of Public Administration ISBN 978 1872002699 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Government of the 13th Dail amp oldid 1193562473, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
