1923 Irish general election

1923 Irish general election

27 August 1923
All 153 seats in Dáil Éireann 77 seats needed for a majority
Turnout	61.3% 1.2 pp
First party Second party   Leader W. T. Cosgrave Éamon de Valera Party Cumann na nGaedheal Republican Leader since April 1923 1917 Leader's seat Carlow–Kilkenny Clare Last election 58 seats, 38.5% 36 seats, 21.8% Seats won 63 44 Seat change 5 8 Popular vote 410,695 288,794 Percentage 39.0% 27.4% Swing 0.5 pp 5.6 pp   Third party Fourth party   Leader Denis Gorey Thomas Johnson Party Farmers' Party Labour Leader since 1922 1914 Leader's seat Carlow–Kilkenny Dublin County Last election 7 seats, 7.8% 16 seats, 21.3% Seats won 15 14 Seat change 8 3 Popular vote 127,184 111,939 Percentage 12.1% 10.6% Swing 4.3 pp 10.7 pp
President of the Executive Council before election W. T. Cosgrave Cumann na nGaedheal President of the Executive Council after election W. T. Cosgrave Cumann na nGaedheal

The 1923 Irish general election to elect the 4th Dáil was held on Monday, 27 August, following the dissolution of the Third Dáil on 9 August 1923. It was the first general election held since the establishment of the Irish Free State on 6 December 1922. The election was held shortly after the end of the Irish Civil War in May 1923. Many of the Republican TDs, who represented the losing anti-Treaty side, were still imprisoned during and after the election and had committed to not participating in the Dáil if elected.

The 4th Dáil assembled at Leinster House on 19 September to nominate the President of the Executive Council and Executive Council of the Irish Free State for appointment by the Governor-General. Cumann na nGaedheal, the successor to the Pro-Treaty wing of Sinn Féin, won the election and formed the government. Despite falling 14 seats of an outright majority, the opposition Republican TDs refused to take their seats, giving CnG effective control of the chamber and allowing it to form what amounted to a majority government.

Legal background

It was the first general election fought since the establishment of the Irish Free State and the adoption of the Constitution of the Irish Free State on 6 December 1922. It was contested under the Electoral Act 1923, which increased the seats in the Dáil from 128 to 153, and introduced a franchise of all citizens over the age of 21, without distinction of sex. Lax electoral practices were tightened up by The Prevention of Electoral Abuses Act 1923.

Result

Election to the 4th Dáil – 27 August 1923
Party		Leader	Seats	±	% of seats	First pref. votes	% FPv	±%
	Cumann na nGaedheal	W. T. Cosgrave	63	+5	41.2	410,695	39.0	+0.5
	Republican	Éamon de Valera	44	+8	28.7	288,794	27.4	+5.6
	Farmers' Party	Denis Gorey	15	+8	9.8	127,184	12.1	+4.3
	Labour	Thomas Johnson	14	−3	9.2	111,939	10.6	−10.7
	Businessmen's Party	N/A	2	+2	1.3	9,648	0.9	−1.4
	Cork Progressive Association	N/A	2	New	1.3	6,588	0.6	New
	National Democratic	N/A	0	New	0	4,968	0.5	New
	Dublin Trades Council	P. T. Daly	0	New	0	3,847	0.4	New
	Ratepayers' Association	N/A	0	±0	0	2,620	0.2	−0.2
	Town Tenants' Association	N/A	0	New	0	1,803	0.2	New
	Independent	N/A	13	+4	8.5	85,869	8.1	+0.3
Spoilt votes						40,047	—	—
Total			153	+25	100	1,094,002	100	—
Electorate/Turnout						1,786,318	61.3	—

Most parties made gains, in part because the total number of seats in the Dáil was increased by 25 from 128 to 153.

Voting summary

First preference vote Cumann na nGaedheal   38.97% Republican   27.40% Farmers'   12.07% Labour   10.62% Businessman's   0.92% Cork Progressive Association   0.63% Others   1.26% Independent   8.15%

Seats summary

Dáil seats Cumann na nGaedheal   41.18% Republican   28.76% Farmers'   9.80% Labour   9.15% Businessman's   1.31% Cork Progressive Association   1.31% Independent   8.50%

Government formation

The Republican TDs continued to abstain from the Dáil. Therefore, Cumann na nGaedheal had a majority of seats which were taken in the Dáil and formed the 2nd Executive Council of the Irish Free State on 19 September 1923.

Changes in membership

First time TDs

• Frank Aiken
• Patrick Baxter
• Dan Breen
• Frank Cahill
• John James Cole
• Margaret Collins-O'Driscoll
• Cornelius Connolly
• Edward Doyle
• Peadar Doyle
• Seán Gibbons
• Kathleen Lynn
• Patrick McFadden
• James Myles
• Michael Shelly
• Paddy Smith

Retiring TDs

• Gerald Fitzgibbon
• Joseph Whelehan

Defeated TDs

• Walter L. Cole
• Robert Day
• Patrick Gaffney

References

Sources

• Department of Local Government and Public Health (July 1924). Memorandum on the conduct of the general election to Dáil Éireann held on the 27th August, 1923 (PDF). Dublin: Alex. Thom for Official P. P. Retrieved 2 February 2018.

Further reading

• Callinan, Elaine; Farrell, Mel; Tormey, Thomas (September 2023). Vying for Victory: The 1923 General Election in the Irish Free State. University College Dublin Press. ISBN 978-1-910820-70-4.