Misplaced Pages

June 1927 Irish general election

← 1923 9 June 1927 Sep 1927 →
← outgoing memberselected members →
153 seats in Dáil Éireann 77 seats needed for a majority
Turnout	68.1% 6.8 pp
First party Second party Third party   Leader W. T. Cosgrave Éamon de Valera Thomas Johnson Party Cumann na nGaedheal Fianna Fáil Labour Leader since April 1923 26 March 1926 1914 Leader's seat Carlow–Kilkenny Clare Dublin County Last election 63 seats, 39.0% N/A 14 seats, 10.6% Seats won 47 44 22 Seat change 16 44 8 Popular vote 314,703 299,486 143,849 Percentage 27.4% 26.2% 12.6% Swing 11.6 pp New party 2.0 pp   Fourth party Fifth party Sixth party   Leader Michael Heffernan William Redmond John J. O'Kelly Party Farmers' Party National League Sinn Féin Leader since 1927 1926 1926 Leader's seat Tipperary Waterford N/A Last election 15 seats, 12.1% N/A 44 seats, 27.4% Seats won 11 8 5 Seat change 4 8 39 Popular vote 101,955 83,598 41,401 Percentage 8.9% 7.3% 3.6% Swing 3.2 pp New party 23.8 pp
Election results and first-preference votes in each constituency Number of seats gained by each party in each constituency
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 June 1927 Irish general election was to elect the 5th Dáil held on Thursday, 9 June following the dissolution of the 4th Dáil on 23 May 1927. It was the first election contested by Fianna Fáil, which had been formed a year earlier when Éamon de Valera, leader of the abstentionist Anti-Treaty Sinn Féin, failed to convince the party to take their seats if and when the Oath of Allegiance were abolished. Most of Sinn Féin's TDs, as well as the bulk of its support, shifted to Fianna Fáil. The impact of this shift saw Sinn Féin all but decimated; it was reduced to five seats. This was for many years the end of the party as a major force in the southern part of the island; it would not win more than 10 seats at an election until 2011, by which time it had undergone fundamental transformation. This election cemented Fianna Fáil as a major party; it and Cumann na nGaedheal/Fine Gael remained the two largest parties in Ireland until 2020 when Sinn Féin came first in first preference votes (tied with Fianna Fáil in seats).

The 5th Dáil assembled at Leinster House on 23 June to nominate the President of the Executive Council and Executive Council of the Irish Free State for appointment by the Governor-General. W. T. Cosgrave was re-appointed leading a government of Cumann na nGaedheal.

Fianna Fáil took the oath of allegiance and its seats in the Dáil on 12 August 1927. Fianna Fáil's decision to take up its seats ended Cumann na nGaedheal's working majority, forcing Cosgrave into a minority government which proved unstable. After government victories in two by-elections, Cosgrave sought a dissolution on 25 August and a second election of that year was held in September 1927.

Result

Election to the 5th Dáil – 9 June 1927
Party		Leader	Seats	±	% of seats	First pref. votes	% FPv	±%
	Cumann na nGaedheal	W. T. Cosgrave	47	–16	30.7	314,703	27.4	–11.6
	Fianna Fáil	Éamon de Valera	44	New	28.7	299,486	26.2	New
	Labour	Thomas Johnson	22	+8	14.4	143,849	12.6	+2.0
	Farmers' Party	Michael Heffernan	11	–4	7.2	101,955	8.9	–3.2
	National League	William Redmond	8	New	5.2	83,598	7.3	New
	Sinn Féin	John J. O'Kelly	5	–39	3.3	41,401	3.6	–23.8
	Clann Éireann	William Magennis	0	New	0	5,527	0.5	New
	Blind Men's Party		0	New	0	1,559	0.1	New
	Town Tenants' Association		0	0	0	1,012	0.1	–0.1
	Independent	N/A	16	+3	10.4	153,370	13.4	+5.3
Spoilt votes						31,337	—	—
Total			153	0	100	1,177,797	100	—
Electorate/Turnout						1,730,177	68.1	—

Voting summary

Seats summary

Government formation

When the 5th Dáil first met on 23 June 1927, there were 50 TDs still abstaining. Cumann na nGaedheal formed the 3rd Executive Council of the Irish Free State with the support of the Farmers' Party and 13 Independents. This government proved unstable once Fianna Fáil took their seats.

Changes in membership

First time TDs

• Tadhg Crowley
• Patrick Boland
• Andrew Fogarty
• John Jinks
• Michael Keyes
• Michael Óg McFadden
• Thomas Mullins
• Patrick O'Dowd
• Matthew O'Reilly
• Timothy Quill
• Jasper Wolfe

Outgoing TDs

• Cornelius Connolly (Retired)
• Patrick McFadden (Lost seat)

Notes

1. ^ Including Michael Hayes, returned automatically for the National University of Ireland as outgoing Ceann Comhairle, under Art. 21 of the Constitution, as amended by the Constitution (Amendment No. 2) Act 1927, and s. 2 of the Electoral (Amendment) Act 1927.
2. Results given for Sinn Féin here are compared to those won by Republicans in the previous election.

References

1. Constitution (Amendment No. 2) Act 1927, s. 1: Re-election at general election of outgoing Chairman of Dáil Eireann (No. 6 of 1927, s. 1). Enacted on 19 March 1927. Act of the Oireachtas. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book on 8 April 2021.
2. Electoral (Amendment) Act 1927, s. 2: Re-election of outgoing Ceann Comhairle (No. 21 of 1927, s. 2). Enacted on 22 May 1927. Act of the Oireachtas. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book.
3. "New Deputies take their seats – Dáil Éireann (5th Dáil) – Vol. 20 No. 20". 12 August 1927. Archived from the original on 26 December 2017. Retrieved 11 July 2022.
4. "5th Dáil June 1927 General Election". ElectionsIreland.org. Archived from the original on 28 May 2009. Retrieved 5 April 2009.
5. "Dáil elections since 1918". ARK Northern Ireland. Archived from the original on 27 November 2020. Retrieved 13 April 2009.
6. Nohlen, Dieter; Stöver, Philip (2010). Elections in Europe: A data handbook. Nomos. pp. 1010–1017. ISBN 978-3-8329-5609-7.

v t e Elections and referendums in the Republic of Ireland
Dáil elections	1918 1921 1922 1923 1927 (Jun) 1927 (Sep) 1932 1933 1937 1938 1943 1944 1948 1951 1954 1957 1961 1965 1969 1973 1977 1981 1982 (Feb) 1982 (Nov) 1987 1989 1992 1997 2002 2007 2011 2016 2020 2024 By-elections
Seanad elections	1925
Presidential elections	1938 1945 1952 1959 1966 1973 1974 1976 1983 1990 1997 2004 2011 2018 2025
European elections	1979 1984 1989 1994 1999 2004 2009 2014 2019 2024
Local elections	1920 1925 1928 1934 1942 1945 1950 1955 1960 1967 1974 1979 1985 1991 1994 1999 2004 2009 2014 2019 2024
Referendums	1937 1959 1968 1972 (May) 1972 (Dec) 1979 1983 1984 1986 1987 1992 (Jun) 1992 (Nov) 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2001 2002 (Mar) 2002 (Oct) 2004 2008 2009 2011 2012 (May) 2012 (Nov) 2013 2015 2018 (May) 2018 (Oct) 2019 2024
See also: Elections in the Kingdom of Ireland Elections in Ireland as part of the UK

v t e Irish Free State
Anglo-Irish Treaty Provisional Government Constitution of the Irish Free State Statute of Westminster Great Seal
Executive	King Governor-General President of the Executive Council Vice-President of the Executive Council Executive Council Extern minister Ministers and Secretaries Act
Legislative	Oireachtas Dáil Éireann Seanad Éireann Royal Assent Ceann Comhairle Cathaoirleach Oath of Allegiance Governor-General's Address to Dáil Éireann
Judiciary	Supreme Court High Court Chief Justice Courts of Justice Act 1924
Elections	General 1922 1923 1927 (Jun) 1927 (Sep) 1932 1933 1937 Seanad 1925
See also	Constitution (Amendment No. 27) Act 1936 External Relations Act 1936 Executive Powers (Consequential Provisions) Act 1937 Chairman of the Provisional Government Adoption of the Constitution of Ireland

• 1927 elections in the Irish Free State
• 1927 in Irish politics
• General elections in the Republic of Ireland
• 5th Dáil
• June 1927 events