There were two governments of the 16th Dáil, which was elected at the 1957 general election held on 5 March. The outgoing minority coalition government of Fine Gael, the Labour Party and Clann na Talmhan had failed to be returned. The 8th government of Ireland (20 March 1957 – 23 June 1959) was led by Éamon de Valera as Taoiseach, until his election as president of Ireland at the 1959 election. It lasted for days from its appointment until de Valera's resignation on 17 June 1959, and continued to carry out its duties for a further 6 days until the appointment of its successor, giving a total of . The 9th government of Ireland (23 June 1959 – 11 November 1961) was led by Seán Lemass as Taoiseach and lasted for days. Both were single-party Fianna Fáil governments.
| Cabinet Name: | 8th government of Ireland |
| Cabinet Type: | Government |
| Jurisdiction: | Ireland |
| Date Formed: | 20 March 1957 |
| Date Dissolved: | 23 June 1959 |
| Government Head Title: | Taoiseach |
| Government Head: | Éamon de Valera |
| Deputy Government Head Title: | Tánaiste |
| Deputy Government Head: | Seán Lemass |
| State Head Title: | President |
| State Head: | Seán T. O'Kelly |
| Total Number: | 13 |
| Political Party: | Fianna Fáil |
| Legislature Status: | Majority government |
| Opposition Party: | Fine Gael |
| Opposition Leader: | John A. Costello |
| Election: | 1957 general election |
| Previous: | 7th government |
| Successor: | 9th government |
The 16th Dáil first met on 20 March 1957. In the debate on the nomination of Taoiseach, Fianna Fáil leader Éamon de Valera was proposed and this motion was carried with 78 votes in favour and 53 votes against.[1] De Valera was appointed as Taoiseach by President Seán T. O'Kelly.[2]
| 20 March 1957 Nomination of Éamon de Valera (FF) as Taoiseach[3] Motion proposed by Seán Lemass and seconded by Seán MacEntee Absolute majority: 74/147 | |||||
| width=80px | Vote | width=425px | Parties | width=80px | Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yes | Fianna Fáil (76), Independent (2) | ||||
| No | Fine Gael (39), Labour Party (10), Clann na Talmhan (3), Independent (1) | ||||
| Absent or Not voting | Ceann Comhairle (1), Fianna Fáil (2), Fine Gael (1), Labour Party (1), Clann na Poblachta (1), Independent (6) | ||||
| Sinn Féin (4) | |||||
After his appointment as Taoiseach by the president, Éamon de Valera proposed the members of the government and they were approved by the Dáil.[4] They were appointed by the president on the same day.[5]
On 21 March 1957, the Government appointed the Parliamentary Secretaries on the nomination of the Taoiseach.
| Name | Office | Term | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Donnchadh Ó Briain | Government Chief Whip | 1957–1959 | ||
| Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Defence | 1957–1959 | |||
| Michael Kennedy | Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Social Welfare | 1957–1959 | ||
| Patrick Beegan | Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Finance | 1957–Feb. 1958 | ||
| Gerald Bartley | Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Industry and Commerce | 1957–Feb. 1958 | ||
Change 24 February 1958Death of Beegan on 2 February 1958.[10] | ||||
| Gerald Bartley | Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Finance | Feb. 1958–1959 | ||
| Michael Hilliard | Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Industry and Commerce | Feb. 1958–1959 | ||
On 29 October 1958, William Norton, leader of the Labour Party, tabled a vote of no confidence in the government. James Dillon and Liam Cosgrave proposed an amendment to the motion.[11] Both the amendment and the motion were defeated the following day on a vote of 54 to 71.[12]
The government proposed the Third Amendment of the Constitution Bill 1958, which would have altered the electoral system from proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote to first past the post. It was put to a referendum on 17 June 1959, the same date as the presidential election. It was defeated by a margin of 48.2% to 51.8% of votes cast.
On 17 June 1959, Éamon de Valera was elected as president of Ireland and he resigned as Taoiseach on that day.[13] [14] Under Article 28.11 of the Constitution, all members of the government are deemed to have resigned on the resignation of the Taoiseach, but they continued to carry on their duties until the appointment of their successors.[15]
| Cabinet Name: | 9th government of Ireland |
| Cabinet Number: | 9th |
| Cabinet Type: | Government |
| Jurisdiction: | Ireland |
| Date Formed: | 23 June 1959 |
| Date Dissolved: | 11 October 1961 |
| Government Head Title: | Taoiseach |
| Government Head: | Seán Lemass |
| Deputy Government Head Title: | Tánaiste |
| Deputy Government Head: | Seán MacEntee |
| State Head Title: | President |
| State Head: | Éamon de Valera |
| Total Number: | 14 |
| Political Party: | Fianna Fáil |
| Legislature Status: | Majority hovernment |
| Opposition Party: | Fine Gael |
| Opposition Leader: | James Dillon |
| Previous: | 8th government |
| Successor: | 10th government |
Éamon de Valera resigned as leader of Fianna Fáil after his election as president of Ireland and Seán Lemass was elected unopposed to succeed him on 22 June 1959.
On 23 June 1959, in the debate on the nomination of Taoiseach, Fianna Fáil leader Seán Lemass was proposed. This motion was carried with 75 votes in favour to 51 votes against.[16] Lemass was appointed as Taoiseach by President Seán T. O'Kelly.[17] It was the first time there was a change of Taoiseach within a Dáil term.
| 23 June 1959 Nomination of Seán Lemass (FF) as Taoiseach[18] Motion proposed by Seán MacEntee and seconded by James Ryan Absolute majority: 74/147 | |||||
| width=80px | Vote | width=425px | Parties | width=80px align="center" | Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yes | Fianna Fáil (72), Independent (3) | ||||
| No | Fine Gael (37), Labour Party (9), Clann na Talmhan (3), Clann na Poblachta (1), Independent (1) | ||||
| Absent or Not voting | Ceann Comhairle (1), Fianna Fáil (3), Fine Gael (3), Labour Party (< | -- Seán Casey and William Norton -->2), Independent (5) | |||
| Sinn Féin (4) | |||||
| Vacancies | 3[19] | ||||
After his appointment as Taoiseach by the president, Seán Lemass proposed the members of the government and they were approved by the Dáil.[20] They were appointed by the president on 24 June 1959.[21]
| Office | Name | Term | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Taoiseach | Seán Lemass | 1959–1961 | ||
| Tánaiste | Seán MacEntee | 1959–1961 | ||
| Minister for Health | ||||
| Minister for Social Welfare | ||||
| Minister for Finance | James Ryan | 1959–1961 | ||
| Minister for External Affairs | Frank Aiken | 1959–1961 | ||
| Minister for Justice | Oscar Traynor | 1959–1961 | ||
| Minister for Agriculture | Paddy Smith | 1959–1961 | ||
| Minister for Lands | Erskine H. Childers | 1959–1961 | ||
| Minister for Industry and Commerce | Jack Lynch | 1959–1961 | ||
| Minister for Local Government | Neil Blaney | 1959–1961 | ||
| Minister for Defence | Kevin Boland | 1959–1961 | ||
| Minister for the Gaeltacht | Mícheál Ó Móráin | 1959 | ||
| Minister for Posts and Telegraphs | Michael Hilliard | 1959–1961 | ||
| Minister for Education | Patrick Hillery | 1959–1961 | ||
Changes 27 July 1959Gerard Bartley was appointed to government on 23 July and the changes | ||||
| Office | Name | Term | ||
| Minister for the Gaeltacht | Gerald Bartley | 1959–1961 | ||
| Minister for Lands | Mícheál Ó Móráin | 1959–1961 | ||
| Minister for Transport and Power | Erskine H. Childers | 1959–1961 | ||
On 24 June 1959, the government appointed the Parliamentary Secretaries on the nomination of the Taoiseach.[21]
| Name | Office | Term | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Donnchadh Ó Briain | Government Chief Whip | 1959–1961 | ||
| Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Defence | 1959–1961 | |||
| Michael Kennedy | Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Social Welfare | 1959–1961 | ||
| Gerald Bartley | Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Finance | June–July 1959 | ||
| Charles Haughey | Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Justice | 1959–1961 | ||
Change 24 July 1959Following the appointment of Gerard Bartley to government. | ||||
| Joseph Brennan | Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Finance | July 1959 – 1961 | ||