| 1st Dáil | |
| Term Start: | 21 January 1919 |
| Term End: | 10 May 1921 |
| Membership1: | 105 |
| Chamber1 Leader1: | Seán T. O'Kelly — Count Plunkett — Cathal Brugha |
| Chamber1 Leader2: | Éamon de Valera — Cathal Brugha |
The members of the First Dáil, known as Teachtaí Dála (TDs), were the 101 Members of Parliament (MPs) returned from constituencies in Ireland at the 1918 United Kingdom general election. In its first general election, Sinn Féin won 73 seats and viewed the result as a mandate for independence; in accordance with its declared policy of abstentionism, its 69 MPs refused to attend the British House of Commons in Westminster, and established a revolutionary parliament known as Dáil Éireann. The other Irish MPs — 26 unionists and six from the Irish Parliamentary Party (IPP) — sat at Westminster and for the most part ignored the invitation to attend the Dáil. Thomas Harbison, IPP MP for North East Tyrone, did acknowledge the invitation, but "stated he should decline for obvious reasons".[1] The Dáil met for the first time on 21 January 1919 in Mansion House in Dublin. Only 27 members attended; most of the other Sinn Féin TDs were imprisoned by the British authorities, or in hiding under threat of arrest. All 101 MPs were considered TDs, and their names were called out on the roll of membership, though there was some laughter when Irish Unionist Alliance leader Edward Carson was described as Irish: as láthair ("absent").[2] The database of members of the Oireachtas (Irish parliament) includes for the First Dáil only those elected for Sinn Féin.[3]
| Party | Dec. 1918 | May 1921 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sinn Féin | 73 | 69 | ||
| 22 | ||||
| 6 | 2 | |||
| 3 | ||||
| 1 | 1 | |||
| 23 | ||||
| 4 | ||||
| Unionist Anti-Partition League | 2 | |||
| 4 | ||||
| Total | 105 | |||
| Constituency | Name | Portrait | Party affiliation | data-sort-type="date" rowspan=2 | Assumed office | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Start of Dáil term | End of Dáil term | ||||||||
| Antrim East | data-sort-value="McCalmont, Robert" | Irish Unionist | Resigned in 1919 | Abstained | |||||
| data-sort-value="Hanna, George" | Elected in 1919 by-election as Independent Unionist | Ulster Unionist | Abstained | ||||||
| Antrim Mid | data-sort-value="Oneill, Hugh" | Irish Unionist | Ulster Unionist | Abstained | |||||
| Antrim North | data-sort-value="Kerr-Smiley, Peter" | Irish Unionist | Ulster Unionist | Abstained | |||||
| Antrim South | data-sort-value="Craig, Charles" | Irish Unionist | Ulster Unionist | Abstained | |||||
| Armagh Mid | data-sort-value="Lonsdale, James Rolston" | Irish Unionist | Ulster Unionist | Abstained | |||||
| Armagh North | data-sort-value="Allen, William" | Irish Unionist | Ulster Unionist | Abstained | |||||
| Armagh South | data-sort-value="Donnelly, Patrick" | Irish Parliamentary | Nationalist | Abstained | |||||
| Belfast Cromac | data-sort-value="Lindsay, William Arthur" | Irish Unionist | Ulster Unionist | Abstained | |||||
| Belfast Duncairn | data-sort-value="Carson, Edward" | Irish Unionist | Ulster Unionist | Abstained | |||||
| Belfast Falls | data-sort-value="Devlin, Joseph" | Irish Parliamentary | Nationalist | Abstained | |||||
| Belfast Ormeau | data-sort-value="Moles, Thomas" | Irish Unionist | Ulster Unionist | Abstained | |||||
| Belfast Pottinger | data-sort-value="Dixon, Herbert" | Irish Unionist | Ulster Unionist | Abstained | |||||
| Belfast St Anne's | data-sort-value="Henry Burn, Thomas" | Labour Unionist | Ulster Unionist | Abstained | |||||
| Belfast Shankill | data-sort-value="McGuffin, Samuel" | Labour Unionist | Ulster Unionist | Abstained | |||||
| Belfast Victoria | data-sort-value="Donald, Thompson" | Labour Unionist | Ulster Unionist | Abstained | |||||
| Belfast Woodvale | data-sort-value="Lynn, Robert" | Irish Unionist | Ulster Unionist | Abstained | |||||
| County Carlow | data-sort-value="Lennon, James" | Sinn Féin | 6 August 1920 | ||||||
| Cavan East | data-sort-value="Griffith, Arthur" rowspan=2 | Arthur Griffith | Sinn Féin | 1 April 1919 | |||||
| Tyrone North West | |||||||||
| Cavan West | data-sort-value="Galligan, Paul" | Sinn Féin | 1 April 1919 | ||||||
| Clare East | data-sort-value="Devalera, Éamon" rowspan=2 | Éamon de Valera | Sinn Féin | 1 April 1919 | |||||
| Mayo East | |||||||||
| Clare West | data-sort-value="Ohiggins, Brian" | Sinn Féin | 1 April 1919 | ||||||
| Cork City | data-sort-value="Deroiste, Liam" | Sinn Féin | 1 April 1919 | ||||||
| data-sort-value="Walsh, JJ" | J. J. Walsh | Sinn Féin | 21 January 1919 | ||||||
| Cork East | data-sort-value="Kent, David" | Sinn Féin | 9 May 1919 | ||||||
| Cork Mid | data-sort-value="MacSwiney, Terence" | Sinn Féin | Died in 1920 | 1 April 1919 | |||||
| Cork North | data-sort-value="Okeeffe, Patrick" | Sinn Féin | 1 April 1919 | ||||||
| Cork North East | data-sort-value="Hunter, Thomas" | Sinn Féin | 9 May 1919 | ||||||
| Cork South | data-sort-value="Collins, Michael" | Sinn Féin | 1 April 1919 | ||||||
| Cork South East | data-sort-value="Lynch, Diarmuid" | Sinn Féin | Resigned in 1920 | Never sat in Dáil | |||||
| Cork West | data-sort-value="Hayes, Sean" | Seán Hayes | Sinn Féin | 21 January 1919 | |||||
| Donegal East | data-sort-value="Kelly, Edward" | Irish Parliamentary | Abstained | ||||||
| Donegal North | data-sort-value="Odoherty, Joseph" | Joseph O'Doherty | Sinn Féin | 21 January 1919 | |||||
| Donegal South | data-sort-value="Ward, Peter" | Peter Ward | Sinn Féin | 21 January 1919 | |||||
| Donegal West | data-sort-value="Sweeney, Joseph" | Joseph Sweeney | Sinn Féin | 21 January 1919 | |||||
| Down East | data-sort-value="Reid, David" | Irish Unionist | Ulster Unionist | Abstained | |||||
| Down Mid | data-sort-value="Craig, James" | Irish Unionist | Ulster Unionist | Abstained | |||||
| Down North | data-sort-value="Brown, Thomas Watters" | Irish Unionist | Ulster Unionist | Abstained | |||||
| Down South | data-sort-value="McVeagh, Jeremiah" | Irish Parliamentary | Nationalist | Abstained | |||||
| Down West | data-sort-value="Wilson, Daniel M" | Irish Unionist | Ulster Unionist | Abstained | |||||
| Dublin Clontarf | data-sort-value="Mulcahy, Richard" | Sinn Féin | 21 January 1919 | ||||||
| Dublin College Green | data-sort-value="Okelly, Sean T" | Seán T. O'Kelly | Sinn Féin | 21 January 1919 | |||||
| Dublin Harbour | data-sort-value="Shanahan, Philip" | Sinn Féin | 21 January 1919 | ||||||
| Dublin North | data-sort-value="Lawless, Frank" | Sinn Féin | 1 April 1919 | ||||||
| Dublin Pembroke | data-sort-value="FitzGerald, Desmond" | Sinn Féin | 1 April 1919 | ||||||
| Dublin Rathmines | data-sort-value="Dockrell, Maurice" | Irish Unionist | Unionist Anti-Partition League | Abstained | |||||
| Dublin South | data-sort-value="Gavan Duffy, George" | George Gavan Duffy | Sinn Féin | 21 January 1919 | |||||
| Dublin St James's | data-sort-value="McGrath, Joseph" | Sinn Féin | 1 April 1919 | ||||||
| Dublin St Michan's | data-sort-value="Staines, Michael" | Michael Staines | Sinn Féin | 21 January 1919 | |||||
| Dublin St Patrick's | data-sort-value="Markievicz, Constance" | Sinn Féin | 1 April 1919 | ||||||
| Dublin St Stephen's Green | data-sort-value="Kelly, Thomas" | Sinn Féin | 21 January 1919 | ||||||
| Dublin University | data-sort-value="Samuels, Arthur" | Irish Unionist | Resigned in 1919 | Abstained | |||||
| data-sort-value="Woods, Robert" | Independent Unionist | Abstained | |||||||
| data-sort-value="Jellett, William" | Elected in 1919 by-election as Irish Unionist | Unionist Anti-Partition League | Abstained | ||||||
| Fermanagh North | data-sort-value="Archdale, Edward" | Irish Unionist | Ulster Unionist | Abstained | |||||
| Fermanagh South | data-sort-value="Omahony, Sean" | Sinn Féin | 1 April 1919 | ||||||
| Galway Connemara | data-sort-value="Omaille, Padraic" | Sinn Féin | 21 January 1919 | ||||||
| Galway East | data-sort-value="Mellows, Liam" rowspan=2 | Liam Mellows | Sinn Féin | 21 January 1921 | |||||
| Meath North | |||||||||
| Galway North | data-sort-value="Cusack, Bryan" | Sinn Féin | 1 April 1919 | ||||||
| Galway South | data-sort-value="Fahy, Frank" | Sinn Féin | 1 April 1919 | ||||||
| Kerry East | data-sort-value="Beaslai, Piaras" | Piaras Béaslaí | Sinn Féin | 21 January 1919 | |||||
| Kerry North | data-sort-value="Crowley, James" | Sinn Féin | 17 June 1919 | ||||||
| Kerry South | data-sort-value="Lynch, Fionan" | Sinn Féin | 29 June 1920 | ||||||
| Kerry West | data-sort-value="Stack, Austin" | Sinn Féin | Never sat in 1st Dáil | ||||||
| Kildare North | data-sort-value="Ua Buachalla, Domhnall" | Sinn Féin | 21 January 1919 | ||||||
| Kildare South | data-sort-value="Oconnor, Art" | Sinn Féin | 1 April 1919 | ||||||
| Kilkenny North | data-sort-value="Cosgrave, WT" | Sinn Féin | 1 April 1919 | ||||||
| Kilkenny South | data-sort-value="Omara, James" | Sinn Féin | 1 April 1919 | ||||||
| King's County | data-sort-value="Mccartan, Patrick" | Sinn Féin | Never sat in 1st Dáil | ||||||
| Leitrim | data-sort-value="Dolan, James" | Sinn Féin | 1 April 1919 | ||||||
| Limerick City | data-sort-value="Colivet, Michael" | Sinn Féin | 1 April 1919 | ||||||
| Limerick East | data-sort-value="Hayes, Richard" | Sinn Féin | 1 April 1919 | ||||||
| Limerick West | data-sort-value="Collins, Con" | Con Collins | Sinn Féin | 21 January 1919 | |||||
| Londonderry City | data-sort-value="Macneill, Eoin" rowspan=2 | Eoin MacNeill | Sinn Féin | 21 January 1919 | |||||
| National University | |||||||||
| Londonderry North | data-sort-value="Anderson, Hugh" | Irish Unionist | Resigned in 1919 | Abstained | |||||
| data-sort-value="Barrie, Hugh T" | Elected in 1919 by-election as Irish Unionist | Ulster Unionist | Abstained | ||||||
| Londonderry South | data-sort-value="Henry, Denis" | Irish Unionist | Ulster Unionist | Abstained | |||||
| Longford | data-sort-value="Mcguinness, Joseph" | Sinn Féin | 1 April 1919 | ||||||
| Louth | data-sort-value="OKelly, John J" | John J. O'Kelly | Sinn Féin | 21 January 1919 | |||||
| Mayo North | data-sort-value="Crowley, John" | John Crowley | Sinn Féin | 21 January 1919 | |||||
| Mayo South | data-sort-value="Sears, William" | Sinn Féin | 19 August 1919 | ||||||
| Mayo West | data-sort-value="Macbride, Joseph" | Sinn Féin | 17 June 1919 | ||||||
| Meath South | data-sort-value="Duggan, Eamonn" | Eamonn Duggan | Sinn Féin | 21 January 1919 | |||||
| Monaghan North | data-sort-value="Blythe, Ernest" | Sinn Féin | 1 April 1919 | ||||||
| Monaghan South | data-sort-value="Macentee, Sean" | Sinn Féin | 1 April 1919 | ||||||
| Queen's County | data-sort-value="Ohiggins, Kevin" | Kevin O'Higgins | Sinn Féin | 21 January 1919 | |||||
| Roscommon North | data-sort-value="Plunkett, George Noble" | Sinn Féin | 21 January 1919 | ||||||
| Roscommon South | data-sort-value="Boland, Harry" | Sinn Féin | 1 April 1919 | ||||||
| Queen's University of Belfast | data-sort-value="Whitla, William" | Irish Unionist | Ulster Unionist | Abstained | |||||
| Sligo North | data-sort-value="Clancy, JJ" | Sinn Féin | 29 June 1920 | ||||||
| Sligo South | data-sort-value="Mccabe, Alexander" | Sinn Féin | 1 April 1919 | ||||||
| Tipperary East | data-sort-value="Mccan, Pierce" | Sinn Féin | Died in 1919 | Never sat in Dáil | |||||
| Tipperary Mid | data-sort-value="Burke, Seamus" | Séamus Burke | Sinn Féin | 21 January 1919 | |||||
| Tipperary North | data-sort-value="Macdonagh, Joseph" | Sinn Féin | 1 April 1919 | ||||||
| Tipperary South | data-sort-value="Moloney, PJ" | P. J. Moloney | Sinn Féin | 21 January 1919 | |||||
| Tyrone North East | data-sort-value="Harbison, Thomas" | Irish Parliamentary | Nationalist | Abstained | |||||
| Tyrone South | data-sort-value="Coote, William" | Irish Unionist | Ulster Unionist | Abstained | |||||
| Waterford City | data-sort-value="Redmond, William" | Irish Parliamentary | Abstained | ||||||
| Waterford County | data-sort-value="Brugha, Cathal" | Cathal Brugha | Sinn Féin | 21 January 1919 | |||||
| Westmeath | data-sort-value="Ginnell, Laurence" | Sinn Féin | 1 April 1919 | ||||||
| Wexford North | data-sort-value="Sweetman, Roger" | Roger Sweetman | Sinn Féin | Resigned in 1921 | 21 January 1919 | ||||
| Wexford South | data-sort-value="Ryan, James" | Sinn Féin | 21 January 1919 | ||||||
| Wicklow East | data-sort-value="Etchingham, Sean" | Sinn Féin | 1 April 1919 | ||||||
| Wicklow West | data-sort-value="Barton, Robert" | Sinn Féin | 21 January 1919 | ||||||
When the Sinn Féin executive met on 1 January 1919 to plan for the Dáil's inaugural meeting, it considered appointing substitutes for the imprisoned Sinn Féin TDs who would be unable to attend, but decided against this. When Pierce McCan died on 6 March 1919, his East Tipperary seat was left vacant at Westminster. In April 1919 a Dáil committee considering how to fill the vacancy considered allowing nomination by the Labour Party (which had stood aside in the 1918 election to avoid splitting the nationalist vote)[4] before recommending that the Sinn Féin constituency organisation should nominate.[5] However, in June 1919 the Dáil decided that "it was due to the memory of the late Pierce McCann that his place should not be filled at present".[6] Later vacancies were also left unfilled; when Diarmuid Lynch resigned his seat in 1920, Arthur Griffith said "as the letter of resignation was addressed to the people of South-East Cork, the next step in the matter lay with the South-East Cork Executive of Sinn Fein".[7]
Four TDs represented two separate constituencies: Éamon de Valera, Arthur Griffith, Eoin MacNeill and Liam Mellowes. Ordinarily, this would prompt them to choose one constituency to represent, and to move a writ for a by-election in the other constituency.
| Constituency | Outgoing TD | Party | Reason for vacancy | Date of vacancy | Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tipperary East | Pierce McCan | Death in prison | 6 March 1919 | [8] | ||
| Cork South East | Diarmuid Lynch | Resignation | 6 August 1920 | |||
| Cork Mid | Terence MacSwiney | Death from hunger strike | 25 October 1920 | |||
| North Wexford | Roger Sweetman | Resignation | 27 January 1921 | [9] | ||
The following Westminster by-elections to Irish seats were filled by Unionists who sat at Westminster.
| Winner | Party | Constituency | Date | Outgoing | Party | Reason for vacancy | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hugh T. Barrie | North Londonderry | 4 March 1919 | Hugh Anderson | Resignation | The only by-election contested by Sinn Féin, Patrick McGilligan losing.[10] | ||||
| George Hanna | East Antrim | 27 May 1919 | Appointed commander of the Irish Guards | ||||||
| William Jellett | Dublin University | 28 July 1919 | Arthur Samuels | Appointed to the High Court of Justice in Ireland | |||||