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{{Short description|Election to the 18th Dáil}}{{Use Hiberno-English|date=July 2021}}{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2016}}

factoids

18TH DáIL 1965: CLARE WEBSITE=ELECTIONSIRELAND.ORG, 14 July 2022, }}| majority_seats = 73| election_date = 7 April 1965| elected_mps = 18th Dáilpercentage point>pp| Image =Seán_Lemass,_1966.jpgcWidth = 120oTop = 0|oLeft = 0}}| leader1 = Seán Lemass1959 Fianna Fáil leadership election>22 June 1959| party1 = Fianna FáilDublin South-Central (Dáil constituency)>Dublin South-Central| last_election1 = 70 seats, 43.8%| seats_before1 = 71| seats1 = 72| seat_change1 = {{increase}}1| percentage1 = 47.7%| swing1 = {{increase}}3.9%Image =James Dillon circa 1930s.jpgcWidth = 120oTop = 0|oLeft = 0}}James Dillon (Fine Gael politician)>James Dillon| leader_since2 = 21 March 1959| party2 = Fine GaelMonaghan (Dáil constituency)>Monaghan| last_election2 = 47 seats, 32.0%| seats_before2 = 48| seats2 = 47| seat_change2 = {{decrease}}1| percentage2 = 34.1%| swing2 = {{increase}}2.1%Image =Brendan Corish 1949.pngcWidth = 120oTop = 0|oLeft = 0}}Brendan Corish>Brendan Corish| leader_since4 = 2 March 1960| party4 = Labour Party (Ireland)Wexford (Dáil constituency)>Wexford| last_election4 = 16 seats, 11.6%| seats_before4 = 17name=CC}}| seat_change4 = {{increase}}5| percentage4 = 15.4%| swing4 = {{increase}}3.7%Image =Seán MacBride circa 1947.jpgcWidth = 120oTop = 0|oLeft = 5}}| leader5 = Seán MacBride| leader_since5 = 21 January 1946| party5 = Clann na Poblachta| leaders_seat5 = N/A| last_election5 = 1 seat, 1.1%| seats_before5 = 1| seats5 = 1| seat_change5 = {{steady}} 0| percentage5 = 0.8%| swing5 = {{decrease}}0.3%| map_image = Irish_general_election_1965.png| map_size = 300px| map_caption = Percentage of seats gained by each of the three major parties, and number of seats gained by smaller parties and independents.| title = Taoiseach| posttitle = Taoiseach after election| before_election = Seán Lemass| before_party = Fianna Fáil| after_election = Seán Lemass| after_party = Fianna Fáil}}The 1965 Irish general election to the 18th Dáil was held on Wednesday, 7 April, following the dissolution of the 17th Dáil on 18 March by President Éamon de Valera on the request of Taoiseach Seán Lemass. The general election took place in 38 Dáil constituencies throughout Ireland for 144 seats in Dáil Éireann, the house of representatives of the Oireachtas. The governing Fianna Fáil saw a slight increase, though did not obtain a majority.The 18th Dáil met at Leinster House on 21 April to nominate the Taoiseach for appointment by the president and to approve the appointment of a new government of Ireland. Lemass was re-appointed Taoiseach, forming the 11th Government of Ireland, a single-party minority Fianna Fáil government.

Campaign

The general election of 1965 was caused by the ruling Fianna Fáil party's failure to gain a seat in a by-election. The success of Eileen Desmond of the Labour Party in Cork Mid in holding a seat previously held by her husband Dan Desmond, led to an unacceptable mathematical situation with regard to the government's majority. The Taoiseach, Seán Lemass immediately dissolved the Dáil and the campaign began in earnest.Fianna Fáil ran its campaign on its record in government. Over the last number of years the economy had seen a huge improvement and the party played up on its record in government. The party also played up heavily on the personality of the party leader with the slogan "Let Lemass Lead On". Fine Gael put forward a comprehensive manifesto, which included the establishment of a government department concerned with economic planning. However, the older, conservative members of the party did not warm to the new turn the party was taking.

Television and radio

This was the first Irish general election to be covered on television by state broadcaster RTÉ, which had formed on 31 December 1961. Election Newsroom was broadcast live on Telefís Éireann from their Donnybrook studios in Dublin, presented by John O'Donoghue with analysis provided by John Healy (The Irish Times), John O'Sullivan (The Cork Examiner), Garret FitzGerald and Professor Basil Chubb. Cameras were present in four count centres: Bolton Street (Dublin), Wexford, Cork and Monaghan. The GPO provided direct links as results were announced. Raidió Éireann provided special coverage from 3 pm on the day of the count due to the coverage on Telefís Éireann. It was a new approach to election coverage on the state's radio service, which began broadcasting in 1926.WEB,weblink RTÉ COVERAGE OF GENERAL ELECTIONS – 1965 GENERAL ELECTION, RTÉ Libraries and Archives, 20 September 2011, 4 September 2011,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20110904044951weblink">weblink live,

Result

{{Irish general election header|elec_no = 18th|elec_date = 7 April|elec_year = 1965WEBSITE=HOUSES OF THE OIREACHTAS ACCESS-DATE=17 JULY 2022 WORK=ELECTIONSIRELAND.ORGARCHIVE-DATE=30 NOVEMBER 2010URL-STATUS=LIVE, HTTP://WWW.ARK.AC.UK/ELECTIONS/GDALA.HTM>TITLE=DáIL ELECTIONS SINCE 1918ACCESS-DATE=31 MAY 2009ARCHIVE-URL=HTTPS://WEB.ARCHIVE.ORG/WEB/20201127122828/HTTPS://WWW.ARK.AC.UK/ELECTIONS/GDALA.HTMLAST1=NOHLENLAST2=STöVERTITLE=ELECTIONS IN EUROPE: A DATA HANDBOOKISBN=978-3-8329-5609-7, center|300px)}}{{Irish general election party|party = Fianna Fáil|leader = Seán Lemass|seats = 72|seats_chg = +2|seats_% = 50.0|fpv = 597,414|fpv_% = 47.7|fpv_chg = +3.9}}{{Irish general election party|party = Fine GaelJames Dillon (Fine Gael politician)>James Dillon|seats = 47|seats_chg = 0|seats_% = 32.6|fpv = 427,081|fpv_% = 34.1|fpv_chg = +2.1}}{{Irish general election party|party = Labour Party (Ireland)|leader = Brendan Corishname=CC}}|seats_chg = +6|seats_% = 15.3|fpv = 192,740|fpv_% = 15.4|fpv_chg = +3.8}}{{Irish general election party|party = Clann na PoblachtaSeán MacBride{{efn>After the election, while Seán MacBride was leader of Clann na Poblachta, John Tully became leader and the sole member of the parliamentary party.}}|seats = 1|seats_chg = 0|seats_% = 0.7|fpv = 9,427|fpv_% = 0.8|fpv_chg = –0.3}}{{Irish general election party|party = Irish Workers' Party|leader = Michael O'Riordan|seats = 0|seats_chg = 0|seats_% = 0|fpv = 183|fpv_% = 0.0|fpv_chg = 0}}{{Irish general election party|party = Independent politician (Ireland)|leader = N/A |seats = 2|seats_chg = –4|seats_% = 1.4|fpv = 26,277|fpv_% = 2.1|fpv_chg = –3.5}}{{Irish general election spoilt|votes = 11,544}}{{Irish general election totalname=CC}}|seats_chg = 0|fpv = 1,264,666}}{{Irish general election electorate|electorate = 1,683,019|turnout = 75.1%}}

Voting summary

{{bar box|title=First preference vote|titlebar=#ddd|width=600px|barwidth=350px|bars={{bar percent|Fianna Fáil|{{party color|Fianna Fáil}}|47.67}}{{bar percent|Fine Gael|{{party color|Fine Gael}}|34.08}}{{bar percent|Labour|{{party color|Labour Party (Ireland)}}|15.38}}{{bar percent border|Clann na Poblachta|{{party color|Clann na Poblachta}}|border=darkgray|0.75}}{{bar percent|Others|#777777|0.01}}{{bar percent|Independent|{{party color|Independent politician (Ireland)}}|2.10}}}}

Seats summary

{{bar box|title=Dáil seats|titlebar=#ddd|width=600px|barwidth=350px|bars={{bar percent|Fianna Fáil|{{party color|Fianna Fáil}}|50.00}}{{bar percent|Fine Gael|{{party color|Fine Gael}}|32.64}}{{bar percent|Labour|{{party color|Labour Party (Ireland)}}|15.28}}{{bar percent border|Clann na Poblachta|{{party color|Clann na Poblachta}}|border=darkgray|0.69}}{{bar percent|Independent|{{party color|Independent politician (Ireland)}}|1.39}}}}

Government formation and aftermath

Fianna Fáil formed the 11th Government of Ireland, a single-party government led by Seán Lemass as Taoiseach. Lemass had been in office since 1959.James Dillon resigned as leader of Fine Gael immediately after the result was announced.In November 1966, Lemass resigned as Fianna Fáil leader and Taoiseach, and was succeeded in both positions by Jack Lynch, who formed the 12th Government of Ireland.

Changes in membership

First time TDs

• David Andrews
• Luke Belton
• Ben Briscoe
• Flor Crowley
• Tom Fitzpatrick (Cavan)
• Tom Fitzpatrick (Dublin)
• James Kennedy
• Patrick Lenihan
• Gerry L'Estrange
• Michael Lyons
• Bobby Molloy
• John O'Connell
• Michael O'Leary
• Pearse Wyse

Re-elected TDs

• Gus Healy
• Denis Larkin

Outgoing TDs

• Gerald Bartley (Retired)
• Seán Brady (Lost seat)
• Robert Briscoe (Retired)
• Dan Breen (Retired)
• Joseph Blowick (Retired)
• John Moher (Lost seat)
• Denis J. O'Sullivan (Lost seat)
• James Ryan (Retired)
• Eugene Timmons (Lost seat)

See also

• 11th Seanad

Notes

{{notelist}}

References

{{Reflist}}{{Irish elections}}