# 14th Seanad

The 14th Seanad was in office from 1977 to 1981. An election to 43 of the 60 seats in Seanad Éireann, the senate of the Oireachtas (Irish parliament) took place in August 1977, following the 1977 general election to the 21st Dáil. The remaining 11 seats were occupied by nominees of Jack Lynch as Taoiseach.
The senators served until the close of poll for the 15th Seanad in 1981.

## Cathaoirleach

On 27 October 1977, Séamus Dolan (FF) was proposed as Cathaoirleach by Eoin Ryan (FF) and seconded by Michael Yeats (FF). He was elected without a division.
On 2 November 1977, Joe McCartin (FG) was proposed as Leas-Chathaoirleach by Patrick Cooney (FG) and seconded by Alexis FitzGerald (FG). He was elected without a division. McCartin was elected for Connacht–Ulster at the 1979 European Parliament election. He retained his seat in the Seanad, but resigned as Leas-Chathaoirleach on 12 July 1979. On 18 July 1979, Charles McDonald (FG) was proposed as Leas-Chathaoirleach by Patrick Cooney (FG) and seconded by Michael Howard (FG). He was elected without a division.

## Composition of the 14th Seanad

There are a total of 60 seats in the Seanad: 43 were elected on five vocational panels, 6 were elected from two university constituencies and 11 were nominated by the Taoiseach.
Two of the Taoiseach's nominees joined Fianna Fáil before the first sitting of the Seanad.
The following table shows the composition by party when the 14th Seanad first met on 27 October 1977.
| OriginParty | OriginParty | Vocational panels | Vocational panels | Vocational panels | Vocational panels | Vocational panels | NUI | DU | Nominated | Total | Total |
| OriginParty | OriginParty | Admin | Agri | Cult & Educ | Ind & Comm | Labour | NUI | DU | Nominated | Total | Total |
| | Fianna Fáil | 4 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 29 | |
| | Fine Gael | 3 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | |
| | Labour Party | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | |
| | Independent | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 7 | |
| Total | Total | 7 | 11 | 5 | 9 | 11 | 3 | 3 | 11 | 60 | |

## List of senators

* Note: The entries for Senators who were elected or appointed to fill vacancies are shown in italics
| Name | Panel | Party | Notes |
| Liam Burke | Administrative Panel | Fine Gael | Elected to 21st Dáil at a by-election on 6 November 1979 |
| Micheál Cranitch | Administrative Panel | Fianna Fáil | |
| Jack Garrett | Administrative Panel | Fianna Fáil | Died on 11 September 1977 |
| Tras Honan | Administrative Panel | Fianna Fáil | |
| Thomas Kilbride | Administrative Panel | Fine Gael | |
| Michael P. Kitt | Administrative Panel | Fianna Fáil | Elected to the 22nd Dáil at the general election on 11 June 1981 |
| Myles Staunton | Administrative Panel | Fine Gael | |
| Michael Donnelly | Administrative Panel | Fianna Fáil | Elected to Seanad at a by-election on 7 December 1977, following the death of Jack Garrett |
| Jim Doolan | Administrative Panel | Fianna Fáil | Elected to Seanad at a by-election in April 1980, following the election of Liam Burke to the Dáil |
| Pierce Butler | Agricultural Panel | Fine Gael | |
| Paul Connaughton | Agricultural Panel | Fine Gael | Elected to the 22nd Dáil at the general election on 11 June 1981 |
| John Ellis | Agricultural Panel | Fianna Fáil | Elected to the 22nd Dáil at the general election on 11 June 1981 |
| Justin Keating | Agricultural Panel | Labour | |
| Rory Kiely | Agricultural Panel | Fianna Fáil | |
| Gerard Lynch | Agricultural Panel | Fine Gael | |
| Joe McCartin | Agricultural Panel | Fine Gael | Elected to the 22nd Dáil at the general election on 11 June 1981 |
| Charles McDonald | Agricultural Panel | Fine Gael | |
| Patrick McGowan | Agricultural Panel | Fianna Fáil | |
| Martin O'Toole | Agricultural Panel | Fianna Fáil | |
| William Ryan | Agricultural Panel | Fianna Fáil | |
| Richard Conroy | Cultural and Educational Panel | Fianna Fáil | |
| Patrick Cooney | Cultural and Educational Panel | Fine Gael | Elected to the 22nd Dáil at the general election on 11 June 1981 |
| Flor Crowley | Cultural and Educational Panel | Fianna Fáil | Elected to the 22nd Dáil at the general election on 11 June 1981 |
| Timothy McAuliffe | Cultural and Educational Panel | Labour | |
| David Molony | Cultural and Educational Panel | Fine Gael | Elected to the 22nd Dáil at the general election on 11 June 1981 |
| Ruairí Brugha | Industrial and Commercial Panel | Fianna Fáil | |
| Alexis FitzGerald | Industrial and Commercial Panel | Fine Gael | |
| Desmond Governey | Industrial and Commercial Panel | Fine Gael | Elected to the 22nd Dáil at the general election on 11 June 1981 |
| Michael Howard | Industrial and Commercial Panel | Fine Gael | |
| Liam Hyland | Industrial and Commercial Panel | Fianna Fáil | Elected to the 22nd Dáil at the general election on 11 June 1981 |
| Mick Lanigan | Industrial and Commercial Panel | Fianna Fáil | |
| Michael Moynihan | Industrial and Commercial Panel | Labour | Elected to the 22nd Dáil at the general election on 11 June 1981 |
| Patrick J. Reynolds | Industrial and Commercial Panel | Fine Gael | |
| Eoin Ryan | Industrial and Commercial Panel | Fianna Fáil | |
| John Blennerhassett | Labour Panel | Fine Gael | |
| Séamus Dolan | Labour Panel | Fianna Fáil | |
| Joseph Dowling | Labour Panel | Fianna Fáil | |
| Des Hanafin | Labour Panel | Fianna Fáil | |
| Jack Harte | Labour Panel | Labour | |
| Tony Herbert | Labour Panel | Fianna Fáil | |
| Brian Hillery | Labour Panel | Fianna Fáil | |
| Fintan Kennedy | Labour Panel | Labour | |
| Michael Lyons | Labour Panel | Fine Gael | |
| Bernard Markey | Labour Panel | Fine Gael | Elected to the 22nd Dáil at the general election on 11 June 1981 |
| Andy O'Brien | Labour Panel | Fine Gael | |
| Gemma Hussey | National University of Ireland | Independent | |
| Augustine Martin | National University of Ireland | Independent | |
| John A. Murphy | National University of Ireland | Independent | |
| Conor Cruise O'Brien | Dublin University | Independent | Resigned from the Seanad on 13 June 1979 |
| Catherine McGuinness | Dublin University | Independent | Elected at a by-election on 11 December 1979, following the resignation of Conor Cruise O'Brien |
| Mary Robinson | Dublin University | Labour | |
| Trevor West | Dublin University | Independent | |
| Séamus Brennan | Nominated by the Taoiseach | Fianna Fáil | Elected to the 22nd Dáil at the general election on 11 June 1981 |
| Séamus de Brún | Nominated by the Taoiseach | Fianna Fáil | |
| Eileen Cassidy | Nominated by the Taoiseach | Fianna Fáil | |
| Valerie Goulding | Nominated by the Taoiseach | Fianna Fáil | |
| Mary Harney | Nominated by the Taoiseach | Fianna Fáil | Elected to the 22nd Dáil at the general election on 11 June 1981 |
| Valentine Jago | Nominated by the Taoiseach | Fianna Fáil | |
| Gordon Lambert | Nominated by the Taoiseach | Independent | |
| P. J. Mara | Nominated by the Taoiseach | Fianna Fáil | Nominated on 16 July 1981 to fill vacancy after 1981 general election |
| Bernard McGlinchey | Nominated by the Taoiseach | Fianna Fáil | |
| Noel Mulcahy | Nominated by the Taoiseach | Fianna Fáil | |
| Joseph O'Neill | Nominated by the Taoiseach | Fianna Fáil | Nominated on 16 July 1981 to fill vacancy after 1981 general election |
| Jim Ruttle | Nominated by the Taoiseach | Fianna Fáil | Nominated on 20 June 1980 to fill vacancy created by the resignation of Michael Yeats |
| T. K. Whitaker | Nominated by the Taoiseach | Independent | |
| Michael Yeats | Nominated by the Taoiseach | Fianna Fáil | Resigned from the Seanad on 12 March 1980 |

## Changes

| Date | Panel | Loss | Gain | Note |
| 11 September 1977 | Administrative Panel | Fianna Fáil | | Death of Jack Garrett |
| 7 December 1977 | Administrative Panel | | Fianna Fáil | Michael Donnelly elected at a by-election after death of Jack Garrett |
| 13 June 1979 | Dublin University | Independent | | Resignation of Conor Cruise O'Brien due to position as editor of The Observer |
| 6 November 1979 | Administrative Panel | Fine Gael | | Liam Burke elected to 21st Dáil at a by-election |
| 11 December 1979 | Dublin University | | Independent | Catherine McGuinness elected at a by-election to replace Conor Cruise O'Brien |
| 12 March 1980 | Nominated by the Taoiseach | Fianna Fáil | | Resignation of Michael Yeats to take office as Director General of the EEC Council of Ministers |
| 16 April 1980 | Administrative Panel | | Fianna Fáil | Jim Doolan elected at a by-election to replace Liam Burke |
| 20 June 1980 | Nominated by the Taoiseach | | Fianna Fáil | Jim Ruttle nominated to repalace Michael Yeats |
| 11 June 1981 | Administrative Panel | Fianna Fáil | | Michael P. Kitt elected to the 22nd Dáil at the 1981 general election |
| 11 June 1981 | Agricultural Panel | Fine Gael | | Paul Connaughton elected to the 22nd Dáil at the 1981 general election |
| 11 June 1981 | Agricultural Panel | Fianna Fáil | | John Ellis elected to the 22nd Dáil at the 1981 general election |
| 11 June 1981 | Agricultural Panel | Fine Gael | | Joe McCartin elected to the 22nd Dáil at the 1981 general election |
| 11 June 1981 | Cultural and Educational Panel | Fine Gael | | Patrick Cooney elected to the 22nd Dáil at the 1981 general election |
| 11 June 1981 | Cultural and Educational Panel | Fianna Fáil | | Flor Crowley elected to the 22nd Dáil at the 1981 general election |
| 11 June 1981 | Cultural and Educational Panel | Fine Gael | | David Molony elected to the 22nd Dáil at the 1981 general election |
| 11 June 1981 | Industrial and Commercial Panel | Fine Gael | | Desmond Governey elected to the 22nd Dáil at the 1981 general election |
| 11 June 1981 | Industrial and Commercial Panel | Fianna Fáil | | Liam Hyland elected to the 22nd Dáil at the 1981 general election |
| 11 June 1981 | Industrial and Commercial Panel | Labour | | Michael Moynihan elected to the 22nd Dáil at the 1981 general election |
| 11 June 1981 | Labour Panel | Fianna Fáil | | Séamus Dolan elected to the 22nd Dáil at the 1981 general election |
| 11 June 1981 | Labour Panel | Fine Gael | | Bernard Markey elected to the 22nd Dáil at the 1981 general election |
| 11 June 1981 | Nominated by the Taoiseach | Fianna Fáil | | Séamus Brennan elected to the 22nd Dáil at the 1981 general election |
| 11 June 1981 | Nominated by the Taoiseach | Fianna Fáil | | Mary Harney elected to the 22nd Dáil at the 1981 general election |
| 16 July 1981 | Nominated by the Taoiseach | | Fianna Fáil | P. J. Mara nominated to fill vacancy after the 1981 general election |
| 16 July 1981 | Nominated by the Taoiseach | | Fianna Fáil | Joseph O'Neill nominated to fill vacancy after the 1981 general election |
| 16 July 1981 | Industrial and Commercial Panel | Fine Gael | | Resignation of Alexis FitzGerald on appointment as special advisor to government |