# 20th Seanad

The 20th Seanad was in office from 1993 to 1997. An election to Seanad Éireann, the senate of the Oireachtas (Irish parliament), followed the 1992 general election to the 27th Dáil. The senators served until the close of poll for the 21st Seanad.

## Cathaoirleach

On 17 February 1993, Seán Fallon (FF) was proposed as Cathaoirleach by G. V. Wright (FF) and seconded by Jan O'Sullivan (Lab). He was elected without a division, with David Norris (Ind) dissenting.
On 25 February 1993, Liam Naughten (FG) was proposed as Leas-Chathaoirleach by Maurice Manning (FG) and seconded by Madeleine Taylor-Quinn (FG). Mary Henry (Ind) was proposed by David Norris (Ind) and seconded by Cathy Honan (PDs). Naughten was elected by a vote of 19 to 6.
On 4 July 1995, Seán Fallon died. On 12 July 1995, Liam Naughten (FG) was proposed as Cathaoirleach by Maurice Manning (FG) and seconded by Liam T. Cosgrave (FG). He was elected without a division. On 19 July 1995, Brian Mullooly was proposed as Leas-Chathaoirleach by G. V. Wright (FF) and seconded by Tom Fitzgerald (FF). He was elected without a division.
On 16 November 1996, Liam Naughten died. On 27 November 1996, Liam T. Cosgrave (FG) was proposed as Cathaoirleach by Maurice Manning (FG) and seconded by Jan O'Sullivan (Lab). Brian Mullooly (FF) was proposed by G. V. Wright (FF) and seconded by Michael Finneran (FF). Cosgrave was elected by a vote of 31 to 28.

## Composition of the 20th 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.
The following table shows the composition by party when the 20th Seanad first met on 17 February 1993.
| 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 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 25 | |
| | Fine Gael | 3 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 17 | |
| | Labour Party | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 9 | |
| | Progressive Democrats | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| | Democratic Left | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| | Independent | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 6 | |
| 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 |
| Louis Belton | Administrative Panel | Fine Gael | Elected to 28th Dáil at general election |
| Joe Doyle | Administrative Panel | Fine Gael | |
| Tom Enright | Administrative Panel | Fine Gael | Elected to 28th Dáil at general election |
| Michael Finneran | Administrative Panel | Fianna Fáil | |
| Michael O'Kennedy | Administrative Panel | Fianna Fáil | Elected to 28th Dáil at general election |
| Jan O'Sullivan | Administrative Panel | Labour | |
| Dick Roche | Administrative Panel | Fianna Fáil | Elected to 28th Dáil at general election |
| Paddy Burke | Agricultural Panel | Fine Gael | |
| Michael Calnan | Agricultural Panel | Labour | |
| Brendan Daly | Agricultural Panel | Fianna Fáil | Elected to 28th Dáil at general election |
| Michael D'Arcy | Agricultural Panel | Fine Gael | Elected to 28th Dáil at general election |
| John Dardis | Agricultural Panel | Progressive Democrats | |
| John V. Farrelly | Agricultural Panel | Fine Gael | Elected to 28th Dáil at general election |
| Tom Fitzgerald | Agricultural Panel | Fianna Fáil | |
| Rory Kiely | Agricultural Panel | Fianna Fáil | |
| Patrick McGowan | Agricultural Panel | Fianna Fáil | |
| Liam Naughten | Agricultural Panel | Fine Gael | Died on 16 November 1996 |
| Francis O'Brien | Agricultural Panel | Fianna Fáil | |
| Denis Naughten | Agricultural Panel | Fine Gael | Elected at by-election on 28 January 1997 |
| Mary Kelly | Cultural and Educational Panel | Labour | |
| Maurice Manning | Cultural and Educational Panel | Fine Gael | |
| Ann Ormonde | Cultural and Educational Panel | Fianna Fáil | |
| Paschal Mooney | Cultural and Educational Panel | Fianna Fáil | |
| Madeleine Taylor-Quinn | Cultural and Educational Panel | Fine Gael | |
| Eddie Bohan | Industrial and Commercial Panel | Fianna Fáil | |
| Liam T. Cosgrave | Industrial and Commercial Panel | Fine Gael | |
| Seán Fallon | Industrial and Commercial Panel | Fianna Fáil | Died on 4 July 1995 |
| Willie Farrell | Industrial and Commercial Panel | Fianna Fáil | |
| Ann Gallagher | Industrial and Commercial Panel | Labour | |
| Cathy Honan | Industrial and Commercial Panel | Progressive Democrats | |
| Michael Howard | Industrial and Commercial Panel | Fine Gael | |
| Mick Lanigan | Industrial and Commercial Panel | Fianna Fáil | |
| Gerry Reynolds | Industrial and Commercial Panel | Fine Gael | Elected to 28th Dáil at general election |
| Sam McAughtry | Industrial and Commercial Panel | Independent | Elected at by-election on 23 February 1996 |
| Donie Cassidy | Labour Panel | Fianna Fáil | |
| Bill Cotter | Labour Panel | Fine Gael | |
| Denis Cregan | Labour Panel | Fine Gael | |
| Frank Fahey | Labour Panel | Fianna Fáil | Elected to 28th Dáil at general election |
| Dan Kiely | Labour Panel | Fianna Fáil | |
| Joe Sherlock | Labour Panel | Democratic Left | Elected as part of an election pact with the Progressive Democrats |
| Don Lydon | Labour Panel | Fianna Fáil | |
| Seán Maloney | Labour Panel | Labour | |
| Jarlath McDonagh | Labour Panel | Fine Gael | |
| Brian Mullooly | Labour Panel | Fianna Fáil | |
| Dan Neville | Labour Panel | Fine Gael | |
| J. J. Lee | National University of Ireland | Independent | |
| Joe O'Toole | National University of Ireland | Independent | |
| Feargal Quinn | National University of Ireland | Independent | |
| Mary Henry | Dublin University | Independent | |
| David Norris | Dublin University | Independent | |
| Shane Ross | Dublin University | Fine Gael | |
| Seán Byrne | Nominated by the Taoiseach | Fianna Fáil | |
| Bill Cashin | Nominated by the Taoiseach | Labour | |
| Brian Crowley | Nominated by the Taoiseach | Fianna Fáil | Resigned on 31 August 1994, after election to the European Parliament |
| Brian Hillery | Nominated by the Taoiseach | Fianna Fáil | Resigned on 4 May 1994, after appointment to the board of the EBRD |
| Billy Kelleher | Nominated by the Taoiseach | Fianna Fáil | Elected to 28th Dáil at general election |
| Pat Magner | Nominated by the Taoiseach | Labour | |
| Marian McGennis | Nominated by the Taoiseach | Fianna Fáil | Elected to 28th Dáil at general election |
| Jim Townsend | Nominated by the Taoiseach | Labour | |
| Jack Wall | Nominated by the Taoiseach | Labour | Elected to 28th Dáil at general election |
| Gordon Wilson | Nominated by the Taoiseach | Independent | Died on 27 June 1995 |
| G. V. Wright | Nominated by the Taoiseach | Fianna Fáil | Elected to 28th Dáil at general election |
| Edward Haughey | Nominated by the Taoiseach | Fianna Fáil | Nominated on 13 December 1994 to fill vacancy |
| Michael Mulcahy | Nominated by the Taoiseach | Fianna Fáil | Nominated on 13 December 1994 to fill vacancy |
| Brian Hayes | Nominated by the Taoiseach | Fine Gael | Nominated on 20 December 1995 to fill vacancy; Elected to 28th Dáil at general election |
| Tom Berkery | Nominated by the Taoiseach | Fine Gael | Nominated on 13 June 1997 to fill vacancy after general election |
| Niamh Bhreathnach | Nominated by the Taoiseach | Labour | Nominated on 13 June 1997 to fill vacancy after general election |
| Niamh Cosgrave | Nominated by the Taoiseach | Fine Gael | Nominated on 13 June 1997 to fill vacancy after general election |
| Michael Enright | Nominated by the Taoiseach | Democratic Left | Nominated on 13 June 1997 to fill vacancy after general election |
| Aidan O'Connor | Nominated by the Taoiseach | Fine Gael | Nominated on 13 June 1997 to fill vacancy after general election |

## Changes

| Date | Panel | Loss | Gain | Note |
| 4 May 1994 | Nominated by the Taoiseach | Fianna Fáil | | Brian Hillery resigned after appointment to the board of the EBRD |
| 31 August 1994 | Nominated by the Taoiseach | Fianna Fáil | | Brian Crowley resigned after election to the European Parliament |
| 13 December 1994 | Nominated by the Taoiseach | | Fianna Fáil | Edward Haughey nominated to fill vacancy |
| 13 December 1994 | Nominated by the Taoiseach | | Fianna Fáil | Michael Mulcahy nominated to fill vacancy |
| 27 June 1995 | Nominated by the Taoiseach | Independent | | Death of Gordon Wilson |
| 4 July 1995 | Industrial and Commercial Panel | Fianna Fáil | | Death of Seán Fallon |
| 20 December 1995 | Nominated by the Taoiseach | | Fine Gael | Brian Hayes nominated to fill vacancy |
| 23 February 1996 | Industrial and Commercial Panel | | Independent | Sam McAughtry elected at by-election following the death of Seán Fallon |
| 16 November 1996 | Agricultural Panel | Fine Gael | | Death of Liam Naughten |
| 28 January 1997 | Agricultural Panel | | Fine Gael | Denis Naughten elected at by-election following the death of Liam Naughten |
| 6 June 1997 | Administrative Panel | Fine Gael | | Louis Belton elected to 28th Dáil at 1997 general election |
| 6 June 1997 | Agricultural Panel | Fine Gael | | Michael D'Arcy elected to 28th Dáil at 1997 general election |
| 6 June 1997 | Agricultural Panel | Fianna Fáil | | Brendan Daly elected to 28th Dáil at 1997 general election |
| 6 June 1997 | Administrative Panel | Fine Gael | | Tom Enright elected to 28th Dáil at 1997 general election |
| 6 June 1997 | Labour Panel | Fianna Fáil | | Frank Fahey elected to 28th Dáil at 1997 general election |
| 6 June 1997 | Agricultural Panel | Fine Gael | | John V. Farrelly elected to 28th Dáil at 1997 general election |
| 6 June 1997 | Nominated by the Taoiseach | Fine Gael | | Brian Hayes elected to 28th Dáil at 1997 general election |
| 6 June 1997 | Nominated by the Taoiseach | Fianna Fáil | | Billy Kelleher elected to 28th Dáil at 1997 general election |
| 6 June 1997 | Nominated by the Taoiseach | Fianna Fáil | | Marian McGennis elected to 28th Dáil at 1997 general election |
| 6 June 1997 | Administrative Panel | Fianna Fáil | | Michael O'Kennedy elected to 28th Dáil at 1997 general election |
| 6 June 1997 | Industrial and Commercial Panel | Fine Gael | | Gerry Reynolds elected to 28th Dáil at 1997 general election |
| 6 June 1997 | Administrative Panel | Fianna Fáil | | Dick Roche elected to 28th Dáil at 1997 general election |
| 6 June 1997 | Nominated by the Taoiseach | Labour | | Jack Wall elected to 28th Dáil at 1997 general election |
| 6 June 1997 | Nominated by the Taoiseach | Fianna Fáil | | G. V. Wright elected to 28th Dáil at 1997 general election |
| 13 June 1997 | Nominated by the Taoiseach | | Fine Gael | Tom Berkery nominated to fill vacancy after the 1997 general election |
| 13 June 1997 | Nominated by the Taoiseach | | Labour | Niamh Bhreathnach nominated to fill vacancy after the 1997 general election |
| 13 June 1997 | Nominated by the Taoiseach | | Fine Gael | Niamh Cosgrave nominated to fill vacancy after the 1997 general election |
| 13 June 1997 | Nominated by the Taoiseach | | Democratic Left | Michael Enright nominated to fill vacancy after the 1997 general election |
| 13 June 1997 | Nominated by the Taoiseach | | Fine Gael | Aidan O'Connor nominated to fill vacancy after the 1997 general election |