# 6th Seanad

The 6th Seanad was in office from 1948 to 1951. An election to Seanad Éireann, the Senate of the Oireachtas (Irish parliament), followed the 1948 general election to the 13th Dáil. The senators served until the close of poll for the 7th Seanad in 1951.

## Cathaoirleach

On 21 April 1948, Timothy O'Donovan (FG), the outgoing Leas-Cathaoirleach, was proposed by Michael Hayes (FG) and seconded by Luke Duffy (Lab) for the position of Cathaoirleach. He was elected unopposed.
On 2 June 1948, Seán Goulding (FF), Cathaoirleach of the 5th Seanad, was proposed by William Quirke (FF) and seconded by Helena Concannon (FF) for the position of Leas-Chathaoirleach. He was elected unopposed.

## Composition of the 6th 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 6th Seanad first met on 21 April 1948.
| 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 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 13 | |
| | Fine Gael | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 12 | |
| | Labour Party | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 8 | |
| | Clann na Talmhan | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | |
| | Clann na Poblachta | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | |
| | Independent | 2 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 22 | |
| 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 |
| John Finan | Administrative Panel | Clann na Talmhan | Elected to 14th Dáil at the general election on 30 May 1951 |
| Patrick Fitzsimons | Administrative Panel | Independent | |
| Seán Goulding | Administrative Panel | Fianna Fáil | |
| Michael Hearne | Administrative Panel | Fianna Fáil | |
| James McGee | Administrative Panel | Independent | |
| Margaret Mary Pearse | Administrative Panel | Fianna Fáil | |
| Jeremiah Ryan | Administrative Panel | Fine Gael | |
| Patrick Baxter | Agricultural Panel | Clann na Talmhan | |
| Robert Malachy Burke | Agricultural Panel | Labour | Resigned on 6 December 1950 |
| John Counihan | Agricultural Panel | Independent | |
| Seán Gibbons | Agricultural Panel | Fianna Fáil | |
| William O'Callaghan | Agricultural Panel | Fine Gael | |
| Timothy O'Donovan | Agricultural Panel | Fine Gael | |
| Martin O'Dwyer | Agricultural Panel | Independent | |
| Patrick O'Reilly | Agricultural Panel | Fianna Fáil | |
| Martin Quinn | Agricultural Panel | Independent | |
| William Quirke | Agricultural Panel | Fianna Fáil | |
| James Tunney | Agricultural Panel | Labour | |
| Michael Hayes | Cultural and Educational Panel | Fine Gael | |
| Cecil Lavery | Cultural and Educational Panel | Fine Gael | Appointed as a judge of the Supreme Court on 21 April 1950 |
| Frank Loughman | Cultural and Educational Panel | Fianna Fáil | |
| Liam Ó Buachalla | Cultural and Educational Panel | Fianna Fáil | |
| Thomas J. O'Connell | Cultural and Educational Panel | Labour | |
| Joseph Brennan | Industrial and Commercial Panel | Independent | Died on 1 February 1950 |
| Denis Burke | Industrial and Commercial Panel | Fine Gael | |
| Andrew Clarkin | Industrial and Commercial Panel | Fianna Fáil | |
| James Crosbie | Industrial and Commercial Panel | Fine Gael | |
| Mary Davidson | Industrial and Commercial Panel | Labour | Elected to Seanad at a by-election on 16 June 1950, succeeding Luke Duffy |
| Henry Morgan Dockrell | Industrial and Commercial Panel | Fine Gael | |
| Luke Duffy | Industrial and Commercial Panel | Labour | Resigned on 22 June 1949 |
| T. V. Honan | Industrial and Commercial Panel | Fianna Fáil | |
| Peter Lynch | Industrial and Commercial Panel | Independent | |
| Frederick Summerfield | Industrial and Commercial Panel | Independent | |
| Richard Anthony | Labour Panel | Independent | |
| John Butler | Labour Panel | Fine Gael | |
| Seán Campbell | Labour Panel | Labour | Died on 27 February 1950 |
| Michael Colgan | Labour Panel | Independent | |
| Andrew Fogarty | Labour Panel | Fianna Fáil | |
| Frederick Hawkins | Labour Panel | Independent | |
| Seán Hayes | Labour Panel | Fianna Fáil | |
| John Meighan | Labour Panel | Clann na Talmhan | |
| J. T. O'Farrell | Labour Panel | Labour | Resigned on 31 May 1950 |
| Seán Ruane | Labour Panel | Independent | |
| Michael Smyth | Labour Panel | Independent | |
| Henry Barniville | National University of Ireland | Fine Gael | |
| Helena Concannon | National University of Ireland | Fianna Fáil | |
| George O'Brien | National University of Ireland | Independent | |
| Joseph Warwick Bigger | Dublin University | Independent | |
| William Fearon | Dublin University | Independent | |
| William Bedell Stanford | Dublin University | Independent | |
| George C. Bennett | Nominated by the Taoiseach | Fine Gael | |
| Eleanor Butler | Nominated by the Taoiseach | Labour | |
| James G. Douglas | Nominated by the Taoiseach | Independent | |
| Denis Ireland | Nominated by the Taoiseach | Clann na Poblachta | |
| Patrick McCartan | Nominated by the Taoiseach | Clann na Poblachta | |
| James J. McCrea | Nominated by the Taoiseach | Labour | |
| Edward McGuire | Nominated by the Taoiseach | Independent | |
| Séamus O'Farrell | Nominated by the Taoiseach | Independent | |
| Edward Richards-Orpen | Nominated by the Taoiseach | Independent | |
| Edmund Sweetman | Nominated by the Taoiseach | Fine Gael | |
| Patrick Woulfe | Nominated by the Taoiseach | Independent | |

## Changes

| Date | Panel | Loss | Gain | Note |
| 22 June 1949 | Industrial and Commercial Panel | Labour | | Resignation of Luke Duffy on his appointment to the board of the Industrial Development Authority |
| 1 February 1950 | Industrial and Commercial Panel | Independent | | Death of Joseph Brennan |
| 27 February 1950 | Labour Panel | Labour | | Death of Seán Campbell |
| 21 April 1950 | Cultural and Educational Panel | Fine Gael | | Cecil Lavery appointed as a judge of the Supreme Court |
| 31 May 1950 | Labour Panel | Labour | | Resignation of J. T. O'Farrell |
| 16 June 1950 | Industrial and Commercial Panel | | Labour | Mary Davidson elected at a by-election to succeed Luke Duffy |
| 6 December 1950 | Agricultural Panel | Labour | | Resignation of Robert Malachy Burke |
| 30 May 1951 | Administrative Panel | Clann na Talmhan | | John Finan elected to the 14th Dáil at the 1951 general election |