# 2nd Seanad

The 2nd Seanad was in office in 1938. An election to Seanad Éireann, the Senate of the Oireachtas (Irish parliament), took place in March 1938, following the coming into operation of the Constitution of Ireland in December 1937. The senators served until the close of poll for the 3rd Seanad, in July 1938.

## Designation

The Seanad of the Irish Free State was abolished by the Constitution (Amendment No. 24) Act 1936, with its last meeting on 19 May 1936. The Free State Seanad was elected in stages and thus considered to be in permanent session. Although there were five Seanad elections held before its abolition, the First Seanad includes the entire period from 1922 to 1936.
A new Seanad Éireann was established under the 1937 Constitution, with elections following general elections to Dáil Éireann. To indicate continuity with its Free State predecessor, the first Seanad elected after 1937 is numbered as the Second Seanad. The election to the 2nd Seanad was elected under Article 53 of the Constitution, which provided that on the coming into operation of the Constitution, which took place on 29 December 1937, a general election for the Seanad would take place as if there had been a dissolution of the Dáil.

## Cathaoirleach

On 27 April 1938, Seán Gibbons (FF) was proposed by Helena Concannon (FF) and seconded by Margaret Mary Pearse (FF) for the position of Cathaoirleach. Séamus Ó hEocha (Ind) was proposed by Michael Hayes (FG) and seconded by Michael Tierney (FG) for the position. Gibbons was elected by a vote of 29 to 26.
On 11 May 1938, Pádraic Ó Máille (FF), who had served as Leas-Cheann Comhairle of Dáil Éireann from 1922 to 1927, was proposed by Seán Hayes (FF) and seconded by Peadar Toner Mac Fhionnlaoich (Ind) for the position of Leas-Chathaoirleach. Ó Máille was elected by a vote of 30 to 23.

## Composition of the 2nd 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 2nd Seanad first met on 27 April 1938.
| 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 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 21 | |
| | Fine Gael | 2 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 17 | |
| | Labour Party | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| | Independent | 2 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 21 | |
| Total | Total | 7 | 11 | 5 | 9 | 11 | 3 | 3 | 11 | 60 | |

## List of senators

Senators elected at the April 1938 Seanad election :
| Panel or constituency | Name | Party |
| Administrative Panel | Christopher Byrne | Fianna Fáil |
| Administrative Panel | Thomas Condon | Independent |
| Administrative Panel | Michael Hayes | Fine Gael |
| Administrative Panel | Richard Mulcahy | Fine Gael |
| Administrative Panel | John Newcome | Independent |
| Administrative Panel | Margaret Mary Pearse | Fianna Fáil |
| Administrative Panel | Thomas Ruane | Fianna Fáil |
| Administrative Panel | Patrick Baxter | Fine Gael |
| Administrative Panel | William Caffrey | Fine Gael |
| Administrative Panel | Seán Gibbons | Fianna Fáil |
| Administrative Panel | John Nassau Greene | Independent |
| Administrative Panel | Patrick Kehoe | Fianna Fáil |
| Administrative Panel | Ross McGillycuddy | Independent |
| Administrative Panel | William O'Callaghan | Fine Gael |
| Administrative Panel | Martin O'Dwyer | Independent |
| Administrative Panel | Pádraic Ó Máille | Fianna Fáil |
| Administrative Panel | William Quirke | Fianna Fáil |
| Administrative Panel | Michael Twomey | Independent |
| Cultural and Educational Panel | Patrick Doyle | Fine Gael |
| Cultural and Educational Panel | Seán O'Donovan | Fianna Fáil |
| Cultural and Educational Panel | Séamus Ó hEocha | Independent |
| Cultural and Educational Panel | Gearóid O'Sullivan | Fine Gael |
| Cultural and Educational Panel | James Parkinson | Fine Gael |
| Industrial and Commercial Panel | Daniel Corkery | Fianna Fáil |
| Industrial and Commercial Panel | James Crosbie | Fine Gael |
| Industrial and Commercial Panel | James G. Douglas | Independent |
| Industrial and Commercial Panel | Michael Hearne | Fianna Fáil |
| Industrial and Commercial Panel | Cornelius Kennedy | Fine Gael |
| Industrial and Commercial Panel | John MacLoughlin | Fine Gael |
| Industrial and Commercial Panel | Linda Kearns MacWhinney | Fianna Fáil |
| Industrial and Commercial Panel | David Madden | Fine Gael |
| Industrial and Commercial Panel | Brian O'Rourke | Fine Gael |
| Labour Panel | John Butler | Fine Gael |
| Labour Panel | Michael Conway | Independent |
| Labour Panel | John Gaffney | Independent |
| Labour Panel | Frederick Hawkins | Independent |
| Labour Panel | Seán Hayes | Fianna Fáil |
| Labour Panel | Gilbert Hughes | Fianna Fáil |
| Labour Panel | James Johnston | Independent |
| Labour Panel | Thomas McShea | Independent |
| Labour Panel | Seán Milroy | Fine Gael |
| Labour Panel | James Tunney | Labour |
| Labour Panel | David Walsh | Independent |
| Dublin University | Ernest Alton | Independent |
| Dublin University | Joseph Johnston | Independent |
| Dublin University | Robert Rowlette | Independent |
| National University of Ireland | Henry Barniville | Fine Gael |
| National University of Ireland | Helena Concannon | Fianna Fáil |
| National University of Ireland | Michael Tierney | Fine Gael |
| Nominated by the Taoiseach | Robert Farnan | Fianna Fáil |
| Nominated by the Taoiseach | T. V. Honan | Fianna Fáil |
| Nominated by the Taoiseach | Douglas Hyde | Independent |
| Nominated by the Taoiseach | Sir John Keane | Independent |
| Nominated by the Taoiseach | Margaret L. Kennedy | Fianna Fáil |
| Nominated by the Taoiseach | Peadar Toner Mac Fhionnlaoich | Independent |
| Nominated by the Taoiseach | William Magennis | Independent |
| Nominated by the Taoiseach | Frank MacDermot | Fianna Fáil |
| Nominated by the Taoiseach | Maurice George Moore | Fianna Fáil |
| Nominated by the Taoiseach | David Robinson | Fianna Fáil |
| Nominated by the Taoiseach | Matthew Stafford | Fianna Fáil |

## Changes

| Date | Panel | Loss | Gain | Note |
| 4 May 1938 | Nominated by the Taoiseach | Independent | | Douglas Hyde elected as President of Ireland |
| 10 May 1938 | Nominated by the Taoiseach | | Independent | Patrick Keohane nominated to replace Douglas Hyde |
| 17 June 1938 | Administrative Panel | Fine Gael | | Richard Mulcahy elected to the 10th Dáil at the 1938 general election |