# 8th Seanad

The 8th Seanad was in office from 1954 to 1957. An election to Seanad Éireann, the senate of the Oireachtas (Irish parliament), followed the 1954 general election to the 15th Dáil. The senators served until the close of poll for the 9th Seanad in 1957.

## Cathaoirleach

On 22 July 1954, Patrick Baxter (CnaT), was proposed by Michael Hayes (FG) and seconded by William Quirke (FF) for the position of Cathaoirleach. He was elected unopposed.
On 27 July 1954, Liam Ó Buachalla (FF), Cathaoirleach of the 7th Seanad, was proposed by Frederick Hawkins (Ind) and seconded by Michael Hayes (FG) for the position of Leas-Chathaoirleach. He was elected unopposed.

## Composition of the 8th 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 8th Seanad first met on 22 July 1954.
| 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 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | |
| | Fine Gael | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 14 | |
| | Labour Party | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 9 | |
| | Clann na Talmhan | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | |
| | Independent | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 20 | |
| 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 |
| Gerry L'Estrange | Administrative Panel | Fine Gael | |
| James McGee | Administrative Panel | Independent | Died on 19 January 1956 |
| John L. O'Sullivan | Administrative Panel | Fine Gael | |
| Margaret Mary Pearse | Administrative Panel | Fianna Fáil | |
| Thomas Ruane | Administrative Panel | Fianna Fáil | |
| Patrick Teehan | Administrative Panel | Fianna Fáil | |
| Louis Walsh | Administrative Panel | Independent | |
| William Woods | Administrative Panel | Independent | Elected to Seanad at a by-election on 14 May 1956, replacing James McGee |
| Patrick Baxter | Agricultural Panel | Clann na Talmhan | |
| Patrick Cogan | Agricultural Panel | Fianna Fáil | |
| Bernard Commons | Agricultural Panel | Clann na Talmhan | |
| John Mannion | Agricultural Panel | Fine Gael | |
| James J. McCrea | Agricultural Panel | Labour | |
| William O'Callaghan | Agricultural Panel | Fine Gael | |
| Patrick O'Reilly | Agricultural Panel | Fianna Fáil | |
| Timothy O'Sullivan | Agricultural Panel | Fianna Fáil | |
| Micheál Prendergast | Agricultural Panel | Fine Gael | |
| William Quirke | Agricultural Panel | Fianna Fáil | Died on 5 March 1955 |
| John Donnelly Sheridan | Agricultural Panel | Independent | |
| Joe Sheridan | Agricultural Panel | Independent | Elected to Seanad at a by-election on 14 May 1956, replacing William Quirke |
| James Crosbie | Cultural and Educational Panel | Fine Gael | |
| Michael ffrench-O'Carroll | Cultural and Educational Panel | Independent | |
| Eamon Kissane | Cultural and Educational Panel | Fianna Fáil | |
| Liam Ó Buachalla | Cultural and Educational Panel | Fianna Fáil | |
| Thomas J. O'Connell | Cultural and Educational Panel | Labour | |
| Seamus Bohan | Industrial and Commercial Panel | Independent | Elected to Seanad at a by-election on 14 May 1956, replacing Andrew Clarkin |
| Denis Burke | Industrial and Commercial Panel | Fine Gael | |
| Andrew Clarkin | Industrial and Commercial Panel | Fianna Fáil | Died on 23 November 1955 |
| Mary Davidson | Industrial and Commercial Panel | Labour | |
| Jane Dowdall | Industrial and Commercial Panel | Fianna Fáil | |
| Seán Hartney | Industrial and Commercial Panel | Fianna Fáil | |
| John Lynch | Industrial and Commercial Panel | Fine Gael | |
| Peter Lynch | Industrial and Commercial Panel | Independent | |
| Edward McGuire | Industrial and Commercial Panel | Independent | |
| James O'Keeffe | Industrial and Commercial Panel | Fine Gael | Elected to Seanad at a by-election on 14 May 1956, replacing Matthew Smith |
| Matthew Smith | Industrial and Commercial Panel | Fianna Fáil | Died on 3 November 1955 |
| Richard Anthony | Labour Panel | Independent | |
| John Butler | Labour Panel | Fine Gael | |
| Victor Carton | Labour Panel | Fine Gael | |
| Patrick Crowley | Labour Panel | Labour | |
| Frederick Hawkins | Labour Panel | Independent | Died on 2 August 1956 |
| Seán Hayes | Labour Panel | Fianna Fáil | |
| Liam Kelly | Labour Panel | Independent | |
| Dominick Murphy | Labour Panel | Labour | |
| Frank Purcell | Labour Panel | Independent | |
| Seán Ruane | Labour Panel | Independent | |
| Patrick Tierney | Labour Panel | Labour | |
| Henry Barniville | National University of Ireland | Fine Gael | |
| Roger McHugh | National University of Ireland | Independent | |
| George O'Brien | National University of Ireland | Independent | |
| William Fearon | Dublin University | Independent | |
| Owen Sheehy-Skeffington | Dublin University | Independent | |
| William Bedell Stanford | Dublin University | Independent | |
| Patrick Bergin | Nominated by the Taoiseach | Labour | |
| Arthur Cox | Nominated by the Taoiseach | Independent | |
| James G. Douglas | Nominated by the Taoiseach | Independent | Died on 16 September 1954 |
| John Douglas | Nominated by the Taoiseach | Independent | Nominated on 1 October 1954, replacing James G. Douglas |
| Henry Eustace Guinness | Nominated by the Taoiseach | Independent | |
| Michael Hayes | Nominated by the Taoiseach | Fine Gael | |
| James Hickey | Nominated by the Taoiseach | Labour | |
| John Meighan | Nominated by the Taoiseach | Clann na Talmhan | |
| Frank J. Hugh O'Donnell | Nominated by the Taoiseach | Independent | |
| Patrick O'Gorman | Nominated by the Taoiseach | Fine Gael | |
| James Reidy | Nominated by the Taoiseach | Fine Gael | |
| James Tunney | Nominated by the Taoiseach | Labour | |

## Changes

| Date | Panel | Loss | Gain | Note |
| 16 September 1954 | Nominated by the Taoiseach | Independent | | Death of James G. Douglas |
| 1 October 1954 | Nominated by the Taoiseach | | Independent | John Douglas nominated to replace James G. Douglas |
| 5 March 1955 | Agricultural Panel | Fianna Fáil | | Death of William Quirke |
| 3 November 1955 | Industrial and Commercial Panel | Fianna Fáil | | Death of Matthew Smith |
| 23 November 1955 | Industrial and Commercial Panel | Fianna Fáil | | Death of Andrew Clarkin |
| 19 January 1956 | Administrative Panel | Independent | | Death of James McGee |
| 14 May 1956 | Agricultural Panel | | Independent | Joe Sheridan elected at a by-election to succeed William Quirke |
| 14 May 1956 | Industrial and Commercial Panel | | Fine Gael | James O'Keeffe elected at a by-election to succeed Matthew Smith |
| 14 May 1956 | Industrial and Commercial Panel | | Independent | Seamus Bohan elected at a by-election to succeed Andrew Clarkin |
| 14 May 1956 | Administrative Panel | | Independent | William Woods elected at a by-election to succeed James McGee |
| 2 August 1956 | Labour Panel | Independent | | Death of Frederick Hawkins |