# 25th Seanad

The 25th Seanad was in office from 2016 to 2020. An election to Seanad Éireann, the senate of the Oireachtas (Irish parliament), followed the 2016 general election to the 32nd Dáil on 26 February. There are 60 seats in the Seanad: 43 were elected on five vocational panels by serving politicians, for which polling closed on 25 April; 6 were elected in two university constituencies, for which polling closed on 26 April; and 11 were nominated by the Taoiseach (Enda Kenny) on 27 May 2016. It remained in office until the close of poll for the 26th Seanad in March 2020.

## Cathaoirleach

On 8 June 2016, when the 25th Seanad first met at Leinster House, Rose Conway-Walsh (SF) was proposed by Trevor Ó Clochartaigh (SF) and seconded by Niall Ó Donnghaile (SF) for the position of Cathaoirleach. Denis O'Donovan (FF) was proposed by Catherine Ardagh (FF) and seconded by Mark Daly (FF). Conway-Walsh was rejected by a vote of 8 to 43. O'Donovan was elected by a vote of 44 to 6.
On 15 June 2016, Máire Devine (SF) was proposed by Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (SF) and seconded by Rose Conway-Walsh (SF) for the position of Leas-Chathaoirleach. Denis Landy (Lab) was proposed by Ivana Bacik (Lab) and seconded by Kevin Humphreys (Lab). Paul Coghlan (FG) was proposed by Jerry Buttimer (FG) and seconded by Paddy Burke. elected as Leas-Chathaoirleach. Gerard Craughwell (Ind) was proposed by Michael McDowell (Ind) and seconded by Victor Boyhan (Ind). Devine was rejected by a vote of 7 to 39. Landy was rejected by a vote of 5 to 27. Coghlan was elected as Leas-Chathaoirleach by a vote of 36 to 11.

## Electoral system

There are 60 seats in the Seanad: 43 Senators were elected by the vocational panels, 6 were elected by the two university constituencies, and 11 were nominated by the Taoiseach. Three seats are elected by graduates of the National University of Ireland and three seats are elected by graduates and scholars of the Dublin University.
Article 18.8 of the Constitution requires that an election for Seanad Éireann must take place not later than 90 days after a dissolution of the Dáil. On 9 February, Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government Alan Kelly signed the orders for the Seanad election.
Nominations for the 43 vocational panel seats closed at noon on 21 March 2016 and the full list of panel nominees was published in Iris Oifigiúil on 1 April 2016. Polls for these two university constituencies closed at 11.00 a.m. on Tuesday 26 April 2016.
Forty-three vocational panel seats are filled by an electorate of public representatives, comprising the incoming 32nd Dáil, the outgoing 24th Seanad, and members of city and county councils, each of whom has one vote in each of the five panels. The total electorate was 1,155. Polling closed at 11 a.m. on Monday 25 April 2016, with the count beginning immediately afterwards. A total of 1,124 of the electorate voted. Each panel is subdivided into an Oireachtas ("inside") subpanel and Nominating Bodies ("outside") subpanel, and a portion of seats must be filled from each subpanel; John Dolan was elected despite having fewer votes than Tom Sheahan and Thomas Welby when they were eliminated, because they were on the inside panel and all remaining seats were reserved for the outside panel.
Taoiseach Enda Kenny nominated 11 senators on 27 May 2016.
The government of the 32nd Dáil was a minority government of Fine Gael and several independent TDs, supported by Fianna Fáil. Similarly, Fine Gael did not hold a majority in the Seanad: and even if all 20 Fine Gael Senators voted in favour of a motion, and all 14 Fianna Fáil Senators abstained, four more votes from independent or opposition Senators were required to pass a motion. There were several very close votes and defeats. This was unusual, as the Senators nominated by the Taoiseach usually give the government a majority.

## Composition of the 25th Seanad

| 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 |
| ● | Fine Gael | 2 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 19 | |
| C | Fianna Fáil | 2 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | |
| | Sinn Féin | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | |
| | Labour Party | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | |
| | Green Party | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| | Independent | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 14 | |
| Total | Total | 7 | 11 | 5 | 9 | 11 | 3 | 3 | 11 | 60 | |
Government party denoted with bullet (●). Party giving confidence and supply denoted by C.

## Technical groups

The minimum parliamentary group size is five Senators, a threshold met by Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil, Sinn Féin, and the following three technical groups. Apart from the Cathaoirleach, independent Marie-Louise O'Donnell was the only senator not a member of any group.

### Independent group (9)

| Party | Name | Constituency |
| Independent (9) | Victor Boyhan | Agricultural Panel |
| Independent (9) | Gerard Craughwell | Labour Panel |
| Independent (9) | Joan Freeman | Nominated by the Taoiseach |
| Independent (9) | Billy Lawless | Nominated by the Taoiseach |
| Independent (9) | Ian Marshall | Agricultural Panel |
| Independent (9) | Michael McDowell | National University |
| Independent (9) | Rónán Mullen | National University |
| Independent (9) | Pádraig Ó Céidigh | Nominated by the Taoiseach |
| Independent (9) | Brian Ó Domhnaill | Agricultural Panel |
All were independents, although not all independent senators were members of the group.

### Civil Engagement group (5)

| Party | Name | Constituency |
| Independent (5) | Frances Black | Industrial and Commercial Panel |
| Independent (5) | John Dolan | Administrative Panel |
| Independent (5) | Alice-Mary Higgins | National University |
| Independent (5) | Colette Kelleher | Nominated by the Taoiseach |
| Independent (5) | Lynn Ruane | Dublin University |
All members of the Civil Engagement group were first-time Oireachtas members and independents. This group included Grace O'Sullivan (Green Party) until her election to the European Parliament in May 2019.

### Technical group (5)

| Party | Name | Constituency |
| Labour Party (4) | Ivana Bacik | Dublin University |
| Labour Party (4) | Kevin Humphreys | Administrative Panel |
| Labour Party (4) | Ged Nash | Labour Panel |
| Labour Party (4) | Aodhán Ó Ríordáin | Industrial and Commercial Panel |
| Independent (1) | David Norris | Dublin University |
All were in Labour except for independent Norris. Labour formed a party group until the retirement of Denis Landy left it below the five-senator threshold. It first formed a technical group with Trevor Ó Clochartaigh, who had resigned from Sinn Féin. When Ó Clochartaigh resigned from the Seanad, Labour recruited Norris, who had left the Independent group shortly after the 2016 election.

## List of senators

* Note: The entries for Senators who were elected or appointed to fill vacancies are shown in italics
| Name | Panel | Party | Notes |
| Martin Conway | Administrative Panel | Fine Gael | |
| Mark Daly | Administrative Panel | Fianna Fáil | |
| John Dolan | Administrative Panel | Independent | Member of the Civil Engagement group |
| Maura Hopkins | Administrative Panel | Fine Gael | |
| Kevin Humphreys | Administrative Panel | Labour | |
| Niall Ó Donnghaile | Administrative Panel | Sinn Féin | |
| Diarmuid Wilson | Administrative Panel | Fianna Fáil | |
| Victor Boyhan | Agricultural Panel | Independent | Member of the Seanad Independent Group |
| Paddy Burke | Agricultural Panel | Fine Gael | |
| Maria Byrne | Agricultural Panel | Fine Gael | |
| Rose Conway-Walsh | Agricultural Panel | Sinn Féin | Elected to Dáil at the 2020 general election |
| Paul Daly | Agricultural Panel | Fianna Fáil | |
| Denis Landy | Agricultural Panel | Labour | Resigned from the Seanad on 28 November 2017 |
| Tim Lombard | Agricultural Panel | Fine Gael | |
| Trevor Ó Clochartaigh | Agricultural Panel | Sinn Féin | Resigned from Sinn Féin on 30 November 2017; Resigned from the Seanad on 5 February 2018 |
| Brian Ó Domhnaill | Agricultural Panel | Fianna Fáil | Resigned from Fianna Fáil in December 2016. Member of the Seanad Independent Group |
| Denis O'Donovan | Agricultural Panel | Fianna Fáil | Cathaoirleach |
| Grace O'Sullivan | Agricultural Panel | Green | Member of the Civil Engagement group. Elected to the European Parliament in May 2019. |
| Ian Marshall | Agricultural Panel | Ind. Unionist | Elected in a by-election on 27 April 2018, replacing Denis Landy. Member of the Seanad Independent Group |
| Anthony Lawlor | Agricultural Panel | Fine Gael | Elected in a by-election on 27 April 2018, replacing Trevor Ó Clochartaigh |
| Pippa Hackett | Agricultural Panel | Green | Elected in a by-election on 1 November 2019, replacing Grace O'Sullivan |
| Lorraine Clifford-Lee | Cultural and Educational Panel | Fianna Fáil | |
| Gabrielle McFadden | Cultural and Educational Panel | Fine Gael | |
| Kieran O'Donnell | Cultural and Educational Panel | Fine Gael | Elected to Dáil at the 2020 general election |
| Keith Swanick | Cultural and Educational Panel | Fianna Fáil | |
| Fintan Warfield | Cultural and Educational Panel | Sinn Féin | |
| Catherine Ardagh | Industrial and Commercial Panel | Fianna Fáil | |
| Frances Black | Industrial and Commercial Panel | Independent | Member of the Civil Engagement group |
| Colm Burke | Industrial and Commercial Panel | Fine Gael | Elected to Dáil at the 2020 general election |
| Paul Coghlan | Industrial and Commercial Panel | Fine Gael | |
| Aidan Davitt | Industrial and Commercial Panel | Fianna Fáil | |
| Gerry Horkan | Industrial and Commercial Panel | Fianna Fáil | |
| Pádraig Mac Lochlainn | Industrial and Commercial Panel | Sinn Féin | Elected to Dáil at the 2020 general election |
| Catherine Noone | Industrial and Commercial Panel | Fine Gael | |
| Aodhán Ó Ríordáin | Industrial and Commercial Panel | Labour | Elected to Dáil at the 2020 general election |
| Jerry Buttimer | Labour Panel | Fine Gael | Leader of the Seanad |
| Gerard Craughwell | Labour Panel | Independent | Member of the Seanad Independent Group |
| Máire Devine | Labour Panel | Sinn Féin | |
| Robbie Gallagher | Labour Panel | Fianna Fáil | |
| Paul Gavan | Labour Panel | Sinn Féin | |
| Terry Leyden | Labour Panel | Fianna Fáil | |
| Jennifer Murnane O'Connor | Labour Panel | Fianna Fáil | Elected to Dáil at the 2020 general election |
| Ged Nash | Labour Panel | Labour | Elected to Dáil at the 2020 general election |
| Joe O'Reilly | Labour Panel | Fine Gael | |
| Ned O'Sullivan | Labour Panel | Fianna Fáil | |
| Neale Richmond | Labour Panel | Fine Gael | Elected to Dáil at the 2020 general election |
| Alice-Mary Higgins | National University of Ireland | Independent | Member of the Civil Engagement group |
| Michael McDowell | National University of Ireland | Independent | Member of the Seanad Independent Group |
| Rónán Mullen | National University of Ireland | Independent | Member of the Seanad Independent Group |
| Ivana Bacik | Dublin University | Labour | |
| David Norris | Dublin University | Independent | Member of the Labour Technical Group |
| Lynn Ruane | Dublin University | Independent | Member of the Civil Engagement group |
| Ray Butler | Nominated by the Taoiseach | Fine Gael | |
| Paudie Coffey | Nominated by the Taoiseach | Fine Gael | |
| Frank Feighan | Nominated by the Taoiseach | Fine Gael | Elected to Dáil at the 2020 general election |
| Joan Freeman | Nominated by the Taoiseach | Independent | Member of the Seanad Independent Group |
| Colette Kelleher | Nominated by the Taoiseach | Independent | Member of the Civil Engagement group |
| Billy Lawless | Nominated by the Taoiseach | Independent | Member of the Seanad Independent Group |
| Michelle Mulherin | Nominated by the Taoiseach | Fine Gael | |
| Pádraig Ó Céidigh | Nominated by the Taoiseach | Independent | Member of the Seanad Independent Group |
| Marie-Louise O'Donnell | Nominated by the Taoiseach | Independent | |
| John O'Mahony | Nominated by the Taoiseach | Fine Gael | |
| James Reilly | Nominated by the Taoiseach | Fine Gael | |
| Seán Kyne | Nominated by the Taoiseach | Fine Gael | Nominated on 20 February 2020 to fill vacancy |

## Changes

| Date | Panel | Loss | Gain | Note |
| 15 December 2016 | Agricultural Panel | Fianna Fáil | Independent | Brian Ó Domhnaill resigns from Fianna Fáil |
| 28 November 2017 | Agricultural Panel | Labour | | Denis Landy resigns from the Seanad |
| 30 November 2017 | Agricultural Panel | Sinn Féin | Independent | Trevor Ó Clochartaigh resigns from Sinn Féin |
| 5 February 2018 | Agricultural Panel | Independent | | Trevor Ó Clochartaigh resigns from the Seanad on appointment to role within TG4 |
| 27 April 2018 | Agricultural Panel | | Ind. Unionist | Ian Marshall elected in a by-election |
| 27 April 2018 | Agricultural Panel | | Fine Gael | Anthony Lawlor elected in a by-election |
| 1 July 2019 | Agricultural Panel | Green | | Grace O'Sullivan elected at the 2019 European Parliament election in May 2019 |
| 1 November 2019 | Agricultural Panel | | Green | Pippa Hackett elected unopposed in a by-election |
| 8 February 2020 | Industrial and Commercial Panel | Fine Gael | | Colm Burke elected to the 33rd Dáil |
| 8 February 2020 | Agricultural Panel | Sinn Féin | | Rose Conway-Walsh elected to the 33rd Dáil |
| 8 February 2020 | Nominated by the Taoiseach | Fine Gael | | Frank Feighan elected to the 33rd Dáil |
| 8 February 2020 | Industrial and Commercial Panel | Sinn Féin | | Pádraig Mac Lochlainn elected to the 33rd Dáil |
| 8 February 2020 | Labour Panel | Fianna Fáil | | Jennifer Murnane O'Connor elected to the 33rd Dáil |
| 8 February 2020 | Labour Panel | Labour | | Ged Nash elected to the 33rd Dáil |
| 8 February 2020 | Industrial and Commercial Panel | Labour | | Aodhán Ó Ríordáin elected to the 33rd Dáil |
| 8 February 2020 | Cultural and Educational Panel | Fine Gael | | Kieran O'Donnell elected to the 33rd Dáil |
| 8 February 2020 | Labour Panel | Fine Gael | | Neale Richmond elected to the 33rd Dáil |
| 19 February 2020 | Nominated by the Taoiseach | | Fine Gael | Seán Kyne nominated to fill vacancy, replacing Frank Feighan |