# Cultural and Educational Panel

The Cultural and Educational Panel is one of five vocational panels which together elect 43 of the 60 members of Seanad Éireann, the senate of the Oireachtas (the legislature of Ireland). The Cultural and Educational Panel elects five senators.

## Election

Article 18 of the Constitution of Ireland provides that 43 of the 60 senators are to be elected from five vocational panels. The Cultural and Educational Panel is defined in Article 18.7.1° (i) as "National Language and Culture, Literature, Art, Education and such professional interests as may be defined by law for the purpose of this panel". The Seanad returning officer maintains a list of nominating bodies for each of the five panels. Candidates may be nominated either by four members of the Oireachtas or by a nominating body. The electorate consists of city and county councillors and current members of the Oireachtas. As the Seanad election takes place after the election to the Dáil, the Oireachtas members are the members of the incoming Dáil and the outgoing Seanad. Five senators are elected on the Cultural and Educational Panel, at least two of whom must have been nominated by Oireachtas members and at least two must have been nominated by nominating bodies.

## Senators

Senators for the Cultural and Educational Panel :
| Key to parties  FF = Fianna Fáil  FG = Fine Gael  Lab = Labour  SF = Sinn Féin  Ind = Independent ||||||||||||
| Sen | Election | Senator (Party) | Senator (Party) | Senator (Party) | Senator (Party) | Senator (Party) | Senator (Party) | Senator (Party) | Senator (Party) | Senator (Party) | Senator (Party) |
| 2nd | 1938 | | Séamus Ó hEocha (Ind) | | Seán O'Donovan (FF) | | Gearóid O'Sullivan (FG) | | Patrick Doyle (FG) | | James Parkinson (FG) |
| 3rd | 1938 | | Thomas Delany (Ind) | | Seán O'Donovan (FF) | | James Crosbie (FG) | | Patrick Doyle (FG) | | James Parkinson (FG) |
| 3rd | 1941 | | Thomas J. O'Connell (Lab) | | Seán O'Donovan (FF) | | James Crosbie (FG) | | Patrick Doyle (FG) | | James Parkinson (FG) |
| 4th | 1943 | | Thomas J. O'Connell (Lab) | | Seán O'Donovan (FF) | | Donal O'Sullivan (Ind) | | Patrick Doyle (FG) | | James Parkinson (FG) |
| 5th | 1944 | | Patrick J. O'Reilly (Ind) | | Seán O'Donovan (FF) | | Louis O'Dea (FF) | | Patrick Doyle (FG) | | James Parkinson (FG) |
| 6th | 1948 | | Thomas J. O'Connell (Lab) | | Liam Ó Buachalla (FF) | | Frank Loughman (FF) | | Cecil Lavery (FG) | | Michael Hayes (FG) |
| 7th | 1951 | | Patrick F. O'Reilly (Ind) | | Liam Ó Buachalla (FF) | | Frank Loughman (FF) | | James B. Lynch (FF) | | Michael Hayes (FG) |
| 8th | 1954 | | Thomas J. O'Connell (Lab) | | Liam Ó Buachalla (FF) | | Eamon Kissane (FF) | | Michael ffrench-O'Carroll (Ind) | | James Crosbie (FG) |
| 9th | 1957 | | Anthony Barry (FG) | | Liam Ó Buachalla (FF) | | Eamon Kissane (FF) | | John O'Donovan (FG) | | Michael Hayes (FG) |
| 10th | 1961 | | Timothy McAuliffe (Lab) | | Liam Ó Buachalla (FF) | | Eamon Kissane (FF) | | John J. Nash (FF) | | Michael Hayes (FG) |
| 11th | 1965 | | Timothy McAuliffe (Lab) | | Liam Ó Buachalla (FF) | | Michael O'Kennedy (FF) | | John J. Nash (FF) | | Ben O'Quigley (FG) |
| 12th | 1969 | | John Kelly (FG) | | Kit Ahern (FF) | | Michael Yeats (FF) | | John J. Nash (FF) | | Michael O'Higgins (FG) |
| 13th | 1973 | | Timothy McAuliffe (Lab) | | Kit Ahern (FF) | | Michael Yeats (FF) | | Billy Fox (FG) | | Mary Walsh (FG) |
| 13th | 1975 | | Timothy McAuliffe (Lab) | | Kit Ahern (FF) | | Michael Yeats (FF) | | Roddy Connolly (Lab) | | Mary Walsh (FG) |
| 13th | 1976 | | Timothy McAuliffe (Lab) | | Kit Ahern (FF) | | Michael Yeats (FF) | | Roddy Connolly (Lab) | | Vincent McHugh (FG) |
| 14th | 1977 | | Timothy McAuliffe (Lab) | | Richard Conroy (FF) | | Flor Crowley (FF) | | Patrick Cooney (FG) | | David Molony (FG) |
| 15th | 1981 | | Timothy McAuliffe (Lab) | | Mary O'Rourke (FF) | | Joe Walsh (FF) | | Patsy Lawlor (FG) | | Maurice Manning (FG) |
| 16th | 1982 | | Timothy McAuliffe (Lab) | | Mary O'Rourke (FF) | | Séamus de Brún (FF) | | Joachim Loughrey (FG) | | Madeleine Taylor (FG) |
| 17th | 1983 | | Helena McAuliffe-Ennis (Lab) | | Michael Smith (FF) | | Séamus de Brún (FF) | | Joachim Loughrey (FG) | | Brian Fleming (FG) |
| 18th | 1987 | | Seán Byrne (FF) | | Tony McKenna (FF) | | Paschal Mooney (FF) | | Joachim Loughrey (FG) | | Maurice Manning (FG) |
| 19th | 1989 | | Seán Byrne (FF) | | Éamon Ó Cuív (FF) | | Paschal Mooney (FF) | | Joe O'Reilly (FG) | | Maurice Manning (FG) |
| 20th | 1993 | | Madeleine Taylor-Quinn (FG) | | Mary Kelly (Lab) | | Paschal Mooney (FF) | | Ann Ormonde (FF) | | Maurice Manning (FG) |
| 21st | 1997 | | Madeleine Taylor-Quinn (FG) | | Labhrás Ó Murchú (FF) | | Paschal Mooney (FF) | | Ann Ormonde (FF) | | Maurice Manning (FG) |
| 22nd | 2002 | | Noel Coonan (FG) | | Labhrás Ó Murchú (FF) | | Paschal Mooney (FF) | | Ann Ormonde (FF) | | Brian Hayes (FG) |
| 23rd | 2007 | | Alex White (Lab) | | Labhrás Ó Murchú (FF) | | Cecilia Keaveney (FF) | | Ann Ormonde (FF) | | Liam Twomey (FG) |
| 24th | 2011 | | John Gilroy (Lab) | | Labhrás Ó Murchú (FF) | | Thomas Byrne (FF) | | Deirdre Clune (FG) | | Michael Mullins (FG) |
| 24th | 2014 | | John Gilroy (Lab) | | Labhrás Ó Murchú (FF) | | Thomas Byrne (FF) | | Gerard Craughwell (Ind) | | Michael Mullins (FG) |
| 25th | 2016 | | Fintan Warfield (SF) | | Lorraine Clifford-Lee (FF) | | Keith Swanick (FF) | | Gabrielle McFadden (FG) | | Kieran O'Donnell (FG) |
| 26th | 2020 | | Fintan Warfield (SF) | | Malcolm Byrne (FF) | | Lisa Chambers (FF) | | Seán Kyne (FG) | | John McGahon (FG) |
| 27th | 2025 | | Pauline Tully (SF) | | Shane Curley (FF) | | Joe Conway (Ind) | | Seán Kyne (FG) | | Cathal Byrne (FG) |
Note: The columns in this table are used only for presentational purposes, and no significance should be attached to the order of columns.

### Notes

* ↑ Resigned on 31 July 1947 due to ill-health.
* ↑ Died on 9 July 1939.
* ↑ Elected to Seanad at a by-election on 22 January 1941, to replace Thomas Delany.
* ↑ Appointed as a judge of the Supreme Court on 21 April 1950.
* ↑ Died on 12 March 1954.
* ↑ Died on 29 May 1969.
* ↑ Assassinated on 12 March 1974.
* ↑ Died on 18 August 1976.
* ↑ Elected to Seanad at a by-election 23 April 1975, in place of Billy Fox.
* ↑ Elected to Seanad at a by-election on 25 October 1976, replacing Mary Walsh.
* ↑ Joined the Progressive Democrats in 1986.
* ↑ Resigned the Fianna Fáil whip on 7 July 2010, rejoining on 23 November 2010.
* ↑ Elected to the European Parliament in May 2014.
* ↑ Elected in a by-election on 10 October 2014, replacing Deirdre Clune.
* ↑ Elected to Dáil Éireann on 8 February 2020.

## List of nominating bodies

The following bodies are on the register of nominating bodies maintained by the Seanad Returning Officer for the Cultural and Educational Panel:
* Association of Secondary Teachers, Ireland (ASTI)
* Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann
* Comhlámh
* Conradh na Gaeilge
* Bar Council of Ireland
* Dental Council of Ireland
* Drama League of Ireland
* Education and Training Boards Ireland
* Gael Linn
* Gaeloideachas
* Genealogical Society of Ireland
* Institute of Community Health Nursing
* Institute of Guidance Counsellors
* Irish Countrywomen's Association
* Irish Dental Association
* Irish Federation of University Teachers
* Irish Georgian Society
* Irish National Teachers' Organisation
* Law Society of Ireland
* Library Association of Ireland
* Local Authority Medical Specialists
* National Youth Council of Ireland
* Old Dublin Society
* Royal College of Physicians of Ireland
* Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland
* Royal Irish Academy
* Royal Irish Academy of Music
* Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland
* Teachers' Union of Ireland
* Theatre Forum
* Údarás na Gaeltachta
* Veterinary Council
* Visual Artists Ireland
* Writers' Guild of Ireland