# 18th Dáil

The 18th Dáil was elected at the 1965 general election on 7 April 1965 and met on 21 April 1965. The members of Dáil Éireann, the house of representatives of the Oireachtas (legislature) of Ireland, are known as TDs. It sat with the 11th Seanad as the two Houses of the Oireachtas.
The 18th Dáil saw a change of Taoiseach from Seán Lemass to Jack Lynch in November 1966. On 22 May 1969, President Éamon de Valera dissolved the Dáil at the request of Taoiseach Jack Lynch. The 18th Dáil lasted 4 years, 31 days.

## Composition of the 18th Dáil

| Party | Party | April 1965 | May 1969 |
| ● | Fianna Fáil | 72 | 73 |
| | Fine Gael | 47 | 46 |
| | Labour | 22 | 18 |
| | Clann na Poblachta | 1 | — |
| | Independent | 2 | 3 |
| | Ceann Comhairle | — | 1 |
| | Vacant | — | 3 |
Fianna Fáil, denoted with a bullet (●), formed the 11th government of Ireland led by Seán Lemass as Taoiseach. In 1966, Lemass resigned as Fianna Fáil leader and Taoiseach, to be succeeded by Jack Lynch, who formed the 12th government of Ireland.

### Graphical representation

This is a graphical comparison of party strengths in the 18th Dáil from April 1965. This was not the official seating plan.

## Ceann Comhairle

On the meeting of the Dáil, Patrick Hogan (Lab), who had served as Ceann Comhairle since 1951, was proposed by Seán Lemass (FF) and seconded by James Dillon (FG) for the position. His election was approved without a vote.
On 7 November 1967, Hogan retired as Ceann Comhairle. Cormac Breslin (FF), the Leas-Cheann Comhairle, was appointed to the position on a temporary basis. On 14 November, Breslin was proposed by Lemass to the position on a permanent basis. His election was approved without a vote.

## TDs by constituency

The list of the 144 TDs elected is given in alphabetical order by Dáil constituency.
Members of the 18th Dáil :
| Constituency | Name | Party |
| Carlow–Kilkenny | Patrick Crotty | Fine Gael |
| Carlow–Kilkenny | Jim Gibbons | Fianna Fáil |
| Carlow–Kilkenny | Desmond Governey | Fine Gael |
| Carlow–Kilkenny | Tom Nolan | Fianna Fáil |
| Carlow–Kilkenny | Séamus Pattison | Labour |
| Cavan | Tom Fitzpatrick | Fine Gael |
| Cavan | Paddy Smith | Fianna Fáil |
| Cavan | John Tully | Clann na Poblachta |
| Clare | Patrick Hillery | Fianna Fáil |
| Clare | William Murphy | Fine Gael |
| Clare | Patrick Hogan | Labour |
| Clare | Seán Ó Ceallaigh | Fianna Fáil |
| Cork Borough | Stephen Barrett | Fine Gael |
| Cork Borough | Seán Casey | Labour |
| Cork Borough | Gus Healy | Fianna Fáil |
| Cork Borough | Jack Lynch | Fianna Fáil |
| Cork Borough | Pearse Wyse | Fianna Fáil |
| Cork Mid | Donal Creed | Fine Gael |
| Cork Mid | Flor Crowley | Fianna Fáil |
| Cork Mid | Eileen Desmond | Labour |
| Cork Mid | Thomas Meaney | Fianna Fáil |
| Cork North-East | Richard Barry | Fine Gael |
| Cork North-East | Philip Burton | Fine Gael |
| Cork North-East | Martin Corry | Fianna Fáil |
| Cork North-East | Jerry Cronin | Fianna Fáil |
| Cork North-East | Patrick McAuliffe | Labour |
| Cork South-West | Seán Collins | Fine Gael |
| Cork South-West | Edward Cotter | Fianna Fáil |
| Cork South-West | Michael Pat Murphy | Labour |
| Donegal North-East | Neil Blaney | Fianna Fáil |
| Donegal North-East | Liam Cunningham | Fianna Fáil |
| Donegal North-East | Paddy Harte | Fine Gael |
| Donegal South-West | Joseph Brennan | Fianna Fáil |
| Donegal South-West | Cormac Breslin | Fianna Fáil |
| Donegal South-West | Patrick O'Donnell | Fine Gael |
| Dublin County | Kevin Boland | Fianna Fáil |
| Dublin County | Patrick Burke | Fianna Fáil |
| Dublin County | Mark Clinton | Fine Gael |
| Dublin County | Seán Dunne | Labour |
| Dublin County | Des Foley | Fianna Fáil |
| Dublin North-Central | Luke Belton | Fine Gael |
| Dublin North-Central | Vivion de Valera | Fianna Fáil |
| Dublin North-Central | Celia Lynch | Fianna Fáil |
| Dublin North-Central | Michael O'Leary | Labour |
| Dublin North-East | Paddy Belton | Fine Gael |
| Dublin North-East | Patrick Byrne | Fine Gael |
| Dublin North-East | George Colley | Fianna Fáil |
| Dublin North-East | Charles Haughey | Fianna Fáil |
| Dublin North-East | Denis Larkin | Labour |
| Dublin North-West | Declan Costello | Fine Gael |
| Dublin North-West | Richard Gogan | Fianna Fáil |
| Dublin North-West | Michael Mullen | Labour |
| Dublin South-Central | Philip Brady | Fianna Fáil |
| Dublin South-Central | Frank Cluskey | Labour |
| Dublin South-Central | Maurice E. Dockrell | Fine Gael |
| Dublin South-Central | Tom Fitzpatrick | Fianna Fáil |
| Dublin South-Central | Seán Lemass | Fianna Fáil |
| Dublin South-East | John A. Costello | Fine Gael |
| Dublin South-East | Seán MacEntee | Fianna Fáil |
| Dublin South-East | Seán Moore | Fianna Fáil |
| Dublin South-West | Ben Briscoe | Fianna Fáil |
| Dublin South-West | Joseph Dowling | Fianna Fáil |
| Dublin South-West | Noel Lemass | Fianna Fáil |
| Dublin South-West | John O'Connell | Labour |
| Dublin South-West | Richie Ryan | Fine Gael |
| Dún Laoghaire and Rathdown | David Andrews | Fianna Fáil |
| Dún Laoghaire and Rathdown | Lionel Booth | Fianna Fáil |
| Dún Laoghaire and Rathdown | Liam Cosgrave | Fine Gael |
| Dún Laoghaire and Rathdown | H. Percy Dockrell | Fine Gael |
| Galway East | Michael Carty | Fianna Fáil |
| Galway East | John Donnellan | Fine Gael |
| Galway East | Brigid Hogan-O'Higgins | Fine Gael |
| Galway East | Michael F. Kitt | Fianna Fáil |
| Galway East | Anthony Millar | Fianna Fáil |
| Galway West | Fintan Coogan | Fine Gael |
| Galway West | Johnny Geoghegan | Fianna Fáil |
| Galway West | Bobby Molloy | Fianna Fáil |
| Kerry North | Patrick Finucane | Independent |
| Kerry North | Tom McEllistrim | Fianna Fáil |
| Kerry North | Dan Spring | Labour |
| Kerry South | Honor Crowley | Fianna Fáil |
| Kerry South | Patrick Connor | Fine Gael |
| Kerry South | Timothy O'Connor | Fianna Fáil |
| Kildare | Terence Boylan | Fianna Fáil |
| Kildare | Brendan Crinion | Fianna Fáil |
| Kildare | Patrick Norton | Labour |
| Kildare | Gerard Sweetman | Fine Gael |
| Laois–Offaly | Henry Byrne | Labour |
| Laois–Offaly | Nicholas Egan | Fianna Fáil |
| Laois–Offaly | Oliver J. Flanagan | Fine Gael |
| Laois–Offaly | Patrick Lalor | Fianna Fáil |
| Laois–Offaly | Tom O'Higgins | Fine Gael |
| Limerick East | Paddy Clohessy | Fianna Fáil |
| Limerick East | Stephen Coughlan | Labour |
| Limerick East | Tom O'Donnell | Fine Gael |
| Limerick East | Donogh O'Malley | Fianna Fáil |
| Limerick West | James Collins | Fianna Fáil |
| Limerick West | Denis Jones | Fine Gael |
| Limerick West | Donnchadh Ó Briain | Fianna Fáil |
| Longford–Westmeath | Frank Carter | Fianna Fáil |
| Longford–Westmeath | Patrick Lenihan | Fianna Fáil |
| Longford–Westmeath | Gerry L'Estrange | Fine Gael |
| Longford–Westmeath | Joe Sheridan | Independent |
| Louth | Frank Aiken | Fianna Fáil |
| Louth | Paddy Donegan | Fine Gael |
| Louth | Pádraig Faulkner | Fianna Fáil |
| Mayo North | Phelim Calleary | Fianna Fáil |
| Mayo North | Patrick Lindsay | Fine Gael |
| Mayo North | Thomas O'Hara | Fine Gael |
| Mayo South | Seán Flanagan | Fianna Fáil |
| Mayo South | Henry Kenny | Fine Gael |
| Mayo South | Michael Lyons | Fine Gael |
| Mayo South | Mícheál Ó Móráin | Fianna Fáil |
| Meath | Denis Farrelly | Fine Gael |
| Meath | Michael Hilliard | Fianna Fáil |
| Meath | James Tully | Labour |
| Monaghan | Erskine H. Childers | Fianna Fáil |
| Monaghan | James Dillon | Fine Gael |
| Monaghan | Patrick Mooney | Fianna Fáil |
| Roscommon | Joan Burke | Fine Gael |
| Roscommon | Hugh Gibbons | Fianna Fáil |
| Roscommon | Brian Lenihan | Fianna Fáil |
| Roscommon | Patrick J. Reynolds | Fine Gael |
| Sligo–Leitrim | James Gallagher | Fianna Fáil |
| Sligo–Leitrim | Eugene Gilbride | Fianna Fáil |
| Sligo–Leitrim | Eugene Gilhawley | Fine Gael |
| Sligo–Leitrim | Joseph McLoughlin | Fine Gael |
| Tipperary North | Thomas Dunne | Fine Gael |
| Tipperary North | John Fanning | Fianna Fáil |
| Tipperary North | Patrick Tierney | Labour |
| Tipperary South | Don Davern | Fianna Fáil |
| Tipperary South | Jackie Fahey | Fianna Fáil |
| Tipperary South | Patrick Hogan | Fine Gael |
| Tipperary South | Seán Treacy | Labour |
| Waterford | Billy Kenneally | Fianna Fáil |
| Waterford | Thomas Kyne | Labour |
| Waterford | Thaddeus Lynch | Fine Gael |
| Wexford | Lorcan Allen | Fianna Fáil |
| Wexford | Brendan Corish | Labour |
| Wexford | Anthony Esmonde | Fine Gael |
| Wexford | James Kennedy | Fianna Fáil |
| Wicklow | Paudge Brennan | Fianna Fáil |
| Wicklow | James Everett | Labour |
| Wicklow | Michael O'Higgins | Fine Gael |

## Changes

| Date | Constituency | Loss | Gain | Note |
| 21 April 1965 | Clare | Labour | Ceann Comhairle | Patrick Hogan takes office as Ceann Comhairle |
| 10 July 1965 | Cavan | Clann na Poblachta | Independent | John Tully becomes an independent TD on the dissolution of Clann na Poblachta |
| 18 October 1966 | Kerry South | Fianna Fáil | | Death of Honor Crowley |
| 25 October 1966 | Waterford | Fine Gael | | Death of Thaddeus Lynch |
| 7 December 1966 | Kerry South | | Fianna Fáil | John O'Leary holds seat vacated by the death of Crowley |
| 7 December 1966 | Waterford | | Fianna Fáil | Fad Browne wins seat vacated by the death of Lynch |
| 29 April 1967 | Cork Borough | Labour | | Death of Seán Casey |
| 1 September 1967 | Limerick West | Fianna Fáil | | Death of James Collins |
| 7 November 1967 | Clare | Ceann Comhairle | Labour | Patrick Hogan retires as Ceann Comhairle |
| 9 November 1967 | Cork Borough | | Fianna Fáil | Seán French wins seat vacated by the death of Casey |
| 9 November 1967 | Limerick West | Fianna Fáil | | Gerry Collins holds seat vacated by the death of his father James Collins |
| 14 November 1967 | Donegal South-West | Fianna Fáil | Ceann Comhairle | Cormac Breslin takes office as Ceann Comhairle |
| 16 November 1967 | Clare | Fine Gael | | Death of William Murphy |
| 14 December 1967 | Kildare | Labour | Independent | Patrick Norton resigns from the Labour Party |
| 18 December 1967 | Wicklow | Labour | | Death of James Everett |
| 10 March 1968 | Limerick East | Fianna Fáil | | Death of Donogh O'Malley |
| 14 March 1968 | Clare | | Fianna Fáil | Sylvester Barrett wins seat vacated by the death of Murphy |
| 14 March 1968 | Wicklow | | Fine Gael | Godfrey Timmins wins seat vacated by the death of Everett |
| 22 May 1968 | Limerick East | | Fianna Fáil | Desmond O'Malley holds seat vacated by the death of his uncle Donogh O'Malley |
| 13 September 1968 | Wexford | Fianna Fáil | | Death of James Kennedy |
| 2 November 1968 | Tipperary South | Fianna Fáil | | Death of Don Davern |
| 26 February 1969 | Kildare | Independent | Fianna Fáil | Patrick Norton joins Fianna Fáil |
| 24 January 1969 | Clare | Labour | | Death of Patrick Hogan |