# 17th Dáil

The 17th Dáil was elected at the 1961 general election on 4 October 1961 and met on 11 October 1961. The members of Dáil Éireann, the house of representatives of the Oireachtas (legislature) of Ireland, are known as TDs. It sat with the 10th Seanad as the two Houses of the Oireachtas.
On 18 March 1965 President Éamon de Valera dissolved the Dáil on the request of Taoiseach Seán Lemass. The 17th Dáil lasted 3 years, 158 days.

## Composition of the 17th Dáil

| Party | Party | Oct. 1961 | March 1965 |
| ● | Fianna Fáil | 70 | 71 |
| | Fine Gael | 47 | 48 |
| | Labour | 16 | 17 |
| | Clann na Talmhan | 2 | 1 |
| | National Progressive Democrats | 2 | — |
| | Clann na Poblachta | 1 | 1 |
| | Independent | 6 | 5 |
| | Ceann Comhairle | — | 1 |
Fianna Fáil, denoted with a bullet (●), formed the 10th government of Ireland led by Seán Lemass as Taoiseach.

### Graphical representation

This is a graphical comparison of party strengths in the 17th Dáil from October 1961. 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.

## TDs by constituency

The list of the 144 TDs elected, is given in alphabetical order by Dáil constituency.
Members of the 17th Dáil :
| Constituency | Name | Party |
| Carlow–Kilkenny | Patrick Crotty | Fine Gael |
| Carlow–Kilkenny | Jim Gibbons | Fianna Fáil |
| Carlow–Kilkenny | Desmond Governey | Fine Gael |
| Carlow–Kilkenny | Martin Medlar | Fianna Fáil |
| Carlow–Kilkenny | Séamus Pattison | Labour |
| Cavan | Séamus Dolan | Fianna Fáil |
| Cavan | Patrick O'Reilly | Fine Gael |
| Cavan | Paddy Smith | Fianna Fáil |
| Clare | Patrick Hogan | Labour |
| Clare | Patrick Hillery | Fianna Fáil |
| Clare | William Murphy | Fine Gael |
| Clare | Seán Ó Ceallaigh | Fianna Fáil |
| Cork Borough | Stephen Barrett | Fine Gael |
| Cork Borough | Anthony Barry | Fine Gael |
| Cork Borough | Seán Casey | Labour |
| Cork Borough | John Galvin | Fianna Fáil |
| Cork Borough | Jack Lynch | Fianna Fáil |
| Cork Mid | Dan Desmond | Labour |
| Cork Mid | Seán McCarthy | Fianna Fáil |
| Cork Mid | Con Meaney | Fianna Fáil |
| Cork Mid | Denis O'Sullivan | Fine Gael |
| Cork North-East | Richard Barry | Fine Gael |
| Cork North-East | Philip Burton | Fine Gael |
| Cork North-East | Martin Corry | Fianna Fáil |
| Cork North-East | Patrick McAuliffe | Labour |
| Cork North-East | John Moher | Fianna Fáil |
| 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 | Independent |
| Dublin County | Éamon Rooney | Fine Gael |
| Dublin North-Central | Vivion de Valera | Fianna Fáil |
| Dublin North-Central | Celia Lynch | Fianna Fáil |
| Dublin North-Central | Patrick McGilligan | Fine Gael |
| Dublin North-Central | Frank Sherwin | Independent |
| Dublin North-East | Jack 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 | Eugene Timmons | Fianna Fáil |
| Dublin North-West | Declan Costello | Fine Gael |
| Dublin North-West | Richard Gogan | Fianna Fáil |
| Dublin North-West | Michael Mullen | Labour |
| Dublin South-Central | Joseph Barron | Clann na Poblachta |
| Dublin South-Central | Philip Brady | Fianna Fáil |
| Dublin South-Central | Patrick Cummins | Fianna Fáil |
| Dublin South-Central | Maurice E. Dockrell | Fine Gael |
| Dublin South-Central | Seán Lemass | Fianna Fáil |
| Dublin South-East | Noël Browne | National Progressive Democrats |
| Dublin South-East | John A. Costello | Fine Gael |
| Dublin South-East | Seán MacEntee | Fianna Fáil |
| Dublin South-West | Robert Briscoe | Fianna Fáil |
| Dublin South-West | James Carroll | Independent |
| Dublin South-West | Noel Lemass | Fianna Fáil |
| Dublin South-West | James O'Keeffe | Fine Gael |
| Dublin South-West | Richie Ryan | Fine Gael |
| Dún Laoghaire and Rathdown | Seán Brady | 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 | Michael Donnellan | Clann na Talmhan |
| Galway East | Brigid Hogan-O'Higgins | Fine Gael |
| Galway East | Michael F. Kitt | Fianna Fáil |
| Galway East | Anthony Millar | Fianna Fáil |
| Galway West | Gerald Bartley | Fianna Fáil |
| Galway West | Fintan Coogan | Fine Gael |
| Galway West | Johnny Geoghegan | Fianna Fáil |
| Kerry North | Patrick Finucane | Independent |
| Kerry North | Tom McEllistrim | Fianna Fáil |
| Kerry North | Dan Spring | Labour |
| Kerry South | Patrick Connor | Fine Gael |
| Kerry South | Honor Crowley | Fianna Fáil |
| Kerry South | Timothy O'Connor | Fianna Fáil |
| Kildare | Brendan Crinion | Fianna Fáil |
| Kildare | Patrick Dooley | Fianna Fáil |
| Kildare | William Norton | Labour |
| Kildare | Gerard Sweetman | Fine Gael |
| Laois–Offaly | Kieran Egan | Fianna Fáil |
| 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 | Michael Kennedy | Fianna Fáil |
| Longford–Westmeath | Seán Mac Eoin | Fine Gael |
| Longford–Westmeath | Joe Sheridan | Independent |
| Louth | Frank Aiken | Fianna Fáil |
| Louth | Paddy Donegan | Fine Gael |
| Louth | Pádraig Faulkner | Fianna Fáil |
| Mayo North | Michael Browne | Fine Gael |
| Mayo North | Phelim Calleary | Fianna Fáil |
| Mayo North | Joseph Lenehan | Independent |
| Mayo South | Joseph Blowick | Clann na Talmhan |
| Mayo South | Seán Flanagan | Fianna Fáil |
| Mayo South | Henry Kenny | 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 | James Burke | Fine Gael |
| Roscommon | Brian Lenihan | Fianna Fáil |
| Roscommon | Jack McQuillan | National Progressive Democrats |
| 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 | Dan Breen | Fianna Fáil |
| Tipperary South | Michael Davern | Fianna Fáil |
| Tipperary South | Patrick Hogan | Fine Gael |
| Tipperary South | Seán Treacy | Labour |
| Waterford | Thomas Kyne | Labour |
| Waterford | Thaddeus Lynch | Fine Gael |
| Waterford | John Ormonde | Fianna Fáil |
| Wexford | Lorcan Allen | Fianna Fáil |
| Wexford | Brendan Corish | Labour |
| Wexford | Anthony Esmonde | Fine Gael |
| Wexford | James Ryan | Fianna Fáil |
| Wicklow | Paudge Brennan | Fianna Fáil |
| Wicklow | James Everett | Labour |
| Wicklow | Michael O'Higgins | Fine Gael |

## Changes

| Date | Constituency | Loss | Gain | Note |
| 11 October 1961 | Clare | Labour | Ceann Comhairle | Patrick Hogan takes office as Ceann Comhairle |
| 23 February 1963 | Dublin North-East | Fine Gael | | Death of Jack Belton |
| 30 May 1963 | Dublin North-East | | Fine Gael | Paddy Belton holds seat vacated by the death of his brother Jack Belton |
| 11 October 1963 | Cork Borough | Fianna Fáil | | Death of John Galvin |
| 13 November 1963 | Dublin County | Independent | Labour | Seán Dunne joins the Labour Party |
| 27 November 1963 | Dublin South-East | National Progressive Democrats | Labour | Noël Browne disbands the National Progressive Democrats and joins the Labour Party |
| 27 November 1963 | Roscommon | National Progressive Democrats | Labour | Jack McQuillan disbands the National Progressive Democrats and joins the Labour Party |
| 4 December 1963 | Kildare | Labour | | Death of William Norton |
| 19 February 1964 | Cork Borough | | Fianna Fáil | Sheila Galvin holds seat vacated by the death of her husband John Galvin |
| 19 February 1964 | Kildare | | Fianna Fáil | Terence Boylan gains seat vacated by the death of Norton |
| 12 May 1964 | Roscommon | Fine Gael | | Death of James Burke |
| 8 July 1964 | Roscommon | | Fine Gael | Joan Burke holds seat vacated by the death of her husband James Burke |
| 27 September 1964 | Galway East | Clann na Talmhan | | Death of Michael Donnellan |
| 3 December 1964 | Galway East | | Fine Gael | John Donnellan gains seat vacated by the death of his father Michael Donnellan |
| 9 December 1964 | Cork Mid | Labour | | Death of Dan Desmond |
| 10 March 1965 | Cork Mid | | Labour | Eileen Desmond holds seat vacated by the death of her husband Dan Desmond |