Trinity College Dublin

Department of Political Science, Trinity College Dublin Michael Gallagher

Irish Elections 1948-77

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This page contains information about the book Irish Elections 1948-77: results and analysis. Hardback ISBN 978-0-415-54830-4; since 2019 also available in paperback (ISBN 978-1-13897334-3) and as an eBook (ISBN 978-0-20387541-4).

The book was published in March 2009 by Routledge and PSAI Press, with even less expensive paperback and eBook versions published in 2019. PSAI Press is the publishing arm of the Political Studies Association of Ireland (PSAI), which was founded in 1982 and put on an institutional basis in 1984 as the professional organisation of the study of politics in and of Ireland.

It is the second in the PSAI Press series 'Sources for the Study of Irish Politics'. The first book in this series was 'Irish Elections 1922-44: results and analysis', published by the PSAI Press in 1993 (details).

What it's about

It assembles the full results of all elections to Dáil Eireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament, from 1948 to 1977. It also contains analysis of each election, summaries of votes, percentages and seats for each election, lists of TDs (members of parliament) elected at each election, information on defeated TDs and women TDs, analysis of transfer patterns, members of government appointed after each election, and the full results of all by-elections held in the period. It also provides summary results of the nine general elections of the period 1981-2007, along with a comprehensive list of TDs 1921-2008.

Elections to Dáil Eireann are held under the PR-STV (proportional representation by the single transferable vote) electoral system, and the volume provides an account of PR-STV in operation as well as constituting an indispensable record of Irish political history over the middle years of the independent Irish state. For arguments for and against retaining PR-STV as Ireland's electoral system click here.

What elections are covered

Election to 13th Dáil, 4 February 1948;

Election to 14th Dáil, 30 May 1951;

Election to 15th Dáil, 18 May 1954;

Election to 16th Dáil, 5 March 1957;

Election to 17th Dáil, 4 October 1961;

Election to 18th Dáil, 7 April 1965;

Election to 19th Dáil, 18 June 1969;

Election to 20th Dáil, 28 February 1973;

Election to 21st Dáil, 16 June 1977.

Plus all by-elections from 1944 to 1980 inclusive.

More details

Downloadable sample pages give a fuller indication of the contents. (SamplePages1, 3.8Mb; SamplePages2, 2.5Mb; SamplePages3, 2.2Mb). The book is published in A4 format and runs to 422 pages.

How to order

The book can be ordered direct from the publishers Routledge. For a period after initial publication, special terms applied within Ireland; see flyer. There was also a discount for members of the PSAI.

Photographs

Click here for a number of political photos.

Links

There are many sites that provide information on electoral systems, and a list of these can be found in Appendix E of The Politics of Electoral Systems. Some that are particularly useful are

Matthew Shugart's Fruits and Votes site, information and ideas not only on electoral systems and other aspects of politics but also on organic growing;

the ACE Electoral Knowledge Network, an initiative of International IDEA based in Stockholm, which contains a lot of information on electoral systems around the world.

If you have any questions, contact mgllgher (add @tcd.ie)

Last updated 28 August, 2023 5:34 PM