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1945 Irish presidential election

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1945 Irish presidential election

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FieldValue
election_name1945 Irish presidential election
countryIreland
typepresidential
ongoingno
previous_election1938 Irish presidential election
previous_year1938
next_election1952 Irish presidential election
next_year1952
turnout63.0%
1blank1st preference
2blankFinal count
election_date14 June 1945
image1
nominee1Seán T. O'Kelly
party1Fianna Fáil
1data1**537,965
49.5%**
2data1**565,165
55.5%**
image2
nominee2Seán Mac Eoin
party2Fine Gael
1data2335,539
30.9%
2data2453,425
44.5%
image3
nominee3Patrick McCartan
party3Independent politician (Ireland)
alliance3
1data3212,834
19.6%
2data3*Eliminated*
map_imageFile:Irish presidential election 1945.png
map_size200px
map_captionFirst count winner by local authority
titlePresident
before_electionDouglas Hyde
before_partyIndependent politician (Ireland)
after_electionSeán T. O'Kelly
after_partyFianna Fáil

49.5%** 55.5%** 30.9% 44.5% 19.6%

Poster for [[Seán Mac Eoin

The 1945 Irish presidential election was held on Thursday, 14 June 1945. It was Ireland's first contested presidential election. Outgoing president Douglas Hyde, who had served since 1938, did not seek a second term. Fianna Fáil nominated its deputy leader, Tánaiste Seán T. O'Kelly, as its candidate. Fine Gael nominated Seán Mac Eoin. Independent republican Patrick McCartan sought and failed to receive the necessary four nominations from local councils, but secured a nomination from Oireachtas members.

O'Kelly won on the second count but the degree of voting transfers between the two opposition candidates, and O'Kelly's failure to win on the first count, showed the depth of growing opposition to Éamon de Valera's government and the potential that existed for cooperation among various opposition groups. De Valera's government was defeated in the subsequent 1948 general election and succeeded by the first inter-party government.

The election took place on the same date as the 1945 local elections. Electoral law was amended to allow administrative counties and county boroughs to be used as constituencies instead of using Dáil constituencies, as previously required. This was to facilitate sorting and counting of ballots with ballots for the local elections.

Nomination process

Under Article 12 of the Constitution of Ireland, candidates could be nominated by:

  • at least twenty of the 198 serving members of the Houses of the Oireachtas, or
  • at least four of 31 councils of the administrative counties, including county boroughs, or
  • themselves, in the case of a former or retiring president.

All Irish citizens on the Dáil electoral register were eligible to vote.

The first candidate nominated was Seán Mac Eoin, a Fine Gael TD who was nominated on 5 May by 17 members of his own party, as well as three independent TDs, Alfie Byrne, Tom O'Reilly and Richard Anthony. Seán T. O'Kelly was nominated by Fianna Fáil Oireachtas members on 15 May. On the date before nominations closed on 16 May, the administrative council of the Labour Party voted to allow its Oireachtas members to sign the nomination form of Patrick McCartan, and Clann na Talmhan voted that its Oireachtas members would sign his nomination form, together guaranteeing his position on the ballot.

Result

Results by local authority

Results were announced by county councils and county borough corporations rather than by constituency.

Local AuthorityO'KellyMac EoinMcCartanVotes%Votes%Votes%
Carlow CountyFianna Fáil}}"**6,178**Fianna Fáil}}"**46.76**5,19739.331,83813.91
Cavan CountyFianna Fáil}}"**14,500**Fianna Fáil}}"**49.29**11,88340.403,03210.31
Clare CountyFianna Fáil}}"**22,910**Fianna Fáil}}"**57.73**10,79627.205,97915.07
Cork CountyFianna Fáil}}"**49,737**Fianna Fáil}}"**44.09**38,91134.4924,16321.42
Cork County BoroughFianna Fáil}}"**13,875**Fianna Fáil}}"**50.25**9,02532.684,71417.07
Donegal CountyFianna Fáil}}"**24,999**Fianna Fáil}}"**54.38**13,13728.587,83417.04
Dublin CountyFianna Fáil}}"**16,206**Fianna Fáil}}"**43.00**11,66530.959,81526.04
Dublin County BoroughFianna Fáil}}"**70,777**Fianna Fáil}}"**45.94**39,27325.4944,02728.57
Galway CountyFianna Fáil}}"**32,496**Fianna Fáil}}"**57.66**12,71322.5611,15319.79
Kerry CountyFianna Fáil}}"**20,589**Fianna Fáil}}"**56.77**7,18019.808,50023.44
Kildare CountyFianna Fáil}}"**11,426**Fianna Fáil}}"**54.11**6,73131.882,95814.01
Kilkenny CountyFianna Fáil}}"**13,437**Fianna Fáil}}"**53.60**8,15832.543,47613.86
Laois CountyFianna Fáil}}"**8,946**Fianna Fáil}}"**45.85**5,68329.124,88425.03
Leitrim County8,06439.52Fine Gael}}"**9,344**Fine Gael}}"**45.80**2,99514.68
Limerick CountyFianna Fáil}}"**22,725**Fianna Fáil}}"**55.88**13,18332.424,75811.70
Limerick County BoroughFianna Fáil}}"**9,318**Fianna Fáil}}"**56.18**4,73128.522,53815.30
Longford County5,84835.09Fine Gael}}"**10,170**Fine Gael}}"**61.03**6463.88
Louth CountyFianna Fáil}}"**13,685**Fianna Fáil}}"**49.32**9,39533.864,66816.82
Mayo CountyFianna Fáil}}"**27,260**Fianna Fáil}}"**50.08**14,67226.9512,50522.97
Meath CountyFianna Fáil}}"**14,083**Fianna Fáil}}"**58.02**6,78427.953,40614.03
Monaghan CountyFianna Fáil}}"**13,042**Fianna Fáil}}"**54.38**6,87828.684,06216.94
Offaly CountyFianna Fáil}}"**10,580**Fianna Fáil}}"**53.13**5,19926.114,13620.77
Roscommon CountyFianna Fáil}}"**15,354**Fianna Fáil}}"**47.62**11,74736.435,14015.94
Sligo County10,28839.72Fine Gael}}"**12,026**Fine Gael}}"**46.43**3,59013.86
Tipperary North CountyFianna Fáil}}"**12,477**Fianna Fáil}}"**52.09**7,53031.443,94616.47
Tipperary South CountyFianna Fáil}}"**15,940**Fianna Fáil}}"**50.45**10,49933.235,15516.32
Waterford CountyFianna Fáil}}"**10,980**Fianna Fáil}}"**58.85**5,19827.862,48113.30
Waterford County BoroughFianna Fáil}}"**5,898**Fianna Fáil}}"**52.19**3,26728.912,13518.89
Westmeath CountyFianna Fáil}}"**10,303**Fianna Fáil}}"**47.52**9,74144.931,6367.55
Wexford CountyFianna Fáil}}"**16,380**Fianna Fáil}}"**46.87**10,08228.858,48824.29
Wicklow CountyFianna Fáil}}"**9,664**Fianna Fáil}}"**42.80**4,74121.008,17636.21
Total537,96549.52335,53930.89212,83419.59
Local AuthorityO'KellyMac EoinVotes%Votes%
Carlow CountyFianna Fáil}}"**6,615**Fianna Fáil}}"**52.41**6,00747.59
Cavan CountyFianna Fáil}}"**15,010**Fianna Fáil}}"**52.82**13,40647.18
Clare CountyFianna Fáil}}"**23,668**Fianna Fáil}}"**63.00**13,90237.00
Cork County52,35049.84Fine Gael}}"**52,688**Fine Gael}}"**50.16**
Cork County BoroughFianna Fáil}}"**14,504**Fianna Fáil}}"**55.50**11,62744.50
Donegal CountyFianna Fáil}}"**25,881**Fianna Fáil}}"**61.44**16,24438.56
Dublin County17,31748.29Fine Gael}}"**18,546**Fine Gael}}"**51.71**
Dublin County BoroughFianna Fáil}}"**76,119**Fianna Fáil}}"**52.84**67,94747.16
Galway CountyFianna Fáil}}"**33,653**Fianna Fáil}}"**65.42**17,78834.58
Kerry CountyFianna Fáil}}"**21,627**Fianna Fáil}}"**65.09**11,59934.91
Kildare CountyFianna Fáil}}"**11,869**Fianna Fáil}}"**58.63**8,37641.37
Kilkenny CountyFianna Fáil}}"**13,921**Fianna Fáil}}"**57.86**10,14042.14
Laois CountyFianna Fáil}}"**9,540**Fianna Fáil}}"**54.59**7,93745.41
Leitrim County8,49744.43Fine Gael}}"**10,626**Fine Gael}}"**55.57**
Limerick County and County BoroughFianna Fáil}}"**33,127**Fianna Fáil}}"**60.28**21,82839.72
Longford County5,97436.29Fine Gael}}"**10,486**Fine Gael}}"**63.71**
Louth CountyFianna Fáil}}"**14,312**Fianna Fáil}}"**54.42**11,98745.58
Mayo CountyFianna Fáil}}"**28,418**Fianna Fáil}}"**57.86**20,69542.14
Meath CountyFianna Fáil}}"**14,655**Fianna Fáil}}"**62.80**8,68037.20
Monaghan CountyFianna Fáil}}"**13,671**Fianna Fáil}}"**61.87**8,42738.13
Offaly CountyFianna Fáil}}"**11,672**Fianna Fáil}}"**62.70**6,94437.30
Roscommon CountyFianna Fáil}}"**15,853**Fianna Fáil}}"**52.22**14,50747.78
Sligo County10,85744.25Fine Gael}}"**13,676**Fine Gael}}"**55.75**
Tipperary North CountyFianna Fáil}}"**13,082**Fianna Fáil}}"**57.52**9,66042.48
Tipperary South CountyFianna Fáil}}"**16,696**Fianna Fáil}}"**55.24**13,53144.76
Waterford CountyFianna Fáil}}"**11,251**Fianna Fáil}}"**62.82**6,65837.18
Waterford County BoroughFianna Fáil}}"**6,215**Fianna Fáil}}"**57.82**4,53342.18
Westmeath CountyFianna Fáil}}"**10,620**Fianna Fáil}}"**50.17**10,54849.83
Wexford CountyFianna Fáil}}"**17,209**Fianna Fáil}}"**53.32**15,06546.68
Wicklow CountyFianna Fáil}}"**10,982**Fianna Fáil}}"**53.97**9,36746.03
Total565,16555.49453,42544.51

References

References

  1. (1 May 1945). "Presidential and Local Elections Act 1945".
  2. (25 April 1945). "Presidential and Local Elections Bill, 1945—Second and Subsequent Stages". Houses of the Oireachtas.
  3. (7 May 1945). "First nomination for the presidency". [[The Irish Times]].
  4. (16 May 1945). "Dr McCartan secures nomination". [[The Irish Times]].
  5. (29 January 2025). "14 June 1945 Presidential election".
  6. "Presidential Elections 1938–2018". [[Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage.
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