Ceann Comhairle facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Ceann Comhairle of Dáil Éireann |
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| Dáil Éireann | |
| Member of |
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| Seat | Leinster House, Dublin |
| Nominator | At least seven TDs at start of a new term after a general election |
| Appointer | Dáil Éireann following election by secret ballot. |
| Term length | Until the end of the current Dáil. No term limits are imposed on the office. |
| Constituting instrument | Article 15 – Constitution of Ireland |
| Inaugural holder | Cathal Brugha |
| Formation | 21 January 1919 |
| Deputy | Leas-Cheann Comhairle |
| Salary | €227,448 annually |
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The Ceann Comhairle (say "Kyann Kohr-la") is like the chairperson or speaker of the Dáil Éireann. The Dáil Éireann is the main part of the Oireachtas, which is Ireland's parliament. Think of the Ceann Comhairle as the person who leads the meetings in the Dáil.
This important job is given to someone chosen by the members of the Dáil themselves. They pick one of their own members after every general election. Since March 10, 2016, the Ceann Comhairle has been Seán Ó Fearghaíl. There's also a deputy, called the Leas-Cheann Comhairle, who helps out. Since July 23, 2020, the Leas-Ceann Comhairle has been Catherine Connolly.
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What Does the Ceann Comhairle Do?
The Ceann Comhairle has a very important role in the Dáil. They must be completely fair and neutral. Even though they usually come from a political party, they have to act like they don't belong to any party once they get the job.
Staying Neutral: How the Ceann Comhairle is Re-elected
To help the Ceann Comhairle stay neutral, there's a special rule in Ireland's Constitution. When a general election happens, the Ceann Comhairle doesn't have to run for election again in their local area. They are automatically considered re-elected! This means they don't have to worry about pleasing voters or their party to keep their job. This helps them focus on being fair to everyone in the Dáil.
Leading Debates and Keeping Order
The Ceann Comhairle doesn't join in on debates or vote on laws, unless there's a tie. If there's a tie, they usually vote in a way that keeps things as they are, rather than changing something new. Every day, they start the Dáil meeting by reading an official prayer.
The Ceann Comhairle is in charge of keeping order in the Dáil. Here are some of their special jobs:
- They decide who gets to speak. Everyone must speak to the Ceann Comhairle.
- They ask questions to the Dáil and announce the results of votes.
- They can stop arguments or bad behaviour. If a member is causing trouble, the Ceann Comhairle can tell them to leave the Dáil for a while. If things get really messy, they can even stop the whole meeting.
- They ring a special bell when members are being too noisy or out of order. This bell is a smaller copy of an old bell found in Ireland.
Other Important Roles
The Ceann Comhairle is also part of other important groups in Ireland. For example, they are a member of the Presidential Commission and the Council of State. These groups help the President of Ireland with their duties.
A Brief History of the Ceann Comhairle
The job of Ceann Comhairle started way back on January 21, 1919. This was when the Dáil first met as a new, independent parliament for Ireland. The very first Ceann Comhairle was Cathal Brugha. He only held the job for one day before moving on to another important role.
The job continued when the Irish Free State was formed in 1922. The rule about automatically re-electing the Ceann Comhairle was added in 1927. This helped make sure the person in charge could stay fair.
For a short time in 1936, the Ceann Comhairle took over some special duties, like signing new laws. But these powers were later given to the new President of Ireland when the current Constitution was created in 1937.
One Ceann Comhairle, John O'Donoghue, resigned in 2009. Because he resigned, he wasn't automatically re-elected in the next election and lost his seat. In 2016, a new way of choosing the Ceann Comhairle was introduced: they are now elected by a secret vote.
How the Ceann Comhairle is Chosen
Today, when it's time to choose a new Ceann Comhairle, there are clear rules.
- Candidates must be suggested by at least seven other members of the Dáil.
- Each member can only suggest one person.
- Suggestions must be given to the Clerk of the Dáil (who manages the Dáil's paperwork) the day before the Dáil meets after an election.
If more than one person is suggested, the Dáil members vote in a secret ballot. They rank their choices from favourite to least favourite. To win, a candidate needs to get more than half of all the votes. If no one wins on the first try, the person with the fewest votes is removed, and their votes are given to the voters' next favourite choice. This continues until someone gets enough votes to win. After someone wins, the Dáil officially votes to appoint them as Ceann Comhairle.
Who Has Been Ceann Comhairle?
Here's a list of the people who have held the important job of Ceann Comhairle. It shows which Dáil they served in, when they were in office, and their political party at the time.
| Dáil | Name (Born–Died) |
Portrait | Time in Office | Party | Constituency | Ref | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Cathal Brugha (1874–1922) |
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21 January 1919 | 22 January 1919 | Sinn Féin | Waterford County | ||
| George Noble Plunkett (1851–1948) |
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22 January 1919 | 22 January 1919 | Sinn Féin | Roscommon North | |||
| Seán T. O'Kelly (1882–1966) |
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22 January 1919 | 16 August 1921 | Sinn Féin | Dublin College Green | |||
| 2nd | Eoin MacNeill (1867–1945) |
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16 August 1921 | 9 September 1922 | Sinn Féin (Pro-Treaty) | Londonderry National University |
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| 3rd | Michael Hayes (1889–1976) |
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9 September 1922 | 9 March 1932 | Cumann na nGaedheal | National University | ||
| 4th | ||||||||
| 5th | ||||||||
| 6th | ||||||||
| 7th | Frank Fahy (1879–1953) |
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9 March 1932 | 13 June 1951 | Fianna Fáil | Galway | ||
| 8th | ||||||||
| 9th | Galway East | |||||||
| 10th | ||||||||
| 11th | ||||||||
| 12th | ||||||||
| 13th | Galway South | |||||||
| 14th | Patrick Hogan (1885–1969) |
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13 June 1951 | 7 November 1967 | Labour | Clare | ||
| 15th | ||||||||
| 16th | ||||||||
| 17th | ||||||||
| 18th | ||||||||
| Cormac Breslin (1902–1978) |
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14 November 1967 | 14 March 1973 | Fianna Fáil | Donegal South-West | |||
| 19th | Donegal–Leitrim | |||||||
| 20th | Seán Treacy (1923–2018) |
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14 March 1973 | 5 July 1977 | Labour | Tipperary South | ||
| 21st | Joseph Brennan (1913–1980) |
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5 July 1977 | 13 July 1980 | Fianna Fáil | Donegal | ||
| Pádraig Faulkner (1918–2012) |
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16 October 1980 | 30 June 1981 | Fianna Fáil | Louth | |||
| 22nd | John O'Connell (1927–2013) |
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30 June 1981 | 14 December 1982 | Independent politician (Ireland) | Dublin South-Central | ||
| 23rd | ||||||||
| 24th | Tom Fitzpatrick (1918–2006) |
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14 December 1982 | 10 March 1987 | Fine Gael | Cavan–Monaghan | ||
| 25th | Seán Treacy (1923–2018) |
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10 March 1987 | 26 June 1997 | Independent politician (Ireland) | Tipperary South | ||
| 26th | ||||||||
| 27th | ||||||||
| 28th | Séamus Pattison (1936–2018) |
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26 June 1997 | 6 June 2002 | Labour | Carlow–Kilkenny | ||
| 29th | Rory O'Hanlon (born 1934) |
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6 June 2002 | 14 June 2007 | Fianna Fáil | Cavan–Monaghan | ||
| 30th | John O'Donoghue (born 1956) |
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14 June 2007 | 13 October 2009 | Fianna Fáil | Kerry South | ||
| Séamus Kirk (born 1945) |
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13 October 2009 | 9 March 2011 | Fianna Fáil | Louth | |||
| 31st | Seán Barrett (born 1944) |
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9 March 2011 | 10 March 2016 | Fine Gael | Dún Laoghaire | ||
| 32nd | Seán Ó Fearghaíl (born 1960) |
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10 March 2016 (2016 election) (2020 election) |
Incumbent | Fianna Fáil | Kildare South | ||
| 33rd | ||||||||
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The Leas-Cheann Comhairle: The Deputy Chairperson
The Leas-Cheann Comhairle is the Deputy Chairperson of the Dáil. This person helps the Ceann Comhairle and takes their place if they are not there. They perform all the duties of the Ceann Comhairle during Dáil meetings when needed.
The Leas-Cheann Comhairle is also chosen by a secret vote. The current Leas-Cheann Comhairle is Catherine Connolly. She is the first woman to hold this position! This role usually goes to a member from an opposition party (a party not in government). The Leas-Cheann Comhairle gets a similar salary and status to a Minister of State.
| Dáil | Name (Born–Died) |
Portrait | Time in Office | Party | Constituency | Ref | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | John J. O'Kelly (1872–1957) |
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1 April 1919 | 26 August 1921 | Sinn Féin | Louth | ||
| 2nd | Brian O'Higgins (1882–1963) |
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26 August 1921 | 28 February 1922 | Sinn Féin | Clare | ||
| 3rd | Pádraic Ó Máille (1878–1946) |
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6 December 1922 | 23 May 1927 | Cumann na nGaedheal | Galway | ||
| 4th | ||||||||
| 5th | James Dolan (1884–1955) |
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1 July 1927 | 25 August 1927 | Cumann na nGaedheal | Leitrim–Sligo | ||
| 6th | Patrick Hogan (1885–1969) |
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27 October 1927 | 8 March 1928 | Labour | Clare | ||
| Daniel Morrissey (1895–1981) |
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2 May 1928 | 29 January 1932 | Cumann na nGaedheal | Tipperary | |||
| 7th | Patrick Hogan (1885–1969) |
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15 March 1932 | 27 May 1938 | Labour | Clare | ||
| 8th | ||||||||
| 9th | ||||||||
| 10th | Fionán Lynch (1889–1966) |
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5 July 1938 | 12 May 1939 | Fine Gael | Kerry South | ||
| Eamonn O'Neill (1882–1954) |
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31 May 1939 | 31 May 1943 | Fine Gael | Cork West | |||
| 11th | Daniel McMenamin (1882–1964) |
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20 October 1943 | 12 January 1948 | Fine Gael | Donegal East | ||
| 12th | ||||||||
| 13th | Patrick Hogan (1885–1969) |
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25 February 1948 | 7 May 1951 | Labour | Clare | ||
| 14th | Cormac Breslin (1902–1978) |
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4 July 1951 | 7 November 1967 | Fianna Fáil | Donegal West | ||
| 15th | ||||||||
| 16th | ||||||||
| 17th | Donegal South-West | |||||||
| 18th | ||||||||
| Denis Jones (1906–1987) |
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15 November 1967 | 5 July 1977 | Fine Gael | Limerick West | |||
| 19th | ||||||||
| 20th | ||||||||
| 21st | Seán Browne (1916–1996) |
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6 July 1977 | 30 June 1981 | Fianna Fáil | Wexford | ||
| 22nd | Jim Tunney (1924–2002) |
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7 July 1981 | 14 December 1982 | Fianna Fáil | Dublin North-West | ||
| 23rd | ||||||||
| 24th | John Ryan (1927–2014) |
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15 December 1982 | 10 March 1987 | Labour | Tipperary North | ||
| 25th | Jim Tunney (1924–2002) |
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24 March 1987 | 4 January 1993 | Fianna Fáil | Dublin North-West | ||
| 26th | ||||||||
| 27th | Joe Jacob (born 1939) |
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10 February 1993 | 26 June 1997 | Fianna Fáil | Wicklow | ||
| 28th | Rory O'Hanlon (born 1934) |
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9 July 1997 | 6 June 2002 | Fianna Fáil | Cavan–Monaghan | ||
| 29th | Séamus Pattison (1936–2018) |
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18 June 2002 | 14 June 2007 | Labour | Carlow–Kilkenny | ||
| 30th | Brendan Howlin (born 1956) |
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26 June 2007 | 9 March 2011 | Labour | Wexford | ||
| 31st | Michael Kitt (born 1950) |
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31 March 2011 | 10 March 2016 | Fianna Fáil | Galway East | ||
| 32nd | Pat "the Cope" Gallagher (born 1948) |
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7 July 2016 | 14 January 2020 | Fianna Fáil | Donegal | ||
| 33rd | Catherine Connolly (born 1957) |
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23 July 2020 | Incumbent | Independent politician (Ireland) | Galway West | ||
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See Also
- Cathaoirleach (This is the chairperson of the Seanad Éireann, which is the other part of Ireland's parliament.)
- Politics of the Republic of Ireland
- History of the Republic of Ireland
- Dáil Éireann (Irish Republic)
- Dáil Éireann (Irish Free State)
- Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly, who is also called Ceann Comhairle when speaking Irish.
Images for kids
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A placeholder image for missing portraits.
