List of members of the Senate of Southern Ireland facts for kids

The Senate of Southern Ireland was the upper house of the Parliament of Southern Ireland, established de jure in 1921 under the terms of the Government of Ireland Act 1920. The Act stipulated that there be 64 senators, but only 40 were selected and the Senate met only briefly before being dissolved.

Composition

The Senate's composition was specified in the Second Schedule of the 1920 Act, and the mode and time of selection in the Fourth Schedule. These were similar to those suggested for the Senate in the report of the Irish Convention of 1917–18. The 64 members were as follows:

• 3 ex officio members:
  • The Lord Chancellor of Ireland, intended as the presiding officer of the Senate. The Lord Chancellor had previously been the chairman of the Irish House of Lords in the Parliament of Ireland prior to its abolition.
  • The Lord Mayor of Dublin and the Lord Mayor of Cork.
• 17 "Representatives of Commerce (including Banking), Labour, and the Scientific and Learned Professions" to be nominated by the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland for a term of 10 years.
• 44 members elected by various interest groups from among their respective memberships, using the single transferable vote:
  • Elected for a term of 10 years:
    • 4 Archbishops or Bishops of the Roman Catholic Church holding Sees situated wholly or partly in Southern Ireland.
    • 2 Archbishops or Bishops of the Church of Ireland holding Sees situated wholly or partly in Southern Ireland.
    • 16 Peers (not necessarily members of the Peerage of Ireland) who were taxpayers, or ratepayers in respect of property, and had residences, in Southern Ireland.
    • 8 members of the Privy Council of Ireland of no less than two years standing who were taxpayers or ratepayers in respect of property in and had residences in Southern Ireland.
  • 14 representatives of County Councils, elected for a term of three years:
    • 4 from each of Leinster, Munster, and Connacht
    • 2 from the three Ulster counties not in Northern Ireland (Cavan, Donegal,and Monaghan)

In practice, however, only 40 senators were selected. The Irish Republic established by Sinn Féin in 1919 rejected the legitimacy of the 1920 Act. Sinn Féin gained control of the county councils in the 1920 local elections. The Irish Congress of Trade Unions and Labour Party supported the Republic, and the Roman Catholic hierarchy also refused to co-operate. Of the incomplete membership, many had participated in the Irish Convention. Not all those selected attended its few sessions.

In 1922, both the Irish Republic and Southern Ireland were superseded by Irish Free State. Some of the Southern Ireland senators were subsequently senators in the Free State Seanad (upper house), either appointed by W. T. Cosgrave, President of the Executive Council, or elected by the members of the Dáil (lower house).

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