Members of the Twelfth Dáil - Patrick McGrath

Patrick (Pa) McGrath (died 20 June 1956) was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician. He represented Cork Borough as a Fianna Fáil Teachta Dála (TD) in Dáil Éireann between 1946 and 1956. He served as Lord Mayor of Cork between 1952 and 1956. In recognition of his active part in the Irish War of Independence, McGrath was made the chairman of the Cork City Old IRA Men's Association.

Members of the Twelfth Dáil - Brendan Corish

Brendan Corish

Brendan Corish (19 November 1918 – 17 February 1990) was an Irish Labour Party politician, and leader of his party from 1960 to 1977. He also served in a number of cabinet positions, most notably as Tánaiste, Minister for Health and Minister for Social Welfare.

Born in Wexford, Corish was the son of Richard Corish, a well-known trade union official and Sinn Féin member. He was elected to the First Dáil shortly after the birth of his son and later joined the Labour Party, serving as a local and national politician until his death in 1945.

Corish was educated locally at Wexford CBS and, in his youth, he was a member of the 1st Wexford Scout troop (Scouting Ireland (CSI)). At the age of nineteen he joined the clerical staff of Wexford County Council.

Corish was elected to Dáil Éireann as a Labour Party candidate in the Wexford by-election in 1945, necessitated by the death of Corish's father who was the sitting TD.^[1] He took a seat on the fractured opposition benches, as Fianna Fáil's grip on power continued.

Corish was retained his seat at the 1948 general election. Fianna Fáil returned as the largest party in the Dáil once again, however, Fine Gael, the Labour Party, the National Labour Party, Clann na Poblachta, Clann na Talmhan and a number of Independent candidates all came together to form the first inter-party government. Corish was not senior enough to join the cabinet, however, he was appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministers for Defence and Local Government.

When the Second Inter-party Government was formed after the 1954 general election, Corish was appointed Minister for Social Welfare.

In 1960, Corish succeeded William Norton as Labour Party leader. He introduced new policies which made the party more socialist in outlook. However, the party moved carefully because 'socialism' was still considered a dirty word in 1960s Ireland. Corish claimed that Ireland would be 'Socialist in the Seventies'. To a certain extent he was right because Fine Gael and the Labour Party formed a coalition government between 1973 and 1977. Corish became Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Social Welfare.

In 1977, the Taoiseach Liam Cosgrave called a general election, and Fianna Fáil was returned to power in a landslide victory. Corish resigned as leader of the Labour Party, having signalled his intent to do so before the election. He was succeeded as party leader by Frank Cluskey. Corish retired from politics completely at the February 1982 general election.

Corish was married to his Phyllis, and they had three sons.

Brendan Corish died on 17 February 1990 in Wexford at the age of 71.

Members of the Twelfth Dáil - Bernard Commons

Bernard Commons (15 May 1913 – 19 April 1965) was an Irish politician. A farmer by profession, he was an unsuccessful candidate at the 1943 and 1944 general elections. He was elected to Dáil Éireann at the Mayo South by-election on 4 December 1945 as a Clann na Talmhan Teachta Dála (TD) for the Mayo South constituency. The by-election was caused by the appointment of Micheál Clery of Fianna Fáil as County Registrar of Dublin. He was re-elected at the 1948 general election but lost his seat at the 1951 general election. He was subsequently elected to 7th Seanad on the Agricultural Panel. He stood unsuccessfully at the 1954 general election but was elected to the 8th Seanad. He was defeated at the 1957 Seanad election.

In the early 1940s, Commons was imprisoned for one month in Sligo Jail for his part in the Mayo land agitation, after which he won a Dáil seat.

Members of the Twelfth Dáil - Honor Crowley

Honor Mary Crowley (née Boland; 19 October 1903 – 18 October 1966) was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who served for twenty years as Teachta Dála (TD) for the Kerry South constituency.



She was one of five daughters of the MP John Pius Boland who won gold medals in Tennis at the 1896 Olympics in Athens, he was a member of the Irish Parliamentary Party and represented South Kerry from 1900 until 1918.


A social worker before entering politics, Crowley was first elected to the 12th Dáil at the 1945 by-election on 4 December caused by the death of her husband, Fianna Fáil TD Frederick Crowley. She was re-elected at the next six general elections, and died in 1966 while still in office. She was the first woman to represent Ireland on a delegation to the Council of Europe in Strasbourg from 1954–1957.

The 1966 by-election following her death was won by the Fianna Fáil candidate, John O'Leary.
Her sister Bridget Boland was a playwright.

Members of the Twelfth Dáil - Vivion de Valera

Vivion de Valera (13 December 1910 – 16 February 1982) was an Irish scientist, businessman, lawyer and politician. He was the eldest child of the former Taoiseach and President, Éamon de Valera and Sinéad de Valera and was named after his paternal grandfather, Juan Vivion de Valera. He is also the uncle of former ministers Síle de Valera and Éamon Ó Cuív.

Born in Dublin in 1910, Vivion de Valera was educated at Blackrock College, University College Dublin (MSc, PhD) and King's Inns. While at UCD, he was auditor of the Literary and Historical Society. He was called to the Bar in 1937. After military service during "The Emergency", de Valera retired from the army with the rank of Major. In 1945, he embarked on a political career, being elected as a Fianna Fáil TD for Dublin North–West. He served in Dáil Éireann until 1981. He was a director of the Irish Press Ltd from 1932 until 1982 and managing director from 1951 until 1982.

Vivion de Valera died in Dublin in 1982.

Members of the Twelfth Dáil - Patrick Shanahan

Patrick Shanahan (10 March 1908 – 1 February 2000) was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician.

He was elected to the 12th Dáil as a TD for the Clare constituency in the December 1945 by-election to succeed Patrick Burke. He lost his seat in the 1948 general election.

He died in 2000, aged 91.

Members of the Twelfth Dáil - Donal O'Donoghue

Donal J. O'Donoghue (5 June 1894 – 26 July 1971) was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician. A teacher by profession, he was first elected as a Fianna Fáil Teachta Dála (TD) at the 1944 by-election for the Kerry South constituency. The by-election was caused by the appointment of Fionán Lynch as a Judge. He was defeated at the 1948 general election.