Members of the Senate of Southern Ireland


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.
It met on 28 June 1921 in the Royal College of Science for Ireland, on 13 July at the Department of Agriculture, and a third time in July.

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:
In practice, however, only 40 senators were selected. The Irish Republic declared 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In 1922, both the Irish Republic and Southern Ireland were superseded by Irish Free State.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, either appointed by W. T. Cosgrave, President of the Executive Council, or elected by the members of the Dáil.

List