1948 Irish general election

The 1948 Irish general election to the 13th Dáil was held on Wednesday, 4 February following the dissolution of the 12th Dáil on 12 January 1948 by the President Seán T. O'Kelly on the request of Taoiseach Éamon de Valera. The general election took place in 40 constituencies throughout Ireland for 147 seats in Dáil Éireann, the house of representatives of the Oireachtas, with a revision of Dáil constituencies under the Electoral (Amendment) Act 1947, which had increased the number of seats by 9 since the previous election. The election resulted in Fianna Fáil leaving government for the first time in 16 years and the formation of the first coalition government in Ireland.

1948 Irish general election
4 February 1948
147 seats in Dáil Éireann
74 seats needed for a majority
Turnout74.2% 5.0pp
  First party Second party Third party
 
Leader Éamon de Valera Richard Mulcahy William Norton
Party Fianna Fáil Fine Gael Labour
Leader since 26 March 1926 1944 1932
Leader's seat Clare Tipperary South Kildare
Last election 76 seats, 48.9% 30 seats, 20.5% 8 seats, 8.8%
Seats before 77 28 8
Seats won 68 31 14
Seat change 9 3 6
Percentage 41.9% 19.8% 8.7%
Swing 7.0% 0.7% 0.1%
  Fourth party Fifth party Sixth party
 
CnaT
Leader Seán MacBride Joseph Blowick James Everett
Party Clann na Poblachta Clann na Talmhan National Labour Party
Leader since 1946 1944 1944
Leader's seat Dublin South-West Mayo South Wicklow
Last election N/A 9 seats, 10.1% 4 seats, 2.7%
Seats before 2 9 4
Seats won 10 7 5
Seat change 8 2 1
Percentage 13.2% 5.6% 2.6%
Swing 13.2% 4.5% 0.1%
Percentage of seats gained by each of the five biggest parties, and number of seats gained by smaller parties and independents.
Taoiseach before election

Éamon de Valera
Fianna Fáil

 Taoiseach after election

John A. Costello
Fine Gael

The constituency of Carlow–Kilkenny voted on 8 February after the death during the campaign of Fine Gael candidate Eamonn Coogan TD. Another Fine Gael deputy in the same constituency, James Hughes, had died shortly before the dissolution.

The 13th Dáil met at Leinster House on 18 February to nominate the Taoiseach for appointment by the president and to approve the appointment of a new government of Ireland on the nomination of the Taoiseach. John A. Costello was appointed leading the First Inter-Party Government, a five-party minority coalition.

This election was the last one before Ireland's withdrawal from the British Commonwealth and the declaration of the Republic of Ireland, which came into effect on 18 April 1949 under The Republic of Ireland Act 1948.

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