The Seanad dodged abolition in 2013 with the help of the electorate, despite the wishes of Fine Gael, Labour and Sinn Féin to kill it off. Fianna Fáil was the only party to officially support retention.
It is reviled as dysfunctional and elitist, derided as a nursery for future TDs and a retirement home for older TDs who lose their seats. Even those who voted for its retention called for major reform.
Its own members are highly critical. One Senator who said the House was often excellent for debating issues and legislation, also described it as a “bedroom for some – they actually sleep when they’re in the chamber”. But the Seanad marches on and its traditional value to parties is clear after the general election – as a potential safety net for TDs who lost seats and a training ground for future Dáil members. Seanad reform may be important, but right now it is all about the battle for Seanad seats – and for party nominations.
Twenty Senators ran for the Dáil and seven got elected, three of them former TDs – Fianna Fáil’s Thomas Byrne and Darragh O’Brien and Fine Gael’s Michael D’Arcy . The other successes are Katherine Zappone (Ind), David Cullinane (SF), Hildegarde Naughton (FG) and Marc MacSharry (FF).
Incoming Dáil
The incoming Dáil, the outgoing Seanad and councillors, an electorate of about 1,200 voters, get to decide on 43 senators. Six others are voted in on the Trinity College and NUI university panels, while the taoiseach appoints 11.
Labour knows it has at best a chance of four seats, five if outgoing Trinity College panel Senator Ivana Bacik retains her seat. The party will nominate one candidate on each of four panels. Senator Denis Landy has already been nominated to the agriculture panel and former minister of state Ged Nash who lost his Dáil seat, is expected to be nominated by the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (Ictu) to the Labour panel.
But there are more than two candidates for the remaining places, including former ministers of state Aodhán Ó Ríordáin and Kevin Humphreys, and former Dublin Mid-West TD Joanna Tuffy.
Fine Gael may have 12 or 13 seats compared to 18 in the outgoing Seanad. Incumbent Senators could be competing against former TDs who lost their Dáil seats. On the Labour panel outgoing Seanad leader Maurice Cummins is likely to be in contention against former Cork South-Central TD Jerry Buttimer, while former Cork North-West TD Áine Collins may run on the industrial and commercial panel, along with outgoing Senators Paul Coghlan and Catherine Noone.
Former minister of state Paudie Coffey (Waterford) is also thought likely to run as is Michelle Mulherin (Mayo) and Joe O’Reilly (Cavan-Monaghan). Former minister of state Tom Hayes has also been mentioned.
Sinn Féin is expected to go from three to eight Seanad seats. Its complete line-up has not been confirmed but guaranteed runners included former Donegal TD Pádraig Mac Lochlainn and outgoing Senator Trevor Ó Clochartaigh.
Seven candidates
Fianna Fáil will run seven candidates on inside panels and former TD Colm Keaveney is expected to be one. Cllr Catherine Ardagh, who almost won a seat in Dublin South-Central, is mentioned but party insiders say councillors may keep a higher profile on the local authority.
Former Kerry TD Thomas McEllistrim has successfully sought an outside nomination, as has former senator John Hanafin.
Cllrs Paul McAuliffe (Dublin Northwest) and Malcolm Byrne (Wexford) are also expected to be nominated.
At least five Independents are expected to be elected to the Seanad based on their success in the local and general elections. The Trinity College panel of 16 candidates includes all three outgoing Senators: Ivana Bacik, David Norris and Sean Barrett while Senator Rónán Mullen is the only incumbent on the NUI panel running again.
