Government of the 15th Dáil
Irish Government from 1954 to 1957

The 7th government of Ireland (2 June 1954 – 20 March 1957), commonly known as the second inter-party government, was the government of Ireland formed after the 1954 general election to the 15th Dáil held on 18 May. It was a minority government of Fine Gael, the Labour Party and Clann na Talmhan. Clann na Poblachta, which had been in the First inter-party government (1948–1951) with these parties, supported the government but did not form part of it. It lasted for 2 years, 291 days.
Nomination of Taoiseach
The 15th Dáil first met on 2 June 1954. In the debate on the nomination of Taoiseach, Fianna Fáil leader and outgoing Taoiseach Éamon de Valera and former Taoiseach John A. Costello of Fine Gael were both proposed. The nomination of de Valera was defeated with 66 votes cast in favour and 78 against, while the nomination of Costello was approved by 79 to 66. Costello was appointed as Taoiseach by President Seán T. O'Kelly.
Members of the Government
The Ministers of the Government were proposed by the Taoiseach and approved by the Dáil. They were appointed by the president on the same day.
“Government of the 15th Dáil” enters the record as irish Government from 1954 to 1957. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Government, 15th and Dáil can confirm, complicate or overturn.
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Chronology, provenance and viewpoint should be read together before a broad social or political interpretation is accepted. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 3, 2025. The linked authority identifier is Q5589354. None of the 1 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1954, 1957, 1948 and 1951.
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