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Government of the 15th Dáil

Irish Government from 1954 to 1957

Layered newspapers, civic records and oral-history reels arranged as chronological evidence
History and societyInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionAug 3, 2025
Entity authorityQ5589354 ↗
Source-derived summary

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.

Editorial summary

“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.

Editorial reviewMost valuable as an event-and-institution map that identifies actors, dates and record creators for deeper historical inquiry. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—1954, 1957, 1948, 1951—that can be checked directly. The linked authority record independently contributes the date 1954-06-02. Its strongest next move is a source search built around Government, 15th and Dáil.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

“Government of the 15th Dáil” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Government, 15th and Dáil provides the most credible route into that argument.

Evidence profile

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.

Critical limits

Later summaries often reconcile disputed chronology or motive more neatly than the contemporary record permits. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Compare institutional narratives with records created by participants and affected communities. Dates and formal titles are useful anchors, but not substitutes for context.

Best used for
  • Event chronology
  • Institutional context
  • Locating named record creators
Verify next

Contemporary correspondence, government or organizational records, oral histories and cited historical scholarship.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Government of the 15th Dáil”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Government of the 15th Dáil primary sources, Government of the 15th Dáil archive and Government research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Government of the 15th Dáil”?
  2. Who created the surviving record, and for what administrative purpose?
  3. What chronology connects this entry to wider political or social change?
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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from “Government of the 15th Dáil” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.