Cathaoirleach

Template:Short description Template:About Template:Use dmy dates Template:Use Hiberno-English Template:Infobox political post Cathaoirleach (Template:IPAc-en;<ref>For the pronunciation in Irish, see here Template:Webarchive.</ref> Irish for chairperson; plural: {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}) is the title of the chair (or presiding officer) of Seanad Éireann, the sixty-member upper house of the Oireachtas, the legislature of Ireland. The current Cathaoirleach is Fianna Fáil Senator Mark Daly, who has held the office since 12 February 2025.

Powers and functions

The Cathaoirleach is the sole judge of order, and has a range of powers and functions, namely:<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

• Calls on members to speak and all speeches must be addressed to the Chair.
• Puts such questions to the House as are required, supervises Divisions and declares the results.
• Has authority to suppress disorder, to enforce prompt obedience to Rulings and may order members to withdraw from the House or name them for suspension by the House itself for a period.
• In the case of great disorder can suspend or adjourn the House.

The Cathaoirleach is also an {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} member of the Council of State, which advises the president of Ireland in the exercise of their discretionary powers, and of the Presidential Commission, which performs the powers and functions of the office of president in their absence.

List of office-holders

Cathaoirleach

This list includes the panel (since 1938) and political affiliation of each Cathaoirleach, as well as the number of the Seanad and time they spent in the position.

Seanad	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref> Template:Small	Portrait	Term of office		Party		Panel
1922	Lord Glenavy Template:Small	File:James Campbell, 1st Baron Glenavy, 1922.png	6 December 1922	6 December 1928	Template:Party name with colour	N/A
1925
1928	Thomas Westropp Bennett Template:Small	File:No image.png	6 December 1928	19 May 1936<ref name="senate">The final sitting of Seanad Éireann of the Irish Free State was held on 19 May 1936. The Seanad was abolished on 29 May 1936. The election for the new Seanad, set up in accordance with the 1937 Constitution of Ireland, was held on 28 March 1938, and the first sitting was held on 27 April 1938.</ref>	Template:Party name with colour	N/A
1931
1934					Template:Party name with colour
2nd	Seán Gibbons Template:Small	File:No image.png	27 April 1938<ref name="senate"/>	8 September 1943	Template:Party name with colour	Agricultural Panel
3rd
4th	Seán Goulding Template:Small	File:No image.png	8 September 1943	21 April 1948	Template:Party name with colour	Industrial and Commercial Panel Template:Small
5th					Administrative Panel Template:Small
6th	Timothy O'Donovan Template:Small	File:No image.png	21 April 1948	14 August 1951	Template:Party name with colour	Agricultural Panel
7th	Liam Ó Buachalla Template:Small	File:No image.png	14 August 1951	22 July 1954	Template:Party name with colour	Cultural and Educational Panel
8th	Patrick Baxter Template:Small	File:No image.png	22 July 1954	22 May 1957	Template:Party name with colour	Agricultural Panel
9th	Liam Ó Buachalla Template:Small	File:No image.png	22 May 1957	5 November 1969	Template:Party name with colour	Cultural and Educational Panel
10th
11th
12th	Michael Yeats Template:Small	File:Michael Yeats, 1977 (cropped).jpg	5 November 1969	3 January 1973	Template:Party name with colour	Cultural and Educational Panel
	Micheál Cranitch Template:Small	File:No image.png	3 January 1973	1 June 1973	Template:Party name with colour	Nominated by the Taoiseach
13th	James Dooge Template:Small	File:James Dooge, 1981 (cropped).tif	1 June 1973	27 October 1977	Template:Party name with colour	Industrial and Commercial Panel
14th	Séamus Dolan Template:Small	File:No image.png	27 October 1977	8 October 1981	Template:Party name with colour	Labour Panel
15th	Charles McDonald Template:Small	File:Charles McDonald, June 12 1973 (cropped).jpg	8 October 1981	13 May 1982	Template:Party name with colour	Agricultural Panel
16th	Tras Honan Template:Small	File:No image.png	13 May 1982	23 February 1983	Template:Party name with colour	Administrative Panel
17th	Patrick J. Reynolds Template:Small	File:No image.png	23 February 1983	25 April 1987	Template:Party name with colour	Industrial and Commercial Panel
18th	Tras Honan Template:Small	File:No image.png	25 April 1987	1 November 1989	Template:Party name with colour	Administrative Panel
19th	Seán Doherty Template:Small	File:No image.png	1 November 1989	23 January 1992	Template:Party name with colour	Administrative Panel
	Seán Fallon Template:Small	File:No image.png	23 January 1992	4 July 1995	Template:Party name with colour	Industrial and Commercial Panel
20th
	Liam Naughten Template:Small	File:No image.png	12 July 1995	16 November 1996	Template:Party name with colour	Agricultural Panel
	Liam T. Cosgrave Template:Small	File:No image.png	27 November 1996	17 September 1997	Template:Party name with colour	Industrial and Commercial Panel
21st	Brian Mullooly Template:Small	File:No image.png	17 September 1997	12 September 2002	Template:Party name with colour	Labour Panel
22nd	Rory Kiely Template:Small	File:No image.png	12 September 2002	13 September 2007	Template:Party name with colour	Agricultural Panel
23rd	Pat Moylan Template:Small	File:No image.png	13 September 2007	25 May 2011	Template:Party name with colour	Agricultural Panel
24th	Paddy Burke Template:Small	File:Paddy Burke 2014.jpg	25 May 2011	8 June 2016	Template:Party name with colour	Agricultural Panel
25th	Denis O'Donovan Template:Small	File:Denis O'Donovan at the Enthronement of Naruhito (1).jpg	8 June 2016	29 June 2020	Template:Party name with colour	Agricultural Panel
26th	Mark Daly Template:Small	File:Mark Daly 2022.jpg	29 June 2020	16 December 2022	Template:Party name with colour	Administrative Panel
	Jerry Buttimer Template:Small	File:Jerry Buttimer, December 2022 (cropped).jpg	16 December 2022	30 November 2024	Template:Party name with colour	Labour Panel
27th	Mark Daly Template:Small	File:Senator Mark Daly at First Sitting of the 27th Seanad Éireann - 12 February 2025 (cropped).jpg	12 February 2025	Incumbent	Template:Party name with colour	Administrative Panel

Leas-Chathaoirleach

The Cathaoirleach's deputy is the {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}.

Seanad	Name Template:Small	Portrait	Term of office		Party		Panel
1922	James G. Douglas Template:Small	File:James Green Douglas, circa 1940s.jpg	12 December 1922	9 December 1925	Template:Party name with colour	N/A
1925	Thomas Westropp Bennett Template:Small	File:No image.png	9 December 1925	12 December 1928	Template:Party name with colour	N/A
1928	Patrick W. Kenny Template:Small	File:Patrick W. Kenny, circa 1927.jpg	12 December 1928	22 April 1931	Template:Party name with colour	N/A
	Patrick Hooper Template:Small	File:No image.png	6 May 1931	6 September 1931	Template:Party name with colour	N/A
1931	Michael F. O'Hanlon Template:Small	File:No image.png	20 January 1932	12 December 1934	Template:Party name with colour	N/A
1934	Michael Comyn Template:Small	File:Michael Comyn 1933.png	12 December 1934	24 February 1936	Template:Party name with colour	N/A
	David Robinson Template:Small	File:No image.png	11 March 1936	19 May 1936<ref name="senate"/>	Template:Party name with colour	N/A
2nd	Pádraic Ó Máille Template:Small	File:Pádraic Ó Máille, circa 1922.jpg	11 May 1938	30 November 1938	Template:Party name with colour	Agricultural Panel
3rd	Michael Tierney Template:Small		30 November 1938	27 October 1943	Template:Party name with colour	National University of Ireland
4th			27 October 1943	18 August 1944
5th	Timothy O'Donovan Template:Small	File:No image.png	18 August 1944	21 April 1948	Template:Party name with colour	Agricultural Panel
6th	Seán Goulding Template:Small	File:No image.png	21 April 1948	14 August 1951	Template:Party name with colour	Administrative Panel
7th	Timothy O'Donovan Template:Small	File:No image.png	7 November 1951	27 July 1954	Template:Party name with colour	Agricultural Panel
8th	Liam Ó Buachalla Template:Small	File:No image.png	27 July 1954	29 May 1957	Template:Party name with colour	Cultural and Educational Panel
9th	Patrick Baxter Template:Small	File:No image.png	29 May 1957	3 April 1959	Template:Party name with colour	Agricultural Panel
	John O'Donovan Template:Small	File:No image.png	30 May 1959	3 January 1962	Template:Party name with colour	Cultural and Educational Panel
10th	Patrick Lindsay Template:Small	File:No image.png	3 January 1962	30 June 1965	Template:Party name with colour	Industrial and Commercial Panel
11th	James Dooge Template:Small	File:James Dooge, 1981 (cropped).tif	30 June 1965	12 November 1969	Template:Party name with colour	Labour Panel
12th			12 November 1969	20 June 1973	Industrial and Commercial Panel
13th	Evelyn Owens Template:Small	File:No image.png	20 June 1973	2 November 1977	Template:Party name with colour	Labour Panel
14th	Joe McCartin Template:Small	File:Joe McCartin, 2004 (cropped).jpg	2 November 1977	12 July 1979	Template:Party name with colour	Agricultural Panel
	Charles McDonald Template:Small	File:Charles McDonald, June 12 1973 (cropped).jpg	18 July 1979	13 May 1982	Template:Party name with colour	Agricultural Panel
15th	Séamus Dolan Template:Small	File:No image.png	9 October 1981	19 May 1982	Template:Party name with colour	Labour Panel
16th	Charles McDonald Template:Small	File:Charles McDonald, June 12 1973 (cropped).jpg	19 May 1982	9 March 1983	Template:Party name with colour	Agricultural Panel
17th	Tras Honan Template:Small	File:No image.png	9 March 1983	25 April 1987	Template:Party name with colour	Administrative Panel
18th	Charles McDonald	File:Charles McDonald, June 12 1973 (cropped).jpg	20 May 1987	8 November 1989	Template:Party name with colour	Agricultural Panel
19th	Liam Naughten Template:Small	File:No image.png	8 November 1989	25 February 1993	Template:Party name with colour	Agricultural Panel
20th			25 February 1993	12 July 1995
	Brian Mullooly Template:Small	File:No image.png	19 July 1995	18 September 1997	Template:Party name with colour	Labour Panel
21st	Liam T. Cosgrave Template:Small	File:No image.png	18 September 1997	13 September 2002	Template:Party name with colour	Industrial and Commercial Panel
22nd	Paddy Burke Template:Small	File:Paddy Burke 2014.jpg	13 September 2002	13 September 2007	Template:Party name with colour	Agricultural Panel
23rd			13 September 2007	25 May 2011
24th	Denis O'Donovan Template:Small	File:Denis O'Donovan at the Enthronement of Naruhito (1).jpg	25 May 2011	8 June 2016	Template:Party name with colour	Industrial and Commercial Panel
25th	Paul Coghlan Template:Small	File:Paul Coghlan, June 2018 (cropped).jpg	15 June 2016	27 March 2020	Template:Party name with colour	Industrial and Commercial Panel
26th	Jerry Buttimer Template:Small	File:Jerry Buttimer.jpg	7 July 2020	21 August 2020	Template:Party name with colour	Labour Panel
	Joe O'Reilly Template:Small	File:Joe O'Reilly, November 2022 (cropped).jpg	22 August 2020	16 December 2022	Template:Party name with colour	Labour Panel
	Mark Daly Template:Small	File:Mark Daly 2022.jpg	16 December 2022	12 February 2025	Template:Party name with colour	Administrative Panel
27th	Maria Byrne	File:Maria Byrne, January 2025 (cropped).jpg	19 February 2025	Incumbent	Template:Party name with colour	Agricultural Panel

See also

• Ceann Comhairle (Chairperson of Dáil Éireann)
• Politics of the Republic of Ireland
• History of the Republic of Ireland
• Seanad Éireann (Irish Free State)
• Leader of the Seanad

External links

• Template:Official website