Cathaoirleach

This article is about the Cathaoirleach of Seanad Éireann. For other uses, see Cathaoirleach (disambiguation).

Cathaoirleach (/kəˈhɪərləx/ ^ⓘ;^[2] Irish for chairperson; plural: Cathaoirligh) 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.

Cathaoirleach of Seanad Éireann
Incumbent Mark Daly since 12 February 2025
Seanad Éireann
Status	Presiding officer
Member of	Seanad Éireann Committee of Parliamentary Privileges and Oversight Council of State Presidential Commission
Appointer	Elected by the members of Seanad Éireann
Term length	No term limits
Constituting instrument	Article 15 – Constitution of Ireland
Inaugural holder	Lord Glenavy
Formation	6 December 1922
Deputy	Leas-Chathaoirleach
Salary	€138,210 annually[1] (including €81,206 senator's salary)
Website	Official website

Powers and functions

The Cathaoirleach is the sole judge of order, and has a range of powers and functions, namely:^[3]

• 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 ex officio 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	Name[4] (Birth–Death)	Portrait	Term of office		Party		Panel
1922	Lord Glenavy (1851–1931)		6 December 1922	6 December 1928		Independent	N/A
1925
1928	Thomas Westropp Bennett (1867–1962)		6 December 1928	19 May 1936[5]		Cumann na nGaedheal	N/A
1931
1934						Fine Gael
2nd	Seán Gibbons (1883–1952)		27 April 1938[5]	8 September 1943		Fianna Fáil	Agricultural Panel
3rd
4th	Seán Goulding (1877–1959)		8 September 1943	21 April 1948		Fianna Fáil	Industrial and Commercial Panel (1943–1944)
5th							Administrative Panel (1944–1948)
6th	Timothy O'Donovan (1881–1957)		21 April 1948	14 August 1951		Fine Gael	Agricultural Panel
7th	Liam Ó Buachalla (1899–1970)		14 August 1951	22 July 1954		Fianna Fáil	Cultural and Educational Panel
8th	Patrick Baxter (1891–1959)		22 July 1954	22 May 1957		Clann na Talmhan	Agricultural Panel
9th	Liam Ó Buachalla (1899–1970)		22 May 1957	5 November 1969		Fianna Fáil	Cultural and Educational Panel
10th
11th
12th	Michael Yeats (1921–2007)		5 November 1969	3 January 1973		Fianna Fáil	Cultural and Educational Panel
	Micheál Cranitch (1912–1999)		3 January 1973	1 June 1973		Fianna Fáil	Nominated by the Taoiseach
13th	James Dooge (1922–2010)		1 June 1973	27 October 1977		Fine Gael	Industrial and Commercial Panel
14th	Séamus Dolan (1914–2010)		27 October 1977	8 October 1981		Fianna Fáil	Labour Panel
15th	Charles McDonald (born 1935)		8 October 1981	13 May 1982		Fine Gael	Agricultural Panel
16th	Tras Honan (1930–2023)		13 May 1982	23 February 1983		Fianna Fáil	Administrative Panel
17th	Patrick J. Reynolds (1920–2003)		23 February 1983	25 April 1987		Fine Gael	Industrial and Commercial Panel
18th	Tras Honan (1930–2023)		25 April 1987	1 November 1989		Fianna Fáil	Administrative Panel
19th	Seán Doherty (1944–2005)		1 November 1989	23 January 1992		Fianna Fáil	Administrative Panel
	Seán Fallon (1937–1995)		23 January 1992	4 July 1995		Fianna Fáil	Industrial and Commercial Panel
20th
	Liam Naughten (1944–1996)		12 July 1995	16 November 1996		Fine Gael	Agricultural Panel
	Liam T. Cosgrave (born 1956)		27 November 1996	17 September 1997		Fine Gael	Industrial and Commercial Panel
21st	Brian Mullooly (born 1935)		17 September 1997	12 September 2002		Fianna Fáil	Labour Panel
22nd	Rory Kiely (1934–2018)		12 September 2002	13 September 2007		Fianna Fáil	Agricultural Panel
23rd	Pat Moylan (born 1946)		13 September 2007	25 May 2011		Fianna Fáil	Agricultural Panel
24th	Paddy Burke (born 1955)		25 May 2011	8 June 2016		Fine Gael	Agricultural Panel
25th	Denis O'Donovan (born 1955)		8 June 2016	29 June 2020		Fianna Fáil	Agricultural Panel
26th	Mark Daly (born 1973)		29 June 2020	16 December 2022		Fianna Fáil	Administrative Panel
	Jerry Buttimer (born 1967)		16 December 2022	30 November 2024		Fine Gael	Labour Panel
27th	Mark Daly (born 1973)		12 February 2025	Incumbent		Fianna Fáil	Administrative Panel

Leas-Chathaoirleach

The Cathaoirleach's deputy is the Leas-Chathaoirleach.

Seanad	Name (Birth–Death)	Portrait	Term of office		Party		Panel
1922	James G. Douglas (1887–1954)		12 December 1922	9 December 1925		Independent	N/A
1925	Thomas Westropp Bennett (1867–1962)		9 December 1925	12 December 1928		Cumann na nGaedheal	N/A
1928	Patrick W. Kenny (died 1931)		12 December 1928	22 April 1931		Cumann na nGaedheal	N/A
	Patrick Hooper (died 1931)		6 May 1931	6 September 1931		Independent	N/A
1931	Michael F. O'Hanlon (1890–1967)		20 January 1932	12 December 1934		Cumann na nGaedheal	N/A
1934	Michael Comyn (1871–1952)		12 December 1934	24 February 1936		Fianna Fáil	N/A
	David Robinson (1882–1943)		11 March 1936	19 May 1936[5]		Fianna Fáil	N/A
2nd	Pádraic Ó Máille (1878–1946)		11 May 1938	30 November 1938		Fianna Fáil	Agricultural Panel
3rd	Michael Tierney (1894–1975)		30 November 1938	27 October 1943		Fine Gael	National University of Ireland
4th			27 October 1943	18 August 1944
5th	Timothy O'Donovan (1881–1957)		18 August 1944	21 April 1948		Fine Gael	Agricultural Panel
6th	Seán Goulding (1877–1959)		21 April 1948	14 August 1951		Fianna Fáil	Administrative Panel
7th	Timothy O'Donovan (1881–1957)		7 November 1951	27 July 1954		Fine Gael	Agricultural Panel
8th	Liam Ó Buachalla (1899–1970)		27 July 1954	29 May 1957		Fianna Fáil	Cultural and Educational Panel
9th	Patrick Baxter (1891–1959)		29 May 1957	3 April 1959		Clann na Talmhan	Agricultural Panel
	John O'Donovan (1908–1982)		30 May 1959	3 January 1962		Fine Gael	Cultural and Educational Panel
10th	Patrick Lindsay (1914–1993)		3 January 1962	30 June 1965		Fine Gael	Industrial and Commercial Panel
11th	James Dooge (1922–2010)		30 June 1965	12 November 1969		Fine Gael	Labour Panel
12th			12 November 1969	20 June 1973			Industrial and Commercial Panel
13th	Evelyn Owens (1931–2010)		20 June 1973	2 November 1977		Labour	Labour Panel
14th	Joe McCartin (born 1939)		2 November 1977	12 July 1979		Fine Gael	Agricultural Panel
	Charles McDonald (born 1935)		18 July 1979	13 May 1982		Fine Gael	Agricultural Panel
15th	Séamus Dolan (1914–2010)		9 October 1981	19 May 1982		Fianna Fáil	Labour Panel
16th	Charles McDonald (born 1935)		19 May 1982	9 March 1983		Fine Gael	Agricultural Panel
17th	Tras Honan (1930–2023)		9 March 1983	25 April 1987		Fianna Fáil	Administrative Panel
18th	Charles McDonald (born 1935)		20 May 1987	8 November 1989		Fine Gael	Agricultural Panel
19th	Liam Naughten (1944–1996)		8 November 1989	25 February 1993		Fine Gael	Agricultural Panel
20th			25 February 1993	12 July 1995
	Brian Mullooly (born 1935)		19 July 1995	18 September 1997		Fianna Fáil	Labour Panel
21st	Liam T. Cosgrave (born 1956)		18 September 1997	13 September 2002		Fine Gael	Industrial and Commercial Panel
22nd	Paddy Burke (born 1955)		13 September 2002	13 September 2007		Fine Gael	Agricultural Panel
23rd			13 September 2007	25 May 2011
24th	Denis O'Donovan (born 1955)		25 May 2011	8 June 2016		Fianna Fáil	Industrial and Commercial Panel
25th	Paul Coghlan (1944–2023)		15 June 2016	27 March 2020		Fine Gael	Industrial and Commercial Panel
26th	Jerry Buttimer (born 1967)		7 July 2020	21 August 2020		Fine Gael	Labour Panel
	Joe O'Reilly (born 1955)		22 August 2020	16 December 2022		Fine Gael	Labour Panel
	Mark Daly (born 1973)		16 December 2022	12 February 2025		Fianna Fáil	Administrative Panel
27th	Maria Byrne		19 February 2025	Incumbent		Fine Gael	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