benwalsh

Fianna Fáil was denied an absolute majority in the 13th Dáil, and an ad-hoc alliance of parties from all parts of the political spectrum came to power. The first Inter-Party Government oversaw the formal declaration of the Republic of Ireland and the church/state crisis of the Mother and Child Act.

After 16 years of Fianna Fail government and an economic downturn after the “Emergency” of World War II, Irish voters returned a fractious Dail where a number of smaller and special-interest groups supported Fine Gael to form the First Inter-Party Government.