Editing Teachta Dála (section)

==History==
The term was first used to describe those Irish parliamentarians<ref>73 out of 105 seats won in Ireland at the 1918 general election were by [[Sinn Féin]] members. [[Irish Unionist Alliance|Unionist]] and [[Irish Parliamentary Party]] members refused to recognise the Dáil, and so did not attend.</ref> who were elected at the [[1918 Irish general election|1918 general election]], and who, rather than attending the [[House of Commons of the United Kingdom|British House of Commons]] at [[Westminster]], to which they had been elected, assembled instead in the [[Mansion House, Dublin|Mansion House]] in Dublin on 21 January 1919 to create a new Irish parliament: the [[First Dáil]] Éireann. Initially, the term {{lang|ga|Feisire Dáil Eireann}} (F.D.E.) was mooted,<ref>e.g.
* {{cite encyclopedia |chapter-url=https://archive.org/stream/encyclopaediabri31chisrich#page/574/mode/1up |article=Ireland |page=573 |volume=31 |encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica |edition=12th |author-link=Walter Alison Phillips |first=Walter Alison |last=Phillips |year=1922 |access-date=21 October 2016 |quote=The victorious group assumed the title of the Irish Republican party, and styled themselves not M.P., but F.D.E. ({{lang|ga|Feisire Dail Eireann}}, i.e. members of the Assembly of Ireland).}}
* ''[[Cork Examiner]]'', 21 January 1919, "The M.P.s, or F.D.Es (Feisire Dáil Eireann) as they will be known in future, [etc.]" (cited in {{cite thesis |url=http://othes.univie.ac.at/1195/1/2008-09-03_8305662.pdf#page=694 |format=PDF |title=Irish Views on Old Austria and Austrian Views on the Irish Question, 1848–1918|last=Ferris|first=Lisa|date=September 2008|publisher=University of Vienna|page=609 |access-date=21 October 2016}})</ref> but 'Teachta' was used from the first meeting.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://oireachtasdebates.oireachtas.ie/debates%20authoring/debateswebpack.nsf/takes/dail1919012100002|title=Prelude|date=21 January 1919|work=First Dáil proceedings|publisher=Oireachtas |no-pp=y|pages=c.9 |quote=Tháinig na Teachtaí I gceann a chéile I nÁrus Árd-Mhéire Bhaile Átha Cliath ar a 3.30 iar nóin.|language=Irish|access-date=21 October 2016}}</ref> The term continued to be used after this First Dáil and was used to refer to later members of the [[Irish Republic]]'s single-chamber [[Dáil Éireann (Irish Republic)|Dáil Éireann]] (or 'Assembly of Ireland') (1919–1922), members of the [[Dáil Éireann (Irish Free State)|Free State Dáil]] (1922–1937), and of the modern Dáil Éireann.