He took his seat in the 5th Dáil, along with the 44 other Fianna Fáil TDs who ended the Republican policy of abstentionism and took the disputed oath of allegiance, dismissing it as an "empty formula".
He took his seat in the 5th Dáil, alongside the 44 other Fianna Fáil TDs who abandoned the Republican stance of non-participation and accepted the disputed oath of loyalty, dismissing it as a "vain phrase".