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".
In the 5th Dáil, he sat beside the 44 other Fianna Fáil TDs who had previously abstained from participating in politics and instead took the controversial oath of allegiance, viewing it as a meaningless ritual.