76-523: The parliament of the Republic of Ireland is the Oireachtas . Irish parliament may also refer to: Oireachtas Opposition (75) Vacant Opposition (16) Vacant The Oireachtas ( / ˈ ɛr ə k t ə s / EH -rək-təs , Irish: [ˈɛɾʲaxt̪ˠəsˠ] ), sometimes referred to as Oireachtas Éireann , is the bicameral parliament of Ireland . The Oireachtas consists of
152-571: A Dáil term may last no longer than five years; however, the house can be dissolved by the president at any time at the request of the Taoiseach (head of government). Dáil elections use the electoral system of proportional representation by means of a single transferable vote . The Dáil has 160 members. The Seanad is not directly elected but consists of a mixture of members selected in a number of different ways. There are 60 senators: 43 are elected by councillors and parliamentarians, 11 are appointed by
228-506: A binding referendum on any bill. This was to allow the Seanad to appeal to voters directly if there was a disagreement between the two houses and if the Dáil attempted to override the Seanad. However, this power was taken from the Seanad in 1928 before it had been put into use. It was in compensation for this loss that the Seanad's powers of delay were increased in the same year. Before it was removed,
304-645: A common building complex. The Houses of the Oireachtas Commission was established by statute in 2003 to provide a formal structure for this, which was previously done by a joint committee. Non-political support staff, such as ushers and the English–Irish translation staff, are employed by this Commission and treated as part of the Civil Service of the State . The Commission's chairperson and chief executive are
380-703: A constituent assembly to approve the Constitution of the Irish Free State and pave the way for the creation of the new state. Once the Constitution of the Irish Free State was in effect the Third Dáil served as the lower house of the Oireachtas. Under the terms of the constitution, however, the Third Dáil merely carried out the functions of the Dáil during this period until a new chamber could be elected. The first Dáil of
456-653: A maximum of five seats, during the Irish Free State there were several six-, seven- and eight-seat constituencies. During the Irish Free State Galway was a single nine-seat constituency. As well as geographical constituencies, there were two university constituencies : Dublin University and the National University . The franchise for the university constituencies was open to all those who had been awarded degrees from either institution. However anyone voting in
532-554: A number of constitutional amendments were subsequently made to change the manner of its election and it powers. It was abolished in 1936 when it attempted to obstruct constitutional reforms favoured by the government. It sat in Leinster House . The Seanad was subordinate to Dáil and could delay but not veto decisions of that house. Nonetheless, the Seanad had more power than its successor, the modern Seanad , which can only delay normal legislation for three months. As originally adopted
608-453: A pilot service on UPC Ireland . On 22 September 2014, the Houses launched the dedicated television channel Oireachtas TV, bringing unfiltered access to the parliamentary process to over one million households nationwide. The service is available free of charge on UPC Channel 207 and Sky Channel 574. In 2012, the Oireachtas launched its first e-consultation. On 28 June 2008, the first Houses of
684-588: A referendum. During the Free State it was also the Oireachtas as a whole, rather than the Dáil, that had authority to commit the state to war, although this distinction was not significant in practice. The earliest parliament in Ireland was the Parliament of Ireland , which was founded in the thirteenth century as the supreme legislative body of the lordship of Ireland and was in existence until 1801. This parliament governed
760-413: A university constituency was excluded from voting in their geographical district. The constitution required that each return three TDs , regardless of population. Because these constituencies had much lower populations that the ordinary geographical constituencies this resulted in malapportionment . The university constituencies were abolished in 1936 under the Constitution (Amendment No. 23) Act 1936 and
836-500: A whole had to resign en bloc if it lost the confidence of the lower house. In practice these provision meant that the President was chosen by the Dáil, which could bring down his cabinet by a vote of no confidence , or failure to approve a vote of confidence. A constitutional amendment passed in 1936 removed the role of the King entirely and provided that, in the final months of the Free State,
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#1732837693131912-609: The Ceann Comhairle and clerk of the Dáil respectively; other members are the Cathaoirleach of the Seanad, one appointed by the Minister for Finance , four by the Dáil, and three by the Seanad. The Commission, through the translation department, is responsible for periodic updates to An Caighdeán Oifigiúil , the official standard form of the Irish language . Oireachtas of
988-859: The Free State Senate was abolished in May 1936 and the role of the monarch was removed in December 1936. The modern Oireachtas came into being in December 1937, on the adoption of the Constitution of Ireland . The first Oireachtas radio and television broadcasts were of ceremonial addresses from dignitaries , beginning with that of John F. Kennedy during his 1963 state visit. Regular radio broadcasting of edited Oireachtas proceedings began in October 1986, although budget statements had already been broadcast live. Television coverage of Dáil, Seanad, and committee proceedings began in 1990, 1991, and 1993 respectively. Since 2005
1064-468: The Gaelic League and Douglas Hyde . After the amendment of the constitution in 1928, future members of the Seanad were to be elected from a single constituency consisting of the combined membership of the outgoing Seanad and the Dáil, and the system was changed so that a third rather than a quarter of the Seanad would be replaced at each election. The elections were still held by secret ballot and under
1140-548: The Governor-General , was also a constituent part of the Oireachtas. The Oireachtas of the Irish Free State was disbanded by the 1937 Constitution of Ireland which created the modern Oireachtas . Like the modern Oireachtas, the Free State legislature was dominated by the directly elected Dáil. Unlike the modern body, the Free State Oireachtas had authority to amend the constitution as it saw fit, without recourse to
1216-578: The Irish word airecht / oireacht ("deliberative assembly of freemen; assembled freemen; assembly, gathering; patrimony, territory"), ultimately from the word airig ("freeman"). Its first recorded use as the name of a legislative body was within the Irish Free State . Dáil Éireann is directly elected under universal suffrage of all Irish citizens who are residents and at least eighteen years old; non-Irish citizens may be enfranchised by law, which currently extends to British citizens. By law,
1292-786: The King of England , a House of the Lords and a House of Commons . Under the Act of Union 1800 the separate Kingdoms of Ireland and Great Britain were merged on 1 January 1801, to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and the Parliament of the United Kingdom . Throughout the 19th century Irish opposition to the Union was strong, occasionally erupting in violent insurrection. The next legislature to exist in Ireland only came into being in 1919. This
1368-458: The Protestant minority in the state, most of whom were former Southern Unionists , to promote inclusiveness in the new Free State. As a result, of the sixty members of the first Seanad, as well as 36 Catholics , there were 20 Protestants , 3 Quakers and 1 Jew . It contained 7 peers , a dowager countess, 5 baronets and several knights . The New York Times remarked that the first Seanad
1444-466: The president of Ireland and the two houses of the Oireachtas ( Irish : Tithe an Oireachtais ): a house of representatives called Dáil Éireann and a senate called Seanad Éireann . The houses of the Oireachtas sit in Leinster House in Dublin , an eighteenth-century ducal palace . The directly elected Dáil is the more powerful of the houses of the Oireachtas. The word oireachtas comes from
1520-466: The single transferable vote . The franchise was restricted to those over twenty-one. As adopted, the constitution required that term of a Dáil would last for four years, unless the law specified a shorter period or the house was dissolved early. However, after changes to the constitution and the law in 1927, the constitutional maximum became six years, and the legal maximum five. While every Irish Government since 1937 has restricted Dáil constituencies to
1596-544: The " Oath of Allegiance " before taking their seats. The King was the third component and constitute part of the Oireachtas in the same manner as in the Parliament of the United Kingdom The King was represented in the Irish Free State by the Governor-General of the Irish Free State ( Irish : Seanascal ) who was the viceregal representative of the Monarch and carried out the duties and roles officially assigned to
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#17328376931311672-638: The British Government to solve the issue of rising Irish nationalism and the issue of partitionism , whilst retaining Ireland as part of the United Kingdom . It was made up of the King, the House of Commons of Southern Ireland and the Senate of Southern Ireland. The Parliament of Southern Ireland was formally abolished in 1922 by the Irish Free State (Agreement) Act 1922 , as per the Anglo-Irish Treaty which
1748-415: The Dáil so requested. There would then be a further period of ninety days within which either 5% of all registered voters or 60% of the Seanad could demand a referendum on the bill. The referendum would be decided by a majority of votes cast and if rejected the bill would not become law. Article 47 did not apply to money bills or bills declared by both houses to be "necessary for the immediate preservation of
1824-652: The Electoral (University Constituencies) Act. However, in 1937 university constituencies would be revived for the newly created Seanad . The following general elections took place to the Free State Dáil during its existence: The Constitution of the Irish Free State provided that the President of the Executive Council would be appointed by the King "on the nomination of" the Dáil and that the Executive Council as
1900-508: The English, and later British, Parliament . This Parliament consisted of the King of Ireland , who was the same person as the King of England, a House of Lords and a House of Commons . In 1800 the Irish Parliament approved its own abolition when it enacted the Act of Union , which came into effect from 1 January 1801. The next legislature to exist in Ireland came into being in 1919. This
1976-525: The English-dominated part of Ireland, which at first was limited to Dublin and surrounding cities, but later grew to include the entire island. But the Parliament of Ireland was, from the passage of Poynings' Law (1494) until its repeal in 1782, subordinate to the Parliament of England , and later Parliament of Great Britain . This Parliament consisted of the King of Ireland , who was the same person as
2052-402: The Executive Council . Under the terms of the 1937 Constitution of Ireland , the Dáil of the Irish Free State became the modern Dáil Éireann . Under the Constitution of the Irish Free State membership of the Dáil was open to all citizens who had reached the age of twenty-one. However those who were legally disqualified or who were members of the Seanad were excluded. For most of the period of
2128-666: The First Seanad. Half the initial membership of the Seanad was elected by the Dáil under the single transferable vote . The remaining half was appointed by the President of the Executive Council (prime minister), W. T. Cosgrave . Those elected by the Dáil were divided into two equal groups by lot, one assigned terms of three years and the other terms of nine years. Those appointed by the president were similarly divided and assigned terms of 6 years and 12 years. The President agreed to use his appointments in 1922 to grant extra representation to
2204-486: The Irish Free State The Oireachtas of the Irish Free State ( Irish : Oireachtas Shaorstát Éireann ) was the legislature of the Irish Free State from 1922 until 1937. It was established by the 1922 Constitution of Ireland which was based from the Anglo-Irish Treaty . It was the first independent Irish Parliament officially recognised outside Ireland since the historic Parliament of Ireland which
2280-401: The Irish Free State the constitution also contained a controversial requirement that all members of the Oireachtas swear an oath of fidelity to the King, as well as an Oath of Allegiance to the constitution of the Free State. The oath was, however, abolished by a constitutional amendment in 1936. The Dáil was elected on the basis of universal adult suffrage by "proportional representation" and
2356-631: The Irish Free State was therefore officially the Fourth Dáil , which was elected in 1923. In 1920, in parallel to the extra-legal Dáil, the British Government created the Parliament of Southern Ireland , a Home Rule legislature during the Irish War of Independence under the Fourth Home Rule Bill . It was designed to legislate for Southern Ireland , a political entity which was created by
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2432-543: The King, the House of Commons of Southern Ireland and the Senate of Southern Ireland . The Parliament of Southern Ireland was formally abolished in 1922, with the establishment of the Oireachtas under the Constitution of the Irish Free State . The Oireachtas of the Irish Free State consisted of the King (represented by a Governor-General ) and two houses: Dáil Éireann (described as a "Chamber of Deputies") and Seanad Éireann. However,
2508-452: The Monarchy in the Irish Free State. It was written by the Executive Council and outlined the bills it intended to introduce. Technically the address was only to the Dáil, not to a joint session of both Houses of the Oireachtas. However, members of Seanad Éireann were invited into the Dáil chamber to attend the address, and subsequently discussed it after returning to their own chamber. Only
2584-442: The Oireachtas as follows:—". The Oireachtas has exclusive power to: The Oireachtas has a number of joint committees that include members of both houses. There are currently fifteen of these: Oireachtas has been the title of two parliaments in Irish history : the current Oireachtas of Ireland, since 1937, and, immediately before that, the Oireachtas of the Irish Free State of 1922 to 1937. The earliest parliament in Ireland
2660-429: The Oireachtas family day was held. This initiative by the Ceann Comhairle of Dáil Éireann , John O'Donoghue and the Cathaoirleach of Seanad Éireann , Pat Moylan aimed to increase public awareness in the work of the Houses of the Oireachtas. It included tours of both chambers of the Oireachtas, lectures on the history of Oireachtas, historic political speeches recited by actors and a hot air balloon – commemorating
2736-412: The Oireachtas of the Irish Free State , and from 1936 to 1937 the sole chamber . The Constitution of the Irish Free State described the role of the house as one of a " Chamber of Deputies ". It sat in Leinster House . Like the modern Dáil, the Dáil was the dominant component of the legislature; and effectively had authority to enact almost any law it chose, and to appoint and dismiss the President of
2812-418: The Oireachtas, had the effective authority to amend the constitution in any way it chose. Today this is a level of authority that no Dáil has had since 1941. Seanad Éireann ("Senate of Ireland") was the upper house of the Oireachtas of the Irish Free State from 1922 until 1936. It is sometimes referred to as the 'First Seanad'. The Seanad was established under the 1922 Constitution of the Irish Free State but
2888-542: The President would be elected by the Dáil directly, rather than merely being 'nominated' by the lower house. Technically a bill had to be approved by both Houses of the Oireachtas and to receive the Royal Assent to become law. However, in practice it was the Dáil that decided what laws would be enacted and repealed. Before its complete abolition the Free State Seanad merely had power to delay legislation. While during
2964-424: The Seanad (although the Dáil can override a Seanad refusal to pass a bill), and then signed into law by the president. Bills to amend the Constitution must also be approved by the people in a referendum prior to being presented to the President. In most circumstances, the president is in effect obliged to sign all laws approved by the Houses of the Oireachtas, although the president has the power to refer most bills to
3040-446: The Seanad (by the single transferable vote from a list of 29); the Dáil nominated 38 candidates (from a list of 57, again by the single transferable vote). The 76 candidates were then put to the public electorate on 17 September 1925, but without partisan campaigning, turnout was less than a quarter of the 1,345,000 potential voters. The count took two weeks. Only 8 of the former senators were re-elected, with particularly poor results for
3116-527: The Seanad's right to demand a referendum was contained in Article 47, which provided for voters to veto legislation directly in certain circumstances. The article provided that once a bill had been approved by both houses of the Oireachtas (or just by the Dáil, if it had over-ridden the Seanad), its enactment into law could be suspended if, within seven days, either a majority of the Seanad or three-fifths of all members of
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3192-511: The Supreme Court for a ruling on constitutionality. The powers of the Seanad are in effect limited to delay rather than veto. It is the Dáil, therefore, that is the supreme tier of the Irish legislature. The general enacting formula for Acts of the Oireachtas is: "Be it enacted by the Oireachtas as follows:—", for an act with a preamble this enacting formula is, instead, "Be it therefore enacted by
3268-681: The Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern , proposed that Northern Ireland MPs should be able to address a committee of the whole Dáil. However, Fine Gael , the Labour Party , and Ahern's coalition partners, the Progressive Democrats , all opposed the idea, as did the Green Party , the Socialist Party and some Oireachtas members from Fianna Fáil . Only Sinn Féin, the party that stood to gain most from
3344-404: The Taoiseach, and six are elected by two university constituencies . The president is directly elected once every seven years, and may serve a maximum of two terms; where there is only one candidate for president, no ballot will be taken, and the candidate will be deemed elected at the close of nominations. To become law, a bill must first be approved by both the Dáil and in most circumstances
3420-467: The agreement of one-third of the Dáil) can request that the President of Ireland refer a bill to the people. The President can thus refuse to sign it until it has been approved either in an ordinary referendum or by the Dáil after it has reassembled after a general election. This power has never been used because the modern Seanad is designed in such a way as to have a permanent government majority. The Seanad
3496-408: The balloon flight which took place in 1785 from Leinster Lawn. The Oireachtas family day took place again in 2009, but it has not been held since then. Although, as adopted in 1937, Article 3 of the constitution asserted the "right of the parliament and government established by this constitution to exercise jurisdiction" over the whole of Ireland, it also provided that pending the "re-integration of
3572-432: The constitution provided that the Seanad had power to delay a money bill for 21 days and delay any other bill for 270 days. The Constitution (Amendment No. 13) Act, passed on 23 July 1928 extended the Seanad's power of delay over (non-money) legislation from 9 months to 20 months. The 1922 version of the Constitution provided for a Seanad of 60 members directly elected. Members would serve 12-year terms, with one quarter of
3648-522: The early years of the Irish Free State there existed a theoretical possibility that the King, or the Governor-General acting on his behalf, might veto an act of the Oireachtas or dismiss the Executive Council against the wishes of the Dáil. With the passage of the Royal and Parliamentary Titles Act 1927 the British Government lost the right to formally advise the King in relation to the Irish Free State and so
3724-512: The first Seanad greatly influenced the guiding principles and legislative foundations of the new state. The first Cathaoirleach was Lord Glenavy , formerly the Lord Chief Justice of Ireland in 1916–21. The 15 original 3-year seats came up for election in 1925, as did four other seats which had been filled temporarily by co-option. The 19 retiring members were automatically eligible for re-election; another 19 candidates were nominated by
3800-521: The first direct election, the constitution was amended by the Constitution (Amendment No. 6) Act, passed on 23 July 1928, so that the final three elections to the Seanad occurred by a method of indirect election. Therefore, in the 5 elections to the Seanad to occur before its abolition, 3 different systems were used. It was originally required that membership of the Seanad be limited to those who were over 35 who would serve 12-year terms. The Constitution (Amendment No. 8) Act, passed on 25 October 1928, reduced
3876-428: The first two sessions of the Free State Oireachtas, in 1922 and 1923, had such an address. The Governor-General was also the official who granted Royal Assent to Bills. A Bill, having duly passed or having been deemed to pass, in the Dáil and the Seanad, would be presented to the Governor-General by the President of the Executive Council of the Irish Free State . Unlike in the United Kingdom, no parliamentary ceremony
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#17328376931313952-413: The grounds that this would amount to representation "without taxation or responsibility". Beginning with Seamus Mallon in 1982, one or more from Northern Ireland have been included among the eleven Senators nominated by the Taoiseach after most elections. Sinn Féin has advocated that Northern Ireland MLAs , MPs , and MEPs should have the right to participate in Dáil debates, if not vote. In 2005
4028-400: The house elected every three years. The members would be elected under the system of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote in a single, nationwide, 15 seat constituency. However, to get the house started, the body's initial membership would be appointed by Dáil and the President of the Executive Council. To complicate matters even further, after the holding of
4104-407: The minimum age of eligibility for Seanad members to 30 and the Constitution (Amendment No. 7) Act, passed on 30 October 1928, reduced the term of office of senators to 9 years. Today incarnations of the modern Seanad are given a new number after each Seanad election. Thus, the Seanad elected in 2020 is known as the 26th Seanad . This was not the custom during the Irish Free State because the Seanad
4180-523: The monarch. The Governor-General's Address or Governor-General's Speech was a formal address delivered by the Governor-General to Dáil Éireann , modelled on the speech from the throne given in other Dominions of the British Commonwealth . The address was a brief, businesslike event, lacking the pomp and ceremony of the State Opening of Parliament reflecting the general lack of enthusiasm for
4256-463: The national territory" Acts of the Oireachtas would not apply to Northern Ireland. Therefore, no serious attempts have been made for the representation of Northern Ireland in the Dáil. As Taoiseach, Éamon de Valera , while a staunch opponent of partition, and who had been elected to represent a Northern constituency in the First Dáil , did not pursue the idea of seats in the Dáil for Northern Ireland, on
4332-456: The position of King of the United Kingdom . Until 1927 he reigned in the Irish Free State as " King in Ireland ". However, from 1927 onwards he technically reigned in the Irish Free State on a separate throne as " King of Ireland ". The Oireachtas was dissolved by the King acting on the 'advice' of the Executive Council . Members of either house had to take an oath of fidelity to the King known as
4408-422: The possibility of the Governor-General taking any action without the approval of the other institutions of government was a remote possibility. Unlike its modern successor, the Dáil did not have authority to declare war, this power being reserved for the Oireachtas as a whole. However, in practice this distinction was not important. During the later days of the Irish Free State the Dáil, as the dominant component of
4484-619: The proceedings of both houses have been made available over the internet by HEAnet and the eDemocracy Unit of the Office of the Houses of the Oireachtas. Houses of the Oireachtas Channel (publicly known as Oireachtas TV) is a digital television channel in Ireland. It broadcasts Committee and Houses and other parliament proceedings following its establishment under the Broadcasting Act 2009 . On 15 November 2011, it began broadcasting
4560-466: The proposal, supported it, while the more moderate Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) described it as a step forward. The proposal was also criticised widely in the media, with an editorial in The Irish Times , declaring that: "The overwhelming democratic imperative is that the institutions of this State should represent and serve the people of the State." From 2011, Northern Ireland MEPs had
4636-406: The public peace, health or safety". The Constitution (Amendment No. 10) Act, passed on 12 July 1928, repealed Article 47 in its entirety, along with Article 48 which provided for an initiative process. A similar power given to the Free State Seanad by Article 47 is granted to the modern Seanad by the 1937 Constitution of Ireland . Under the current constitution, a simple majority of senators (with
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#17328376931314712-427: The role of signing bills into law was given to the President of Ireland . This in particular is one of the reasons why there is some confusion in who was the Irish head of state from 1922 to 1949 . On 29 December 1937 the Constitution of Ireland came into force and the Irish Free State was succeeded by a state known today as Ireland. The new constitution had been adopted by plebiscite on 1 July of that year, and on
4788-476: The same automatic right as MEPs from the Republic to participate in meetings of the Seanad's European committee, whereas other MEPs require an invitation. This ended in 2020 when the United Kingdom left the EU, which consequently meant all UK MEPs left office. While each house is empowered to organise its own business, they have always co-operated in practical matters arising from the fact that they share Leinster House as
4864-410: The single transferable vote for this purpose. The right of outgoing senators to nominate themselves was removed. The constitution originally provided that premature vacancies would be filled by a vote of the Seanad. However, a candidate elected in this way would serve only until the next senatorial election, when the seat would come up for election along with the others scheduled to be filled. The system
4940-400: The single transferable vote. Elections took place under the new system in 1928, 1931, and 1934 before the Seanad was abolished in 1936. The system for nominating candidates was also changed. After 1928, it was provided that the number of nominees would be equal to twice the number of seats to be filled and that half would be elected by the Dáil and the other half by the Seanad. Both houses used
5016-509: Was "representative of all classes", though it has also been described as, "the most curious political grouping in the history of the Irish state". Members included William Butler Yeats , Oliver St. John Gogarty and General Sir Bryan Mahon . The opponents of the Anglo-Irish Treaty also opposed the new Seanad, and 37 of the senators' homes were burnt to the ground. Others were intimidated, kidnapped or almost assassinated. Nevertheless,
5092-454: Was a unicameral parliament established by Irish republicans , known simply as Dáil Éireann . This revolutionary Dáil was notionally a legislature for the whole island of Ireland. In 1920, in parallel to the Dáil, the British government created a home rule legislature called the Parliament of Southern Ireland . However, this parliament was boycotted by most Irish politicians. It was made up of
5168-429: Was abolished entirely in 1936 after it delayed some Government proposals for constitutional changes by the Constitution (Amendment No. 24) Act which was passed on 29 May 1936. Éamon de Valera had seen its delay of his proposals as illegitimate; the continuing opposition majority had stemmed from a combination of his earlier boycott of the Free State Oireachtas and the provision for the Seanad's self-election. The abolition
5244-445: Was abolished with the Acts of Union 1800 . The Parliament was bicameral , consisting of Dáil Éireann (the lower house, also known as the Dáil) with 153 seats and Seanad Éireann (the upper house; also known as the Seanad) with 60 seats). The Seanad was abolished on 29 May 1936, and from then until its abolition the Oireachtas was unicameral . The King , who was officially represented by
5320-465: Was an extra-legal, unicameral parliament established by Irish republicans , known simply as Dáil Éireann and thus existed outside of British law . The Dáil was notionally a legislature for the whole island of Ireland. The First Dáil and the Second Dáil did not therefore have any recognised legal authority outside Ireland . The Third Dáil was elected under the terms of the Anglo-Irish Treaty as
5396-415: Was changed by the Constitution (Amendment No. 11) Act, passed on 17 December 1929, so that vacancies were filled by members of both houses voting together. As adopted the Constitution of the Irish Free State contained a number of provisions for direct democracy , which included a special role for the Seanad. Most importantly it was provided that the Seanad could, if three-fifths of its members agreed, demand
5472-468: Was elected in stages and therefore considered to be in permanent session. However, as a gesture of continuity with its predecessor, the first Seanad elected after 1937 is numbered as the Second Seanad. The Seanad, despite the occurrence of three senatorial elections before its abolition, is considered to have been a single Seanad for the duration of its existence and is thus referred for that whole period as
5548-405: Was highly controversial at the time and the last chairman Thomas Westropp Bennett played a key role. It opposed its own abolition, but this decision was over-ridden by the Dáil. In the 1937 Constitution of Ireland de Valera created a new modern Seanad, Seanad Éireann . This new Seanad was considered to be the direct successor of the Free State Seanad. The King was the same individual who held
5624-604: Was invoked to confirm that the Royal Assent had been given. Its details would instead be published in Iris Oifigiúil . The process of Royal Assent was abolished by the Constitution (Amendment No. 27) Act 1936 . The Act was the last to receive Royal Assent. The new Act instead required that the Ceann Comhairle sign bills into law. Under the new 1937 Constitution of Ireland , which came into force almost exactly one year later,
5700-449: Was the Parliament of Ireland , which was founded in the thirteenth century as the supreme legislative body of the lordship of Ireland and was in existence until 1801. This parliament governed the English-dominated part of Ireland, which at first was limited to Dublin and surrounding cities, but later grew to include the entire island. The Irish Parliament was, from the passage of Poynings' Law in 1494 until its repeal in 1782, subordinate to
5776-484: Was the basis of the Constitution of the Irish Free State which established the Oireachtas. Under the constitution the Oireachtas had exclusive authority to: There were however also a number of limitations to the Oireachtas power: A series of constitutional amendments in 1936 substantially altered the functioning of the Oireachtas: Dáil Éireann from 1922 to 1936 served as the directly elected lower house of
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