1.
Republic of Ireland
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Ireland, also known as the Republic of Ireland, is a sovereign state in north-western Europe occupying about five-sixths of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, which is located on the part of the island. The state shares its land border with Northern Ireland, a part of the United Kingdom. It is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, with the Celtic Sea to the south, Saint Georges Channel to the south-east, and it is a unitary, parliamentary republic. The head of government is the Taoiseach, who is elected by the Dáil and appointed by the President, the state was created as the Irish Free State in 1922 as a result of the Anglo-Irish Treaty. It was officially declared a republic in 1949, following the Republic of Ireland Act 1948, Ireland became a member of the United Nations in December 1955. It joined the European Economic Community, the predecessor of the European Union, after joining the EEC, Ireland enacted a series of liberal economic policies that resulted in rapid economic growth. The country achieved considerable prosperity between the years of 1995 and 2007, which known as the Celtic Tiger period. This was halted by a financial crisis that began in 2008. However, as the Irish economy was the fastest growing in the EU in 2015, Ireland is again quickly ascending league tables comparing wealth and prosperity internationally. For example, in 2015, Ireland was ranked as the joint sixth most developed country in the world by the United Nations Human Development Index and it also performs well in several national performance metrics, including freedom of the press, economic freedom and civil liberties. Ireland is a member of the European Union and is a member of the Council of Europe. The 1922 state, comprising 26 of the 32 counties of Ireland, was styled, the Constitution of Ireland, adopted in 1937, provides that the name of the State is Éire, or, in the English language, Ireland. Section 2 of the Republic of Ireland Act 1948 states, It is hereby declared that the description of the State shall be the Republic of Ireland. The 1948 Act does not name the state as Republic of Ireland, because to have done so would have put it in conflict with the Constitution. The government of the United Kingdom used the name Eire, and, from 1949, Republic of Ireland, for the state, as well as Ireland, Éire or the Republic of Ireland, the state is also referred to as the Republic, Southern Ireland or the South. In an Irish republican context it is referred to as the Free State or the 26 Counties. From the Act of Union on 1 January 1801, until 6 December 1922, during the Great Famine, from 1845 to 1849, the islands population of over 8 million fell by 30%
2.
Northern Ireland Executive
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The Northern Ireland Executive is the devolved government of Northern Ireland, an administrative branch of the legislature Northern Ireland Assembly. It is answerable to the Assembly and was established according to the terms of the Northern Ireland Act 1998, the executive is referred to in the legislation as the Executive Committee of the Assembly and is an example of a consociationalist government. The Northern Ireland Executive consists of the First Minister and deputy First Minister and various ministers with individual portfolios, the main Assembly parties appoint most ministers in the executive, except for the Minister of Justice who is elected by a cross-community vote. It is one of three devolved governments in the United Kingdom, the others being the Scottish and Welsh Governments, with the exception of justice, the number of ministries to which each party is entitled is determined by the DHondt system. In effect, major parties cannot be excluded from participation in government, the form of government is therefore known as mandatory coalition as opposed to voluntary coalition where parties negotiate an agreement to share power. The Executive cannot function if either of the two largest parties refuse to part, as these parties are allocated the First Minister. However, other parties are not required to enter the Executive even if they are entitled to do so, instead, devolution took place on 12 April 2010. Under DHondt, the SDLP would have been entitled to the ministerial seat on the revised Executive created by the devolution of policing. Accordingly, both the UUP and SDLP protested that Alliance was not entitled, under the rules of the Good Friday Agreement, to fill the portfolio, however, Alliance leader David Ford was elected Minister with the support of the DUP and Sinn Féin. On 26 August 2015, the UUP announced it would withdraw from the Executive and form an opposition after all, on 25 May 2016 a new executive was announced. For the first time in the history, parties that were entitled to ministries chose instead to go into opposition following a recent bill providing parties with this choice. This meant that the executive was formed only by the two parties, the DUP and Sinn Féin, and thus giving them more seats in the Executive. The Executive is co-chaired by the First Minister and deputy First Minister, Executive meetings are normally held fortnightly, compared to weekly meetings of the British Cabinet and Irish Government. The Ministerial Code allows any three ministers to request a cross-community vote, the quorum for voting is seven ministers. At present, the Executive consists of six unionist, five nationalist, the current system of devolution has succeeded long periods of direct rule, when the Northern Ireland Civil Service had a considerable influence on government policy. The legislation which established new departments in 1999 affirmed that the functions of a department shall at all times be exercised subject to the direction, Ministerial powers can be conferred by an Act of the Assembly and ministers can also exercise executive powers which are vested in the Crown. Ministerial decisions can be challenged by a petition of 30 Northern Ireland Assembly members and this action can be taken for alleged breaches of the Ministerial Code and on matters of public importance. The Speaker of the Assembly must consult political party leaders in the Assembly before deciding whether the subject is a matter of public importance, successful petitions will then be considered by the Executive
3.
Taoiseach
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The Taoiseach is the head of government or prime minister of Ireland. The current Taoiseach is Enda Kenny, TD, who was appointed on 9 March 2011, on 10 March 2016, at the first sitting of the 32nd Dáil, Kenny failed to gain the support of the house and tendered his resignation to the President. He remained in office in a capacity until being re-elected on 6 May 2016. The word means chieftain or leader in Irish and was adopted in the 1937 Constitution of Ireland as the title of the head of the Government, Taoiseach is the official title of the head of government in both English and Irish. Outside of Ireland, the Taoiseach is often referred to as the Prime Minister of Ireland, under the Constitution of Ireland, the Taoiseach is nominated by a simple majority of Dáil Éireann from among its members. He/she is then appointed to office by the President, who is required to appoint whomever the Dáil designates. For this reason, it is said that the Taoiseach is elected by Dáil Éireann. The Taoiseach may lose the support of Dáil Éireann by the passage of a vote of no confidence, or the failure of a vote of confidence, or alternatively, the Dáil may refuse supply. In the event of the Taoiseachs resignation, he/she continues to exercise the duties, the Taoiseach nominates the remaining members of the Government, who are then, with the consent of the Dáil, appointed by the President. The Taoiseach also has authority to advise the President to dismiss cabinet ministers from office, advice the President is required to follow by convention, the Taoiseach is further responsible for appointing eleven members of the Seanad. The Department of the Taoiseach is the government department which supports, since 2013, the Taoiseachs annual salary is €185,350. It was cut from €214,187 to €200,000 when Kenny took office, a proposed increase of €38,000 in 2007 was deferred when Brian Cowen became Taoiseach and in October 2008, the government announced a 10% salary cut for all ministers, including the Taoiseach. However this was a cut and the salaries remained nominally the same with ministers. This courted controversy in December 2009 when a cut of 20% was based on the higher figure before the refused amount was deducted. The Taoiseach is also allowed an additional €118,981 in annual expenses, there is no official residence of the Taoiseach. The house, which part of the Farmleigh estate acquired by the State in 1999 for €29. 2m, was renovated at a cost of nearly €600,000 in 2005 by the Office of Public Works. Former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern did not use it as a residence, the words Taoiseach and Tánaiste are both from the Irish language and of ancient origin. Though the Taoiseach is described in the Constitution of Ireland as the head of the Government or Prime Minister, Tánaiste in turn refers to the system of tanistry, the Gaelic system of succession whereby a leader would appoint an heir apparent while still living
4.
President of Ireland
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The President of Ireland is the head of state of Ireland and the Supreme Commander of the Irish Defence Forces. The President holds office for seven years, and can be elected for a maximum of two terms, unless a candidate runs unopposed, the President is directly elected by the people. The presidency is largely a ceremonial office, but the President does exercise certain limited powers with absolute discretion, the President acts as a representative of the Irish state. Former President Mary McAleese described the office as the guardian of the constitution, the Presidents official residence is Áras an Uachtaráin, which is located in the Phoenix Park in Dublin. The office was established by the Constitution of Ireland in 1937, the current president is His Excellency Michael D Higgins, who was elected on 29 October 2011. His inauguration was held on 11 November 2011, President Higgins is a veteran left-wing politician and human rights campaigner. As a member of the Labour Party, he has served in both houses of the Oireachtas, President Higgins is also a poet and speaks the Irish language fluently. The Constitution of Ireland provides for a system of government. The President is formally one of three parts of the Oireachtas, which also comprises Dáil Éireann and Seanad Éireann, unlike most other parliamentary democracies, the President is not even the nominal chief executive. Rather, executive authority is vested in the Government. The Government is obliged, however, to keep the President generally informed on matters of domestic, most of the functions of the President may be carried out only in accordance with the strict instructions of the Constitution, or the binding advice of the Government. The President does, however, possess certain personal powers that may be exercised at his or her discretion, the main functions are prescribed by the Constitution, Appoints the government The President formally appoints the Taoiseach and other ministers, and accepts their resignations. The Taoiseach is appointed upon the nomination of the Dáil, ministers are dismissed on the advice of the Taoiseach and the Taoiseach must, unless there is a dissolution of the Dáil, resign upon losing the confidence of the house. Appoints the judiciary The President appoints the judges to all Courts of the Republic of Ireland, convenes and dissolves the Dáil This power is exercised on the advice of the Taoiseach, government or Dáil approval is not needed. The President may only refuse a dissolution when a Taoiseach has lost the confidence of the Dáil, signs bills into law The President cannot veto a bill that the Dáil and the Seanad have adopted. However, he/she may refer it to the Supreme Court to test its constitutionality, if the Supreme Court upholds the bill, the President must sign it. If, however, it is found to be unconstitutional, the President will decline to give assent, represents the state in foreign affairs This power is exercised only on the advice of the Government. The President accredits ambassadors and receives the letters of credence of foreign diplomats, ministers sign international treaties in the Presidents name
5.
Oireachtas
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The Oireachtas, sometimes referred to as Oireachtas Éireann, is the legislature of Ireland. The directly elected Dáil is by far the more powerful branch of the Oireachtas, the term oireachtas derives from the Old Irish word airech. Its first recorded use as the name of a body was within the Irish Free State. Dáil Éireann, the house, is directly elected under universal suffrage of all Irish and United Kingdom citizens who are resident. An election is held at least once in five years as required by law. However the house can usually be dissolved at any time at the request of the Taoiseach, Dáil elections occur under the system of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote. The Dáil has had 166 members since 1981, the Seanad is not directly elected but consists of a mixture of members selected in a number of ways. 43 senators are elected by councillors and parliamentarians,11 are appointed by the Taoiseach, the President of Ireland is directly elected once in every seven years, for a maximum of two terms. However, if, as has occurred on a number of occasions, to become law, a bill must first be approved by both the Dáil and in most circumstances the Seanad, and then signed into law by the President. Bills to amend the Constitution must also be approved by the People in a prior to being presented to the President. The powers of the Seanad are in limited to delay rather than veto. It is the Dáil, therefore, that is the tier of the Irish legislature. The Oireachtas has exclusive power to, Legislate, including a power vested in the Dáil of approving the financial resolutions relevant to the budget, however, the courts have allowed the Oireachtas to delegate limited legislative powers to other entities, such as Government Ministers. Propose changes to the constitution, which must then be submitted to a referendum, allow international agreements to become part of the domestic law of the state. Pass certain laws having extraterritorial effect, enact, when it considers a state of emergency to exist, almost any law it deems necessary, with imposition of capital punishment being the only absolutely excluded act in all circumstances. Laws are invalid if, and to the extent that, they contradict the constitution, in the event of a conflict, EU law also takes precedence over acts of the Oireachtas, as is common throughout the European Union. It may not retrospectively criminalise acts that were not illegal at the time they were committed and it may not enact any law providing for the imposition of the death penalty, even during a state of emergency. The Oireachtas has a number of joint committees that include members of both houses and 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
6.
Government Buildings
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Government Buildings is a large Edwardian building enclosing a quadrangle on Merrion Street in Dublin, Ireland, in which several key offices of the Government of Ireland are located. It was originally shared between the Dublin Castle administration and the Royal College of Science for Ireland, the foundation stone for the building was laid by King Edward VII in 1904. It was built on the site of a row of Georgian houses that were being controversially demolished one by one as the new building was erected, the building itself was designed by Sir Aston Webb, a British architect who was later to redesign the facade of Buckingham Palace. The final completed building was opened by King George V in 1911 and it may have been intended for use by the Royal College of Science, but it soon attracted the attention of the Lord Lieutenant of Irelands Dublin Castle administration. It was chosen to be the location for the first meeting of the new Parliament of Southern Ireland, created under the Government of Ireland Act 1920, in June 1921. The planned State Opening of Parliament proved a fiasco, as four members of the House of Commons of Southern Ireland. The Houses were adjourned sine die, the Executive Council of the Irish Free State immediately commandeered part of the college as temporary office space. Two years later the Free State decided to buy Leinster House outright from the RDS, Government usage of part of the Royal College of Science also became permanent. From 1922 to 1991 the former College of Science building was divided between a number of bodies, the wing to the right of the main entrance was used by the Department of the President, later in 1938 renamed Department of the Taoiseach. The Attorney General, the Department of Justice and Equality and other offices also occupied that wing of the building, the south wing was occupied permanently by the Department of Finance. The centre block of the courtyard under the dome was used by the Royal College of Science. Over the decades, some moved out to purpose built offices, leaving the north wing for the Taoiseach, Government Secretariat. In the mid-1980s, increasingly unhappy at the office space. A new engineering faculty was built on University College Dublins Belfield campus at tens of millions of pounds. Much of the interior of the original building was gutted to facilitate the creation of a state-of-the-art new government office. Haughey finally moved into the new building in 1991, critics of the expenditure, at a time when Ireland was in financial difficulties, nicknamed the building the Chaz Mahal. The entrance hall is dominated light streaming through Evie Hones critically acclaimed stained glass window, originally the Office of Public Works had planned a new cabinet suite of rooms also. However the Government opted to continue to use the Council Chamber which had been the room for all Irish governments since 1922
7.
Merrion Street
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Merrion Street is a major Georgian street on the southside of Dublin, Ireland which runs along one side of Merrion Square. The garden entrance of Leinster House is located on the street, as is Irish Government Buildings, some reports suggest that Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington was born in his familys Mornington House on the street. The house is now a hotel, the street was originally lined on both sides by Georgian houses. However between 1904 and 1922 all the houses on one side of the street were demolished and replaced by the Royal College of Science for Ireland, which was designed by Sir Aston Webb. The term Merrion Street is often used as shorthand for Irish Government in the way as Whitehall or Downing Street is used to refer to the British government. The official Irish Government news service website is called merrionstreet. ie, list of streets and squares in Dublin
8.
Dublin
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Dublin is the capital and largest city of Ireland. Dublin is in the province of Leinster on Irelands east coast, the city has an urban area population of 1,345,402. The population of the Greater Dublin Area, as of 2016, was 1,904,806 people, founded as a Viking settlement, the Kingdom of Dublin became Irelands principal city following the Norman invasion. The city expanded rapidly from the 17th century and was briefly the second largest city in the British Empire before the Acts of Union in 1800, following the partition of Ireland in 1922, Dublin became the capital of the Irish Free State, later renamed Ireland. Dublin is administered by a City Council, the city is listed by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network as a global city, with a ranking of Alpha-, which places it amongst the top thirty cities in the world. It is a historical and contemporary centre for education, the arts, administration, economy, the name Dublin comes from the Irish word Dubhlinn, early Classical Irish Dubhlind/Duibhlind, dubh /d̪uβ/, alt. /d̪uw/, alt /d̪u, / meaning black, dark, and lind /lʲiɲ pool and this tidal pool was located where the River Poddle entered the Liffey, on the site of the castle gardens at the rear of Dublin Castle. In Modern Irish the name is Duibhlinn, and Irish rhymes from Dublin County show that in Dublin Leinster Irish it was pronounced Duílinn /d̪ˠi, other localities in Ireland also bear the name Duibhlinn, variously anglicized as Devlin, Divlin and Difflin. Historically, scribes using the Gaelic script wrote bh with a dot over the b and those without knowledge of Irish omitted the dot, spelling the name as Dublin. Variations on the name are found in traditionally Irish-speaking areas of Scotland, such as An Linne Dhubh. It is now thought that the Viking settlement was preceded by a Christian ecclesiastical settlement known as Duibhlinn, beginning in the 9th and 10th century, there were two settlements where the modern city stands. Baile Átha Cliath, meaning town of the ford, is the common name for the city in modern Irish. Áth Cliath is a name referring to a fording point of the River Liffey near Father Mathew Bridge. Baile Átha Cliath was an early Christian monastery, believed to have been in the area of Aungier Street, there are other towns of the same name, such as Àth Cliath in East Ayrshire, Scotland, which is Anglicised as Hurlford. Although the area of Dublin Bay has been inhabited by humans since prehistoric times and he called the settlement Eblana polis. It is now thought that the Viking settlement was preceded by a Christian ecclesiastical settlement known as Duibhlinn, beginning in the 9th and 10th century, there were two settlements where the modern city stands. The subsequent Scandinavian settlement centred on the River Poddle, a tributary of the Liffey in an area now known as Wood Quay, the Dubhlinn was a small lake used to moor ships, the Poddle connected the lake with the Liffey. This lake was covered during the early 18th century as the city grew, the Dubhlinn lay where the Castle Garden is now located, opposite the Chester Beatty Library in Dublin Castle
9.
Politics of the Republic of Ireland
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Ireland is a parliamentary, representative democratic republic and a member state of the European Union. Executive power is exercised by the government which consists of no more than 15 cabinet ministers, inclusive of the Taoiseach, legislative power is vested in the Oireachtas, the bicameral national parliament, which consists of Dáil Éireann, Seanad Éireann and the President of Ireland. The judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature, the head of the judiciary is the Chief Justice who presides over the Supreme Court. From the 1930s until 2011 they were the largest and second largest parties respectively, both parties trace their roots back to the opposing sides of the civil war. The Labour Party, historically the third political party has only ever been in power when in coalition with either of the two main parties. The state operates under the Constitution of Ireland which was adopted in 1937 by means of a plebiscite, the constitution falls within the liberal democratic tradition. It defines the organs of government and guarantees certain fundamental rights, the Constitution can only be amended by means of a referendum. Important constitutional referenda have concerned issues such as abortion, the status of the Catholic Church, divorce, European Union, the head of state is the President of Ireland. In keeping with the parliamentary system of government the President exercises a mainly ceremonial role. The presidency is open to all Irish citizens who are at least 35 and they are directly elected by secret ballot under the alternative vote. A candidate may be nominated for election as President by no fewer than 20 members of the Oireachtas or by four or more of Irelands 34 County and City Councils, a retiring President may nominate themselves as a candidate for re-election. The President is elected to a term of office and no person may serve more than two terms. In carrying out certain of their functions, the President is aided by the Council of State. There is no Vice-President in Ireland, if for any reason the President is unable to carry out his/her functions, or if the Office of President is vacant, the duties of the President are carried out by the Presidential Commission. Executive authority is exercised by a cabinet known simply as the Government, Article 28 of the Constitution states that the Government may consist of no less than seven and no more than fifteen members, namely the Taoiseach, the Tánaiste and up to thirteen other ministers. The Taoiseach is appointed by the President, after being nominated by Dáil Éireann, the remaining ministers are nominated by the Taoiseach and appointed by the President following their approval by the Dáil. Article 15 of the Constitution of Ireland established the Oireachtas as the parliament of Ireland. The Oireachtas consists of the President of Ireland and two elected houses, Dáil Éireann and Seanad Éireann, as the Oireachtas also consists of the President the official title of the two law making houses is the Houses of the Oireachtas
10.
Constitution of Ireland
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The Constitution of Ireland is the fundamental law of the Republic of Ireland. It asserts the national sovereignty of the Irish people, the constitution falls broadly within the tradition of liberal democracy being based on a system of representative democracy. It guarantees certain rights, along with a popularly elected non-executive president, a bicameral parliament based on the Westminster system. It is the constitution of the state since independence, replacing the 1922 Constitution of the Irish Free State. It came into force on 29 December 1937 following a plebiscite held on 1 July 1937. The Constitution may be amended solely by a national referendum, there were two main motivations for replacing the constitution in 1937. Firstly, the Statute of Westminster 1931 granted parliamentary autonomy to the six British Dominions within a British Commonwealth of Nations, the Irish Free State constitution of 1922 was, in the eyes of many, associated with the controversial Anglo-Irish Treaty. The largest political group in the anti-treaty faction, who opposed the treaty initially by force of arms, had boycotted the institutions of the new Irish Free State until 1926, in 1932 they were elected into power as the Fianna Fáil party. Such amendments removed references to the Oath of Allegiance, appeals to the United Kingdoms Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, the British Crown, the sudden abdication of Edward VIII in December 1936 was quickly used to redefine the Royal connection. Nevertheless, the Fianna Fáil government, led by Éamon de Valera, the second motive for replacing the original constitution was primarily symbolic. De Valera wanted to put an Irish stamp on the institutions of government, De Valera personally supervised the writing of the Constitution. It was drafted initially by John Hearne, legal adviser to the Department of External Affairs and it was translated into Irish over a number of drafts by a group headed by Micheál Ó Gríobhtha, who worked in the Irish Department of Education. He also received significant input from The Rt Rev. John Charles Monsignor McQuaid, Monsignor McQuaid later became, in 1940, the Catholic Archbishop of Dublin. Other religious leaders who were consulted were, Archbishop Edward Byrne, Archbishop John Gregg, Rev. William Massey, a draft of the constitution was presented personally to the Vatican for review and comment on two occasions by the Department Head at External Relations, Joseph P. Walsh. The text of the constitution, with minor amendments, was approved on 14 June by Dáil Éireann. The draft constitution was put to a plebiscite on 1 July 1937. 56% of voters were in favour, comprising 38. 6% of the whole electorate, the constitution formally came into force on 29 December 1937. Among the groups who opposed the constitution were supporters of Fine Gael and the Labour Party, Unionists, the question put to voters was simply Do you approve of the Draft Constitution which is the subject of this plebiscite
11.
Michael D. Higgins
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Michael Daniel Higgins is the ninth and current President of Ireland, in office since 11 November 2011. Higgins is a politician, poet, sociologist, author and broadcaster and he served as a Teachta Dála for the Galway West constituency and was Minister for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht from 1993 to 1997. He was the President of the Labour Party from 2003 until 2011 and he made the first state visit by an Irish president to the United Kingdom in April 2014. Higgins was born in Limerick on 18 April 1941 and his father John Higgins was from Ballycar, County Clare, and was a Lieutenant with the Charleville Company, 3rd Battalion, 2nd Cork Brigade of the Irish Republican Army. John Higgins, along with his two brothers Peter and Michael, had been participants in the Irish War of Independence. His older twin sisters remained in Limerick and he was educated at Ballycar National School, County Clare, and St. Flannans College, Ennis. He also served as President of UCG Students Union in 1964–65, in 1967, Higgins graduated from Indiana University Bloomington with a Master of Arts degree in Sociology. He also briefly attended the University of Manchester, in his academic career, he was a Statutory Lecturer in the Department of Political Science and Sociology at University College Galway and was a Visiting Professor at Southern Illinois University. He resigned his posts to concentrate fully on his political career. He is a fluent speaker of both languages, Irish and English, and also speaks Spanish. His wife, Sabina Coyne, is an actress and a native of Cloonrane and she grew up on a farm there in a family of five girls and two boys. She developed an interest in theatre and trained using Stanislavskis system, Higgins met Coyne in 1969 at a party in the family home of journalist Mary Kenny. Higgins proposed over Christmas 1973 and they were married the year after and they have four children, Alice Mary, twins John and Michael Jr. and Daniel, Alice Mary was elected to Seanad Éireann in 2016. He has two Bernese mountain dogs named Bród and Shadow, Higgins originally joined Fianna Fáil in UCG while a mature student, he switched to the Labour Party shortly thereafter. He was a Labour candidate in the 1969 and 1973 general elections but was unsuccessful on both occasions, one of the people who canvassed for him was future leader of the Labour Party and Tánaiste, Eamon Gilmore, who was then a UCG student. Higgins was appointed in 1973 to the 13th Seanad Éireann by Taoiseach Liam Cosgrave and he was first elected to Dáil Éireann at the 1981 general election as a Labour Party TD. He was re-elected at the February 1982 election, he lost his seat at the November 1982 election and he served as Mayor of Galway on two occasions, 1982–1983 and 1991–1992. Within the Labour Party during the 1980s he was one of the figures along with Emmet Stagg who opposed going into coalition
12.
Council of State (Ireland)
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The Council of State is a body established by the Constitution of Ireland to advise the President of Ireland in the exercise of many of his or her discretionary, reserve powers. It also has authority to provide for the exercise of the duties of the president in the event that these cannot be exercised by either the president or the Presidential Commission. The Council of State has been likened to a privy council, gemma Hussey, who was a member of the Council of State in 1989–90, described it as largely a symbolic body. The Council of State consists of a number of government officials, the ex officio members comprise the attorney general as well as individuals from each of three branches of government, legislature, executive and judiciary. These appointees retain their positions until the successor takes office. The Constitution explicitly states that members appointed by the President may resign, former office holders are members if able and willing to act as a member, which implies an ability to resign, but there is no provision for dismissing them. When the McCracken Tribunal found in 1997 that former Taoiseach Charles Haughey had misled the Tribunal and he did not do so, although he sent his regrets to subsequent meetings of the Council until his death. Members of the Council of State may be excused jury duty. The Constitution specifies a declaration of office, in the presence of Almighty God, tánaiste Éamon Gilmore, a declared agnostic, sought legal advice before attending the 2013 Council meeting. The 1996 Constitutional Review Group recommended making the religious part optional, before exercising any reserve power but one, the President is required to seek the advice of the Council of State, although not required to follow its advice. The one exception, where the President has absolute discretion, is in deciding to refuse a dissolution to a Taoiseach who has lost the confidence of the Dáil. Article 13 allows additional powers to be given to the President acting on the advice of the Government, originally, article 14 provides for a Presidential Commission as the collective vice-presidency of the state when the President is absent, originally the Council of State was to fill this function. This provision has never been invoked, the Third Amendment of the Constitution Bill,1958, which was defeated at a referendum, gave a role for the Council of State in the work of an envisaged constituency boundary commission. Working meetings called by the President for consultation under the terms of the Constitution are rare, four meetings have related to an address the Oireachtas, which requires the approval of the Government as well as the consultation of the Council of State. All other meetings have been to advise the President about whether to refer a bill to the Supreme Court, meetings are held in Áras an Uachtaráin. Members arrive 15 minutes before the starts, and are served light refreshments in the Council of State Room. At the first meeting of the Council in Mary McAleeses first term, the Councils deliberations are held in camera, as for cabinet meetings, though there is no explicit requirement for confidentiality. The Irish Times obtained details of a 1984 meeting from an unnamed attendee, Members are seated in order of precedence in the Presidents Room around a 1927 dining table purchased by President de Valera in 1961
13.
Presidential Commission (Ireland)
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The Presidential Commission is the collective vice-presidency of Ireland. Three members serve on the Presidential Commission, the President of the High Court acts as a member in place of the Chief Justice if that office is vacant. The Leas-Cheann Comhairle acts as a member in place of the Ceann Comhairle if that office is vacant, the Leas-Chathaoirleach acts as a member in place of the Cathaoirleach if that office is vacant. The Commission may act with at least two members, a proposal to abolish the Seanad, which was rejected at referendum in 2013, would have seen the Leas-Cheann Comhairle take the place of the Cathaoirleach on the Commission. The Presidential Commission fulfills all functions and duties of the office of President of Ireland when the office of President is vacant, or when the President is unavailable. Vacancy may occur, on the death of the incumbent, as in 1974, on the resignation of the incumbent, as in 1976 and 1997, by impeachment of the incumbent, when the government of the 26th Dáil collapsed in November 1992, president Mary Robinson was abroad. Temporary illness may also indispose the President, no President has ever refused to fulfil any of the duties of office. The Presidential Commission was created in the 1937 Constitution of Ireland and it was first used between December 1937, when the Constitution came into force, and June 1938, when the first President was inaugurated. From the adoption of the Constitution of Ireland to the inauguration of Douglas Hyde, from the death of Erskine H. Childers to the inauguration of Cearbhall Ó Dálaigh. From the resignation of Cearbhall Ó Dálaigh to the inauguration of Patrick Hillery, from the resignation of Mary Robinson to the inauguration of Mary McAleese
14.
Leo Varadkar
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Leo Varadkar is an Irish Fine Gael politician who has been the Minister for Social Protection since 6 May 2016 and Teachta Dála for Dublin West since 2007. Varadkar was born in Dublin and studied Medicine at Trinity College and he spent several years as a junior doctor before qualifying as a general practitioner in 2010. In 2004 he was co-opted onto Fingal County Council and served as deputy mayor before his election to Dáil Éireann, after the formation of the Coalition Government in March 2011, he was appointed Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport. A cabinet reshuffle in July 2014 saw Varadkar appointed to the position of Minister for Health, during his tenure he became the first openly gay Irish government minister. Following the formation of a Fine Gael minority government in May 2016, born on 18 January 1979 in the Rotunda Hospital in Parnell Square, Dublin, Varadkar is the youngest child and only son of Ashtok and Miriam Varadkar. His Mumbai-born father had moved to England as a doctor in the 1960s and his Dungarvan-born mother met her future husband while working as a nurse in Slough. Later they lived in Leicester, where the eldest of their three children, Sophie, was born, the family then moved to India, however, they settled in Dublin in 1973 before their second child, Sonia, was born. It was during his secondary schooling that his involvement began when he joined Fine Gael. He was also selected for the prestigious Washington Ireland Program, which prepares ambitious young people for future leadership roles, Varadkar graduated from the school of medicine in 2003 and spent several years working as a junior doctor in Connolly Hospital before qualifying as a general practitioner in 2010. Varadkar was just twenty years-old and a medical student when he contested the 1999 local elections in the Mulhuddart area. Polling just 380 first-preference votes and eliminated on the ninth count, on 13 October 2003, Varadkar was co-opted to Fingal County Council for the Castleknock area as a replacement for Sheila Terry. At the 2004 local elections he received the highest first-preference vote in the country with 4,894 votes and was elected on the first count, Varadkar was elected to Dáil Éireann at the 2007 general election, and became party spokesperson for Enterprise, Trade and Employment from 2007–2010. At the 2011 general election, Varadkar was re-elected to Dáil Éireann with 8,359 first preference votes, Fine Gael formed a coalition government with Labour and Varadkar was appointed Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport on 9 March 2011. This was considered a surprise appointment as Varadkar was not renowned as a sports lover and he said that while he knew a lot of facts. I dont play the sports. In May 2011, Varadkar suggested Ireland was very unlikely to resume borrowing in 2012 and might need a second bailout, many of Varadkars cabinet colleagues were not impressed with Varadkars forthrightness, nor was the European Central Bank. Varadkar said that reaction to the story was hyped up but that he was not misquoted, responding to Varadkars decision to express his opinion in public, Independent News & Medias Evening Herald paper described the minister as gaffe prone, as it had also done previously. In the cabinet reshuffle of July 2014, Varadkar replaced James Reilly as Minister for Health and he was returned to the Dáil at the February 2016 general election. He retained the portfolio in an acting capacity until May that year
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Simon Coveney
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Simon Coveney is an Irish Fine Gael politician who has been the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government since 6 May 2016 and Teachta Dála for Cork South-Central since 1998. Coveney was born in Cork and completed a BSc. in Agriculture from the Royal Agricultural College and he spent several years working as an agriculture adviser and farm manager. He was elected to Dáil Éireann in a following the death of his father Hugh Coveney. A three-year period as a Member of the European Parliament was followed by a return to politics in 2007 when he was appointed Spokesperson on Communications, Energy. A2010 reshuffle of the Front Bench saw him take over as Spokesperson on Transport, after the formation of the Coalition Government in March 2011, Coveney was appointed Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine. A cabinet reshuffle in July 2014 saw him take over the position of Minister for Defence. Following the formation of a Fine Gael minority government in May 2016, he was appointed Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government. Born in Cork, Coveney was the son of Hugh Coveney, a TD and a quantity surveyor. He was educated locally in Cork before later attending Clongowes Wood College and he was expelled from the college in Transition Year and completed his secondary school education in Presentation Brothers College, Cork. Coveney subsequently attended University College Cork and Gurteen Agricultural College, before completing a BSc in Agriculture and Land Management from Royal Agricultural College, Gloucestershire. In 1997/8 he led the “Sail Chernobyl Project” which involved sailing a boat 30,000 miles around the world, Coveney was elected to Dáil Éireann as a Fine Gael candidate for Cork South-Central in a by-election caused by the death of his father in 1998. In spite of being a supporter of party leader John Bruton. In 2001 discipline in the party broke down and Coveney came out against Bruton in a leadership heave. His loss of support was a surprise and encouraged others to vote against Bruton, the subsequent leadership contest was won by Michael Noonan and a new front bench was put in place. Coveney was subsequently promoted to the position of deputy chief whip, Coveney was re-elected at the 2002 general election in what turned out to be a disaster for Fine Gael. The party lost twenty-three seats and some of its most important party figures, Noonan was replaced as party leader by Enda Kenny who promoted Coveney to the position of spokesperson on Communications, Marine and Natural Resources in his new front bench. Coveney was elected to the European Parliament for the South constituency in the 2004 European Parliament election and he also spearheaded the Stop the Traffic campaign at the European Parliament. Coveney returned to Ireland to contest the 2007 general election and he was successful in being returned to the Dáil and, as a result, stepped down as an MEP
16.
Minister of State (Ireland)
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A Minister of State in Ireland is of non-Cabinet rank attached to one or more Departments of State of the Government of Ireland and assists a Minister of the Government. The title Minister of State is dissimilar and its role is less than that of a Secretary of State in the Government of the United Kingdom, the position was created to replace the post of Parliamentary Secretary, the junior rank of ministers which had existed from 1924 until 1978. In the original act of 1977 the number of Ministers of State was limited to 10, but in 1980 this was raised to 15, and in 1995 it was raised to 17, brian Cowen asked all 20 Ministers of State to resign on 21 April 2009. He re-appointed a reduced number of 15 ministers the following day, some Ministers of State attend cabinet meetings but do not have a vote. The Government Chief Whip automatically attends and starting in the 1990s some governments appointed an additional Minister of State with permission to attend cabinet, two were appointed in 2016 upon Enda Kennys reelection. The Ministers, other than the Chief Whip are usually described as a Super Junior minister, or sometimes more formally as Minister of State attending cabinet. The current Super Juniors are Paul Kehoe of Fine Gael who is Minister of State for Defence and Finian McGrath, Independent who is Minister of State for Disability
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Civil Service of the Republic of Ireland
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The Civil Service of Ireland is the collective term for the permanent staff of the departments of state and certain state agencies who advise and work for the Government of Ireland. It consists of two components, the Civil Service of the Government and the Civil Service of the State. Whilst these two components are largely theoretical they do have some fundamental operational differences, the civil service of the Irish Free State, as the predecessor of Ireland, was not formally established by law. The exact status and compensation of such people was further codified in law by the Civil Service Compensation Act,1929 and this had the effect that the state became responsible for essentially all former British civil servants based in the new state. Entry to the service was generally by competitive examination. Applicants also had to meet nationality requirements, in retrospect however this often became criticised as being a rigid system in which promotion was based primarily on ones seniority and not on the ability of forward thinking or risk taking. A result of this was that the service became regarded as retaining its British outlook until well into the 1950s. Whitaker was among a new generation of civil servants who would break the mould, a significant reform of the civil service occurred by the Civil Service Regulation Act,1956 and Civil Service Commissioners Act,1956. These two acts however were deeply controversial in that they placed in law the requirement that many women would face mandatory retirement on marriage. This provision was rescinded by the Civil Service Act,1973. Since this time government departments have been allowed to recruit directly, all civil servants are expected to be impartial, and to act within the law. A member of the Civil Service is expected to maintain political impartiality, certain grades are also barred from seeking nomination or election to local authorities. Civil servants above the clerical grade must not take part in public debate outside their official duties. For instance privately contributing to newspapers, radio, or television would be considered a violation of this principle. All civil servants, including those on career break or retirement are subject to the Official Secrets Act 1963, as amended, exceptions to this include the Freedom of Information Act. Civil servants must not take part in anything that may involve a conflict of interest, Civil servant grades and positions defined as designated positions under the Ethics in Public Office Acts must make a disclosure of interests where they have a relevant interest. The grading structure is based on that of the British Civil Service. Traditionally the Administrative Officer grade was the highest grade at which one could join the civil service, entry positions are recruited openly by the Public Appointments Service
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Ceann Comhairle
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The Ceann Comhairle is the chairperson of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas of Ireland. The person who holds the position is elected by members of the Dáil from among their number in the first session after each general election, the Ceann Comhairle of the 32nd Dáil is Fianna Fáil TD Seán Ó Fearghaíl,8 June 2016. The Ceann Comhairle is expected to observe strict impartiality, despite this, a government usually tries to select a member of its own political party for the position, if it has enough deputies to allow that choice. As a consequence, the constituency that an incumbent Ceann Comhairle represents elects one fewer TD in an election than its usual entitlement. The Ceann Comhairle does not take part in debates nor vote except in the event of a tie, in this event they generally vote in accordance with the parliamentary conventions relating to the Speaker of the British House of Commons, which tend to amount to voting against motions. The Ceann Comhairle formally opens each days sitting by reading the official prayer, the Ceann Comhairle is the sole judge of order in the house and has a number of special functions. Specifically, the Ceann Comhairle, Calls on members to speak, all speeches must be addressed to the Ceann Comhairle. Puts such questions to the house and supervises and declares the results of divisions, to ensure obedience to his rulings the Ceann Comhairle may order members to withdraw from the Dáil or suspend an individual from the House for a period. In the case of disorder the Ceann Comhairle can suspend or adjourn the house. Rings a bell when deputies are out of order, the bell is a half-sized reproduction of the ancient bell of Lough Lene Castle found at Castle Island, Lough Lene, Castlepollard, County Westmeath in 1881 and now in the National Museum. The reproduction was presented in 1931 by the widow of Bryan Cooper, the Ceann Comhairle is an ex officio member of the Presidential Commission, Council of State, Commission for Public Service Appointments. The position of Ceann Comhairle is as old as the Dáil, the first Ceann Comhairle was Cathal Brugha, who served for only one day, presiding over the houses symbolic first meeting, before leaving the post to become Príomh Aire. The office was continued under the 1922–1937 Irish Free State, the constitution of which referred to the office-holder as the Chairman of Dáil Éireann, the practice of automatically re-electing the Ceann Comhairle in a general election was introduced by a constitutional amendment in 1927. The position of Ceann Comhairle was retained when the Constitution of Ireland was adopted in 1937, the use of secret ballot commenced in 2016. This list includes the constituencies and political affiliation of each Ceann Comhairle as well as the number of their Dáil Éireann, the Leas-Cheann Comhairle holds office as the Deputy Chairman of Dáil Éireann under Article 15.9.1 of the Constitution. In the absence of the Ceann Comhairle, the Leas-Cheann Comhairle deputises, the current Leas-Cheann Comhairle is Fianna Fáil TD Pat the Cope Gallagher, since 6 July 2016. By tradition, the position is reserved for the Opposition, the role carries the same pay and the same status as that of a Minister of State. Cathaoirleach Politics of the Republic of Ireland History of the Republic of Ireland Dáil Éireann Dáil Éireann Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly OConnor, Tom, OHalloran, Politics in a Changing Ireland 1960–2007, A Tribute to Seamus Pattison
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Cathaoirleach
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Cathaoirleach is the title of the chair of Seanad Éireann, the sixty-member upper house of the Oireachtas, the legislature of Ireland. The current Cathaoirleach is Fianna Fáil Senator Denis ODonovan, since 8 June 2016, the Cathaoirleach is the sole judge of order and has a range of powers and functions namely, Calls on members to speak and all speeches must be addressed to the Chair. Puts such questions to the House as are required, supervises Divisions, has authority to suppress disorder, to enforce prompt obedience to Rulings and may order members to withdraw from the House or name them for suspension by the House itself for a period. In the case of disorder can suspend or adjourn the House. The Cathaoirleach is also a member of the Presidential Commission. This list includes the panel and political affiliation of each Cathaoirleach as well as the number of their Seanad Éireann, the Cathaoirleachs deputy is the Leas-Chathaoirleach. The current Leas-Cathaoirleach is Fine Gael Senator Paul Coghlan, since 15 June 2016, the term Cathaoirleach is also used in a generic sense for chairs of various organisations and local authorities. Many voluntary organisations, associations and clubs also employ this term, for county boards. Ceann Comhairle Politics of the Republic of Ireland History of the Republic of Ireland Seanad Éireann Leader of the Seanad Official website
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Leader of the Opposition (Ireland)
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This is a list of Irish Leaders of the Opposition. The Leader of the Opposition in Ireland is the politician who, de facto, leads the Parliamentary Opposition in the house of the Irish Parliament. When in the Dáil, the Leader of the Opposition sits on the side of the Ceann Comhairle. Historically the two largest parties have always been Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, and so the position of Leader of the Opposition has alternated between them. After the 2011 general election Fine Gael became the largest party in Dáil Éireann, however, since Labour and Fine Gael entered a coalition government, the third largest party which is Fianna Fáil, leads the opposition in the 31st Dáil. To date there have been 17 Opposition Leaders,9 of whom have served terms as Taoiseach, the current Leader of the Opposition is Micheál Martin TD of the Fianna Fáil party, following the opening of the 31st Dáil on 9 March 2011. The current Second Leader of the Opposition is Gerry Adams TD of the Sinn Féin party, Gerry Adams is the twentieth person to hold the position of Second Leader of the Opposition. The bold print indicates politicians who went on to become Taoiseach, the italic print indicates politicians who went on to become Tánaiste. Opposition Front Bench Politics of the Republic of Ireland Taoiseach
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Attorney General of Ireland
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The Attorney General is a constitutional officer who is the official adviser to the Government of Ireland in matters of law. They are in effect the law officer in Ireland. The Attorney General is not a member of the Government but does participate in meetings when invited. The current Attorney General is Máire Whelan, SC and she is the first woman to hold the post. The Attorney General has always been a rather than a solicitor. The Attorney General has few prosecution duties, these are limited to functions under the various Fisheries Acts, instead, the Director of Public Prosecutions has responsibility for all other criminal prosecutions in the State. The Office of the Attorney General consists of a number of different offices, eileen Creedon has been Chief State Solicitor since January 23,2012. The Statute Law Revision Unit Part of the Attorney Generals function has been to identify and this includes laws of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, Britain, England, and the Irish Parliament. For example, the killing of cattle in Dublin is still regulated, in part by an Irish act of 1743,30, an act of the Parliament of England dated 1297. Unlike the modern office, those offices were a creation of statute law. Unlike the modern office, the offices also had a hyphen between the words attorney and general. Two less well known but significant roles played by all Irish Attorneys General to date are as the leader of the Irish Bar, indeed, in general, we find the membership of these bodies by the Attorney General to be somewhat anomalous. Politics of the Republic of Ireland Witness Security Programme Official site of the Attorney General Irish Statutes
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Judiciary of the Republic of Ireland
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The Courts of Ireland consist of the Supreme Court, the Court of Appeal, the High Court, the Circuit Court and the District Court. The courts apply the laws of Ireland, there are three sources of law in Ireland, the Constitution, statutory law and the common law. Under common law, trials for serious offences must usually be held before a jury, except in exceptional circumstances, court hearings must occur in public. The High Court, the Court of Appeal, and the Supreme Court have authority, by means of review, to determine the compatibility of the common law. Similarly, the courts may determine the compatibility of the law with statute law. The current system of courts is provided for in Article 34 of the Constitution of Ireland of 1937, however, it was not until the Courts Act 1961 became law that this system took effect. The Courts Service Act 1998 created the Courts Service to manage the courts and associated property, the Courts Service also provides information to the public. The Board of the Courts Service, which oversees policy formulation and implementation, is headed by a Chief Executive Officer, judges of the courts are independent of the service in their judicial functions and are in that capacity paid by the state and not the service. The Supreme Court, the Court of Appeal, and the High Court are provided for in the Constitution, the Supreme Court of Ireland is defined as the Court of Final Appeal, but usually hears appeals only on points of law. Its decisions as to the interpretation of the Constitution and the law are final, the Court of Appeal and the High Court also have authority to interpret the Constitution. The High Court also tries the most serious criminal and civil cases, when the high court sits as a criminal court it is called the Central Criminal Court and sits with a jury. The Court of Appeal is the newest of the courts having been established in 2014. It took over the former appellant jurisdiction of the Supreme Court, the Supreme Court, the Court of Appeal, and the High Court are the only courts specifically required by the Constitution. Other courts are established by law, beneath the superior courts are the Circuit Court and the District Court. The Circuit Court deals with matters that must be tried before a jury, the District Court deals only with minor matters that may be tried summarily. Judges are appointed by the President of Ireland, acting on the advice of the Government. The Government themselves act on the advice of the Judicial Appointments Advisory Board who submit a list of seven recommended candidates, however the government are not bound to follow the advice of the Board and may decide to appoint other qualified individuals. The Board advertises vacant positions but does not seek out candidates or conduct interviews, traditionally Superior and Circuit Court judges were barristers before being appointed to the bench, while District Court judges were solicitors
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Supreme Court of Ireland
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The Supreme Court of Ireland is the highest judicial authority in Ireland. It is a court of appeal and exercises, in conjunction with the Court of Appeal. The Supreme Court also has jurisdiction to ensure compliance with the Constitution of Ireland by governmental bodies and it sits in the Four Courts in Dublin. The Supreme Court was formally established on 29 September 1961 under the terms of the 1937 Constitution of Ireland, the latter court was established by the Courts of Justice Act 1924 under the terms of the 1922 Constitution of the Irish Free State. Whereas the 1924 act was a revision of the courts foundation preserving little of the 1877 arrangement. The Supreme Court consists of its president called the Chief Justice, there are two ex officio members, the President of the Court of Appeal who normally sits in the Court of Appeal, and the President of the High Court who normally sits in the High Court. The Supreme Court sits in divisions of three, five or seven judges, two or more divisions may sit at the same time. List of Justices of the Supreme Court of Ireland Under the Courts, judges appointed prior to the coming into operation of that Act may continue in office until aged 72. The Courts Act,1997 limited the term of office of an appointed to the post of Chief Justice after the coming into operation of the Act to a period of seven years. A former Chief Justice may continue as a member of the Court until he or she reaches the statutory retirement age, the Courts power to hear appeals can be severely restricted or excluded altogether, with the exception of appeals concerning the consistency of a law with the constitution. The Supreme Court also hears points of law referred to it from the Circuit Court, the Supreme Court only has original jurisdiction in two cases. The Supreme Court exercises, in conjunction with the High Court, the courts also grant injunctions against public bodies, private bodies and citizens to ensure compliance with the constitution. The Irish constitution explicitly provides for the review of legislation. The constitution also provides, under Article 26, for the review of bills before they are signed into law. The power to refer bills is personally exercised by the President after consulting the Council of State, when the Supreme Court upholds the constitutionality of a bill referred to it under Article 26, its constitutionality can never again be questioned in any court whatsoever. Supreme Court judges are free to deliver their own judgements. There is an exception when considering the constitutionality of a bill referred by the President under Article 26 of the Constitution, for which only a single judgment can be delivered. Formerly, the single-judgment rule also applied when considering the constitutionality of an Act of the Oireachtas passed under the 1937 Constitution, Acts passed prior to 1937 have always permitted multiple judgments
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Chief Justice of Ireland
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The Chief Justice of Ireland is the president of the Supreme Court of Ireland. Under Constitution of Ireland, the Chief Justice of Ireland also occupies several positions ex officio, a member of the Council of State. A member of the Presidential Commission, under s.2 of the Referendum Act 1998, the Chief Justice nominates the chairperson of the Referendum Commission. The Twenty-second Amendment of the Constitution Bill,2001 was not passed by the Houses of the Oireachtas, before 1924 the Lord Chancellor of Ireland was the highest judicial office in Ireland The Supreme Court sits in the Four Courts. When the Supreme Court sits as it mostly does in two chambers, the second chamber sits in the Hugh Kennedy Court, named after the First Chief Justice
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Court of Appeal (Ireland)
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The Court of Appeal is a court in Ireland that sits between the High Court and Supreme Court and took over the existing appellate jurisdiction of the Supreme Court in 2014. It replaces the Court of Criminal Appeal and the Courts-Martial Appeal Court, appeals to the Supreme Court are at that Courts discretion. The superior courts provided under the Courts of Justice Act 1924 and the 1937 constitution were the High Court, by the 1990s, there was a large backlog of cases in which the Supreme Court was required to hear appeals from the High Court. The Supreme Court heard a number of cases than its counterparts in other common law states. This would require amending the constitution to remove the right to appeal to the Supreme Court. A constitutional amendment along the lines of the 2009 report was approved in a referendum on 4 October 2013, the Court of Appeal Act 2014 gave effect in primary legislation to the new constitutional provision. The Rules of the Superior Courts and schedule of court fees were then amended by statutory instrument, the court came into operation on 28 October 2014. In February 2014, the government announced that serving High Court judge Seán Ryan would be designated as the president of the new court. On 29 October 2014, the Government nominated Ryan and eight judges of the Court of Appeal. A ninth ordinary judge, John A. Edwards, was nominated on 11 November 2014, nine of the appointees to the new Court were judges of the High Court, one was promoted directly from the Circuit Court. On 28 October 2014, the Supreme Court transferred 258 cases to the Court of Appeal, international media reported on the one-day decriminalisation of MDMA and methamphetamine. A spokesperson for the court said it would process cases faster when it finds its rhythm, the Court of Appeal consists of its president, and not more than nine ordinary members. There are two ex officio members, the Chief Justice, who sits in the Supreme Court. Courts Service of Ireland Court of Appeal Judgments Supreme Court, Court of Appeal and High Court Fees Court of Appeal Forms British and Irish Legal Information Institute Irish Court of Appeal cases
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High Court (Ireland)
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Judges are appointed by the President. However, as with almost all the Presidents constitutional powers, these appointments are made under the advice of the Government, in practice, this means that the judges are nominated by the government and automatically approved by the President. Cases are normally heard by one judge, but the President of the High Court may order that a case be heard by three judges sitting together — a so-called divisional court. The court normally hears cases in the Four Courts building in Dublin, mella Carroll was the first woman to serve on the court and did so between 1980 and 2005. The High Court is known as the Central Criminal Court when it is hearing a criminal case, all Central Criminal Court cases are heard in front of a jury of twelve people. The defendant can be convicted on a majority verdict of ten jurors, appeals from the Central Criminal Court can be made to the Court of Criminal Appeal, and the sentence can be appealed as well as the verdict. By virtue of its original jurisdiction under the Constitution, however. The High Court has full powers to grant any injunction or declaration that could be granted by a court of chancery. Petitions to windup companies and various company law remedies are heard by the High Court which has jurisdiction in this area. The High Court further has exclusive jurisdiction in the area of bankruptcies, in contentious Probate matters and Family Law the High Court has concurrent jurisdiction with the Circuit Court over such claims. Non-contentious Probate motions are heard solely by the High Court, the High Court has full jurisdiction in Admiralty and can exercise jurisdiction under the Brussels Convention on the Arrest of Seagoing Vessels. The Court also has power of review over the acts of the government and other public bodies, including the decisions of all inferior courts. The High Court hears all applications for extradition, both under the European Arrest Warrant system and to non-EU member states, appeals from professional disciplinary bodies under the Nurses Act, Medical Practitioners Act and Solicitors Acts are to the High Court. Any non-criminal judgment or order of the High Court sitting as a court of first instance may be appealed to the Supreme Court save as provided for by statute. The High Court also hears civil and family law appeals from the Circuit Court, the High Court sits outside of Dublin to hear appeals from trials from circuits other than the Dublin Circuit and is known as the High Court on Circuit. The current High Court is the court in Ireland to bear that name. The first High Court – the High Court of Justice in Ireland – was created by the Supreme Court of Judicature Act 1877 and this fused the administration of common law and equity in Ireland. However, in Ireland, the divisions of the High Court other than the Kings Bench Division, the Government of Ireland Act 1920 split the court in separate courts for Northern Ireland
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Special Criminal Court
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The Special Criminal Court is a juryless criminal court in Ireland which tries terrorism and serious organised crime cases. Criminal Justice Act 2005 Offences covered under the laws are known as scheduled offences, the Special Criminal Court also has jurisdiction over non-scheduled offences where the Attorney-General certifies, under s. The Director of Public Prosecutions exercises these powers of the Attorney-General by delegated authority, the current incarnation of the Special Criminal Court dates from 1972, just after the Troubles in Northern Ireland began. For instance, members of the gang which murdered journalist Veronica Guerin were tried in the Special Criminal Court. The court sits as a panel with no jury. Verdicts can be appealed to the Court of Criminal Appeal, among the criticisms are the lack of a jury, and the increasing use of the court to try organised ordinary crimes rather than the terrorist cases it was originally set up to handle. Under the law, the court is authorised to accept the opinion of a Garda Síochána chief-superintendent as evidence that a suspect is a member of an illegal organisation, however, the court has been reluctant to convict on the word of a garda alone, without any corroborating evidence. The Sinn Féin political party state it is their intention to abolish the Special Criminal Court, some prominent Sinn Féin members have been convicted of offences by it. In 1973, Martin McGuinness was convicted by the SCC after being arrested near a car containing 250 pounds of explosives and he refused to recognise the court, and was sentenced to six months imprisonment. In 1976 Marie and Noel Murray were sentenced to death by the court for the murder of Garda Michael Reynolds, however, public opposition to the harshness of the sentences and the lack of evidence to convict them resulted in the sentences being quashed. The pair were sentenced to life in prison. One of the most famous is the case of Nicky Kelly, all three convictions were later overturned after it was found that the suspects had been assaulted by gardaí while in custody. Paul Hippo Ward was convicted of the Guerin murder and sentenced to life in prison as an accomplice in the assassination, brian Meehan was convicted on the testimony of gang member turned states witness Russell Warren and was convicted of murdering Guerin, and sentenced to life imprisonment. In 2001, Colm Murphy was convicted of conspiracy to cause an explosion likely to endanger life or cause injury in connection with the Omagh bombing. In 2003, Michael McKevitt was convicted of directing terrorism and membership of an organisation for his role as leader of the Real IRA. In 2014, Wayne Dundon and Nathan Killeen were found guilty by the Special Criminal Court of the murder of Roy Collins in Limerick and sentenced to life imprisonment
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Circuit Court (Ireland)
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The Circuit Court of Ireland is an intermediate level court of local and limited jurisdiction in the which hears both civil and criminal matters. On the civil side the Circuit Court has a parallel jurisdiction — including equitable remedies — with the High Court. The Circuit Court also hears de novo appeals from the District Court in both civil and criminal matters, the Circuit Court consists of a President and thirty-seven ordinary judges and six specialist judges. It is composed of eight circuits, each of which cover an ad hoc region of the state, the Irish constitution permits the creation of courts of local and limited jurisdiction. The local nature of the Circuit Court exists in the manner in each circuit of the court only has jurisdiction to consider matters arising within its assigned county or counties. And the limited nature occurs in the manner in which it can only adjudicate over matters which are indicated to be within its jurisdiction by statute. This having been said a number of powers are conferred on the Circuit Court by statute. Divorce and judicial separation, and contentious probate cases can also be provided that the value of any real property in a settlement is within the jurisdiction of the court. Civil matters heard in the Circuit Court can be appealed to the High Court, the Court tries all indictable offences with the exception of certain offences that are reserved for the Central Criminal Court. Terrorist offences and offences with an organised crime element can be heard by the non-jury Special Criminal Court, decisions of the Circuit Court in criminal matters can be appealed to the Court of Criminal Appeal. Under the Family Law Act 1995, the Circuit Court, under the name Circuit Family Court, the rules of court for such cases are different, and reporting of them is more restricted. The Court hears de novo appeals from the District Court, when hearing appeals Circuit Court judges have the same powers as a District Court judge and so cannot give higher sentences or award more damages than a District Court judge could do. The Circuit Court further can hear appeals from various statutory bodies including the Employment Appeals Tribunal, the Appeal Commissioners of Income Tax, the Circuit Court when hearing such an appeal can make any order the statutory tribunal could have made at first instance. The office of the President of the Circuit Court was established under the Courts of Justice Act 1947, the current president is the Honorable Mr Justice Raymond Groarke who was appointed in 2012. His predecessors were, Circuit Court – Courts Service of Ireland Circuit Court – Citizens Information Board
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District Court (Ireland)
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The District Court is the main court of summary jurisdiction in Ireland. It has responsibility for hearing minor criminal matters, small claims, liquor licensing. It is also responsible for indicting the accused and sending them forward for trial at the Circuit Court, the civil jurisdiction is limited to damages not exceeding €15,000, the court has no equitable jurisdiction. The Court has the power to renew licences for the sale of intoxicating liquor, the family jurisdiction of the Court includes the power to award guardianship, grant protection or barring orders, and award maintenance of up to €150 a week. The criminal jurisdiction is limited to summary offences - i. e. offences heard without a jury where the punishment is 12 months imprisonment. Indictable offences may also be tried by the Court provided the accused, the judge, in such a case the maximum penalty imposed by the judge for the indictable offence can not exceed 12 months imprisonment. Murder, treason, rape and aggravated sexual assault are crimes that can not be disposed of summarily in such a manner. Bail hearings for offences triable by both the District Court itself and the Circuit Court are heard here also with a right to appeal to the High Court for a refusal to grant bail. Most of the offences are usually minor as the serious cases are sent to the Circuit Court. All judgements of the District Court of this country, in civil and criminal trials can be appealed to a de novo hearing in front of the Circuit Court. The decisions of a District Court judge can also be reviewed by the High Court. The Court consists of a President and sixty-three judges, at least one judge is assigned to each District Court Area and a significant number of judges are normally assigned to the Dublin Metropolitan District. The District Court sitting in a location is normally referred to as District Court. Judges of the District Court, other than the President, are styled e. g. Judge John Smith and addressed in Court as Judge. The President, as a judge of the Circuit Court, is entitled to the style of a Circuit Judge. The President of the District Court was established under the Courts Act 1961 Part 4, list of Presidents of the District Court His Honour Judge Peter Smithwick Her Honour Judge Miriam Malone Her Honour Judge Rosemary Horgan The current District Court was established in 1961. However, the jurisdiction vested in it stems from the courts of petty sessions. Petty sessions were held by justices of the peace, who were lay people, as preliminary hearings for Quarter Sessions
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Elections in the Republic of Ireland
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Members of Seanad Éireann, the upper house of the Oireachtas, are partly nominated, partly indirectly elected, and partly elected by graduates. STV is a form of representation, and coalition governments have been the rule since 1989. Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael were the largest parties in general election from 1927 to 2007. Smaller parties and independents exist in the Dáil and more so in local government, residents of the state who are Irish citizens or British citizens may participate in elections to the national parliament. Residents who are citizens of any EU state may vote in European Parliament elections, while any resident, regardless of citizenship, entitlement to vote, based on citizenship, Military personnel, whether serving at home or abroad, vote by postal ballot. These votes are delivered by a service, usually a commercial one. Elections to Dáil Éireann are required at least every seven years by the Constitution, statute law, currently the Electoral Act 1992, elections are by single transferable vote, with each geographic constituency returning between three and five deputies. Constituencies since 1981 have been redrawn by an independent Constituency Commission after each census, elections to the European Parliament are held simultaneously across Europe every five years. In Ireland, as for Dáil elections, STV is used in constituencies returning three to five members, Local elections are held on the same day as European elections. Local electoral areas return between six and ten councillors by STV, until the Local Government Reform Act 2014, separate county councils and borough/town councils were elected in parallel. The 2014 act replaced borough and town councils with municipal district councils comprising the county councillors from the LEA coterminous with the district, some members of Údarás na Gaeltachta were directly elected by Gaeltacht residents between 1980 and 2012, since then all have been appointed by the government. The President of Ireland is formally elected by the citizens of Ireland once in seven years, except in the event of premature vacancy. The President is directly elected by secret ballot under the system of the Alternative Vote, the presidency is open to all citizens of the state who are at least 35. A candidate must, however be nominated by one of the following, where only one candidate is nominated, he or she is deemed elected without the need for a ballot. For this reason, where there is a consensus among political parties, no one may serve as President for more than two terms. The Constitution of Ireland recognises two types of referendums, Amendments to the Constitution of Ireland, and Ordinary referendum, there have been 38 referendums for amendments to the Constitution of Ireland. There have been no ordinary referendums
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Irish general election, 2011
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The Irish general election of 2011 took place on Friday 25 February to elect 165 Teachtaí Dála across 43 constituencies to Dáil Éireann, the lower house of Irelands parliament, the Oireachtas. The Dáil was dissolved and the election called by President Mary McAleese on 1 February. The electorate was given the task of choosing the members of the 31st Dáil, who met on 9 March 2011 to nominate a Taoiseach and ratify the ministers of the Government of the 31st Dáil. Cowen had previously announced on 20 January that the election would be held on 11 March, constitutionally, an election must be held within 30 days after a Dáil dissolution. Fine Gael sought to gain a dominant position in Irish politics after poor results in the 2000s, and to replace Fianna Fáil for the first time since 1927 as the largest party in Dáil Éireann. The Green Party, having been in coalition with Fianna Fáil during the Government of the 30th Dáil, Sinn Féin was expected to make gains, encouraged by a by-election victory in November 2010 and by opinion polls which placed it ahead of Fianna Fáil. Fianna Fáil was swept from power in the worst defeat of a government since the formation of the Irish state in 1922. Fianna Fáil lost more than half of its vote from 2007. It was the third-largest party in the 31st Dáil–the first time since the September 1927 election that it was not the largest party in the chamber, the Irish Times, Irelands newspaper of record, described Fianna Fáils meltdown as defeat on a historic scale. Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny became Taoiseach, in a coalition with Labour, the European Financial Stability Facility then offered the government a multibillion-euro deal for its new debt burden. The Labour Party and Fine Gael called for an election in order to seek political certainty. On 22 November 2010, Taoiseach Brian Cowen indicated that the election would take place in early 2011 after the 2011 budgetary process had been completed, there were fears that calling the election could trigger another credit downgrade. On 16 January Cowen announced his decision to stay on as Taoiseach, on 18 January he called for and won a vote of confidence within the party with a majority of the 71 Fianna Fáil deputies supporting him. Despite saying he would offer Cowen full support, Foreign Minister Micheál Martin resigned, however, following criticism within his party after his failed attempt to carry out a reshuffle of Fianna Fáil ministers, Cowen announced his resignation as leader of the party on 22 January. He confirmed he would remain as Taoiseach until after the election, the key dates were, Ireland uses proportional representation with a single transferable vote, also known as PR–STV. The general election took place in 43 parliamentary constituencies throughout the state for 165 of the 166 Dáil Éireann seats, the Ceann Comhairle is automatically re-elected. Each multi-member constituency returns three, four or five Teachtaí Dála, the closing date for nominations was 9 February 2011. A total of 566 candidates contested the election, nearly 100 more than the 2007 general election, the number of candidates per party was, Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil, Labour Party, Green Party, Sinn Féin, and Independents and smaller parties
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Irish general election, 2016
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The Irish general election of 2016 took place on 26 February to elect 157 Teachtaí Dála across 40 constituencies to Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas, Irelands parliament. The 31st Dáil was dissolved by President Michael D. Higgins on 3 February, following the election, Kennys Fine Gael remained the largest party in the Dáil, albeit having lost 26 seats compared with the previous election. The main opposition party Fianna Fáil, which had suffered its worst-ever election result of 20 seats in 2011, Sinn Féin was expected to make gains, encouraged by opinion polls placing it ahead of Fianna Fáil, and it became the third-most numerous party with 23 deputies. Smaller parties and independent politicians made up the remaining 34 seats, Kenny formally resigned as Taoiseach that same day, but remained in office as a caretaker until a new government was formed. Kenny sought an agreement with Fianna Fáil to form a government, an agreement was finally reached for a Fine Gael-led minority government on 29 April,63 days after the election, and the Dáil formally re-elected Kenny as Taoiseach on 6 May. Kenny is the first Taoiseach from Fine Gael to win re-election, the outgoing government was a Fine Gael–Labour Party coalition led by Taoiseach Enda Kenny and Tánaiste Joan Burton. Fianna Fáil, Sinn Féin, Anti-Austerity Alliance–People Before Profit, Renua Ireland, Social Democrats, Workers and Unemployed Action, the government was formed on 9 March 2011, the first day of the 31st Dáil elected on 25 February 2011. Electoral law required the 31st Dáil to be dissolved by 9 March 2016, Kenny rejected predictions in October 2015 that he would call an election in November to capitalise on rising Fine Gael support. After a cabinet meeting on 2 February, Kenny announced that he would be seeking a dissolution the following day. At 09,30 on 3 February he formally told the Dáil this, and that the new Dáil would meet on 10 March, the Dáil was adjourned without statements from the opposition. At 09,58 while Kenny was en route to Áras an Uachtaráin to meet the President, at 10,35 the President issued the proclamation dissolving the Dáil. Later that day, Minister Kelly signed the order setting the polling day, the writs of election are issued by the clerk of the Dáil. Founded by Wexford TD Mick Wallace, it was renamed Independents 4 Change in October 2015, all four members as well as one other councillor entered the election as Independents 4 Change candidates. Lucinda Creighton led this party into the election, on 30 March 2015, the Independent Alliance was formed by non-party TDs and founded by Shane Ross and Michael Fitzmaurice. It was not a party, and stated that it would not impose a whip except where the group had agreed to support a government on confidence motions. All three entered the election as co-leaders of the Social Democrats and they had contested the 2011 general election as separate parties, as the Socialist Party and the People Before Profit Alliance respectively, under the joint platform of the United Left Alliance. Part 6 of the Electoral Act 2012 provides that parties will lose half of their funding unless at least 30% of their candidates at the election are female. All parties except Direct Democracy Ireland fulfilled this condition and this contributed in part to the highest percentage of women elected to the Dáil, at 35 TDs, this was 22% of the 158 TDs, an increase from 15% at the previous general election
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Next Irish general election
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The next Irish general election will be held in Ireland on or before Monday,12 April 2021. The election will be called following the dissolution of the 32nd Dáil by the President, at stake will be 157 of 158 seats in Dáil Éireann, the Ceann Comhairle being re-elected automatically unless he opts to retire from the Dáil. When the ballot papers are counted, a quota is created by dividing the number of valid votes by the number of seats. Any candidate receiving a number of votes exceeding the quota is elected, the next general election cannot be held later than Monday 12 April 2021
