55-700: Dublin County South was a parliamentary constituency represented in Dáil Éireann , the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas from 1969 to 1981. The constituency elected 3 deputies ( Teachtaí Dála , commonly known as TDs) to the Dáil, using proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote (PR-STV). The constituency was created by the Electoral (Amendment) Act 1969 , and first used at
110-576: 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
165-665: 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
220-516: 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
275-416: A residence, but his successor Brian Cowen used it occasionally, as did later Taoisigh Enda Kenny and Leo Varadkar, who each paid €50 per night for the use of the house to avoid benefit-in-kind tax being levied on them for use of the house as a grace and favour mansion. " Mór Chluana " ("More of Cloyne ") is a traditional air collected by Patrick Weston Joyce in 1873. "Amhrán Dóchais" ("Song of Hope")
330-611: A vote of confidence. Alternatively, the Dáil may refuse supply . In the event of the Taoiseach's resignation, they continue to exercise the duties and functions of office until the appointment of a successor. The Taoiseach nominates the remaining members of the Government , who are then, with the consent of the Dáil, appointed by the President. The Taoiseach may advise the President to dismiss cabinet ministers from office; which
385-498: Is Simon Harris , TD , leader of Fine Gael , who took office on 9 April 2024 following the resignation of Leo Varadkar and under a planned rotation as part of the coalition agreement between Fianna Fáil , Fine Gael , and the Green Party . Varadkar held the post from December 2022 and Micheál Martin , TD held the post from June 2020 until December 2022 as part of that agreement. Varadkar tendered his resignation as Taoiseach to
440-401: Is a poem written by Osborn Bergin in 1913. John A. Costello chose the air as his musical salute . The salute is played by army bands on the arrival of the Taoiseach at state ceremonies. Though the salute is often called " Amhrán Dóchais ", Brian Ó Cuív argued " Mór Chluana " is the correct title. The words Taoiseach and Tánaiste (deputy prime minister) are both from
495-550: Is the head of government or prime minister of Ireland . The office is appointed by the President of Ireland upon the nomination of Dáil Éireann (the lower house of the Oireachtas , Ireland's national legislature) and the office-holder must retain the support of a majority in the Dáil to remain in office. The Irish word taoiseach means "chief" or "leader", and was adopted in the 1937 Constitution of Ireland as
550-433: The 1969 general election . It was abolished by the Electoral (Amendment) Act 1980 , with effect from the 1981 general election . the district electoral divisions (except any parts in the county borough of Dublin) of: Newcastle, Rathcoole, Saggart, in the former Rural District of Celbridge No. 2 ; Ballybrack (except the part thereof which is comprised in the constituency of Dun Laoghaire and Rathdown), Dundrum (except
605-742: 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 . Taoiseach The Taoiseach ( / ˈ t iː ʃ ə x / )
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#1732800736576660-941: 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
715-494: The Gaelic languages of Scotland and Ireland. The related Welsh language word tywysog (current meaning: 'prince') has a similar origin and meaning. It is hypothesised that both derive ultimately from the proto-Celtic * towissākos 'chieftain, leader'. The plural of taoiseach is taoisigh ( Northern and Western Irish: [ˈt̪ˠiːʃiː] , Southern: [ˈt̪ˠiːʃɪɟ] ). Although
770-492: 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", its literal translation is ' chieftain ' or ' leader ' . Although Éamon de Valera , who introduced the title in 1937, was a democratic politician who had in the past associated with paramilitaries , some have remarked that the meaning ' leader ' in 1937 made
825-515: The bicameral parliament of Ireland . The Oireachtas consists of 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
880-458: The Constitution. It was proposed to keep the "Taoiseach" title in the Irish language text. The proponent remarked: It seems to me to be mere make-believe to try to incorporate a word like "Taoiseach" in the English language. It would be pronounced wrongly by 99 percent of the people. I have already ascertained it is a very difficult word to pronounce correctly. That being so, even for the sake of
935-411: The Dáil designates, without the option of declining to make the appointment. For this reason, the Taoiseach may, informally, be said to have been "elected" by Dáil Éireann. If the Taoiseach loses the support of a majority in Dáil Éireann, they are not automatically removed from office. Instead, they are compelled either to resign or to persuade the President to dissolve the Dáil and call new elections. If
990-670: 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
1045-535: The Executive Council. In contrast, the Taoiseach created in 1937 possesses a much more powerful role. The holder of the position can both advise the President to dismiss ministers and dissolve Parliament on his own authority—advice that the President is almost always required to follow by convention. His role is greatly enhanced because, under the Constitution, he is both de jure and de facto chief executive. In most other parliamentary democracies,
1100-418: The Irish form An Taoiseach is sometimes used in English instead of 'the Taoiseach', the English version of the Constitution states that they "shall be called … the Taoiseach". In 1937 when the draft Constitution of Ireland was being debated in the Dáil , Frank MacDermot , an opposition politician, moved an amendment to substitute "Prime Minister" for the proposed "Taoiseach" title in the English text of
1155-678: 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,
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#17328007365761210-442: 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
1265-429: 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
1320-403: The President "in his absolute discretion" refuses to grant a dissolution, this effectively forces the Taoiseach to resign. To date, no President has ever refused a dissolution, although the option to exercise this prerogative arose in 1944 and 1994, and twice in 1982. The Taoiseach may lose the support of Dáil Éireann by the passage of a vote of no confidence , or implicitly, through the failure of
1375-623: The President does not have discretion on. The Taoiseach is responsible for appointing eleven members of the sixty members of the Seanad . The Department of the Taoiseach is the government department which supports and advises the Taoiseach in carrying out their various duties. The Taoiseach is assisted by one or more Ministers of State at the Department of the Taoiseach , one of whom is the Government Chief Whip . Since 2013,
1430-399: The President on 8 April 2024; he was succeeded by Simon Harris the next day after his Dáil election and appointment, becoming the youngest officeholder in state history. Under the Constitution of Ireland , the Taoiseach is nominated by a simple majority of the voting members of Dáil Éireann . They are then formally appointed to office by the President, who is required to appoint whomever
1485-490: The Prime Minister. The President of the Executive Council, Éamon de Valera, gave the term's meaning as "chieftain" or "Captain". He said he was "not disposed" to support the proposed amendment and felt the word "Taoiseach" did not need to be changed. The proposed amendment was defeated on a vote and "Taoiseach" was included as the title ultimately adopted by plebiscite of the people . The modern position of Taoiseach
1540-424: 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
1595-470: 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
1650-428: The Taoiseach has been the leader of the largest party in the coalition. One exception to this was John A. Costello , who was not the leader of his party, but an agreed choice to head the government, because the other parties refused to accept then Fine Gael leader Richard Mulcahy as Taoiseach. In 2011 Taoiseach Brian Cowen, resigned as party leader and was succeeded by Micheál Martin , but continued as Taoiseach until
1705-484: The Taoiseach's annual salary is €185,350. It was cut from €214,187 to €200,000 when Enda Kenny took office, before being cut further to €185,350 under the Haddington Road Agreement in 2013. 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
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1760-598: 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
1815-404: 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
1870-408: 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
1925-486: The dignity of the Irish language, it would be more sensible that when speaking English we should be allowed to refer to the gentleman in question as the Prime Minister... It is just one more example of the sort of things that are being done here as if for the purpose of putting off the people in the North . No useful purpose of any kind can be served by compelling us, when speaking English, to refer to An Taoiseach rather than to
1980-448: The district electoral divisions of Bray No. 1 and Rathmichael (Bray) Note: The columns in this table are used only for presentational purposes, and no significance should be attached to the order of columns. For details of the order in which seats were won at each election, see the detailed results of that election. ^ *: Outgoing TD ^ ‡: Boland resigned his seat on 4 November 1970 Following
2035-422: The formation of a new government following a general election. Before the enactment of the 1937 Constitution , the head of government was the President of the Executive Council . This office was held by W. T. Cosgrave of Cumann na nGaedheal from 1922 to 1932, and by Éamon de Valera of Fianna Fáil from 1932 to 1937. By convention, Taoisigh are numbered to include Cosgrave; therefore, Micheál Martin
2090-473: The government as a collective body, are in reality at the will of the Taoiseach. The Government almost always backs the Taoiseach in major decisions, and in many cases often merely formalises that decision at a subsequent meeting after it has already been announced. Nevertheless, the need for collective decision-making on paper acts as a safeguard against an unwise decision made by the Taoiseach. Generally, where there have been multi-party or coalition governments,
2145-413: 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
2200-402: The head of state is at least the nominal chief executive, while being bound by convention to act on the advice of the cabinet. In Ireland, however, executive power is explicitly vested in the Government, of which the Taoiseach is the leader. Since the Taoiseach is the head of government, and may remove ministers at will, many of the powers specified, in law or the constitution, to be exercised by
2255-675: The more powerful of the houses of the Oireachtas. The word oireachtas comes from 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,
Dublin County South (Dáil constituency) - Misplaced Pages Continue
2310-469: 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
2365-592: The part thereof which is comprised in the constituency of Dun Laoghaire and Rathdown), Glencullen, Milltown, Rathmichael (except the part thereof which is comprised in the constituency of Dun Laoghaire and Rathdown), in the former Rural District of Rathdown No. 1 ; the district electoral divisions of Ballybrack Number One, Ballybrack Number Two, Dundrum Number Two, Dundrum Number Three, Dundrum Number Four, Dundrum Number Five, Glencullen, Milltown Number One, Milltown Number Two, Rathmichael; and in County Wicklow ,
2420-639: 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
2475-473: 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
2530-511: The resignation of Fianna Fáil TD Kevin Boland , a by-election was held on 2 December 1970. The seat was won by the Fine Gael candidate Larry McMahon. 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
2585-599: 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
2640-427: The title of the "head of the Government or Prime Minister". It is the official title of the head of government in both English and Irish, and is not used for the prime ministers of other countries, who are instead referred to in Irish by the generic term príomh-aire . The phrase an Taoiseach is sometimes used in an otherwise English-language context, and means the same as "the Taoiseach". The incumbent Taoiseach
2695-472: The title similar to the titles of fascist dictators of the time, such as Führer (for Adolf Hitler ), Duce (for Benito Mussolini ) and Caudillo (for Francisco Franco ). 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. In Scottish Gaelic , tòiseach translates as ' clan chief' and both words originally had similar meanings in
2750-517: 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
2805-414: Was a voluntary cut and the salaries remained nominally the same with both ministers and Taoiseach essentially refusing 10% of their salary. This caused controversy in December 2009 when a salary 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. In 2008, it
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#17328007365762860-427: Was established by the 1937 Constitution of Ireland and is the most powerful role in Irish politics. The office replaced the position of President of the Executive Council of the 1922–1937 Irish Free State . The positions of Taoiseach and President of the Executive Council differed in certain fundamental respects. Under the Constitution of the Irish Free State , the latter was vested with considerably less power and
2915-590: Was largely just the chairman of the cabinet, the Executive Council . For example, the President of the Executive Council could not dismiss a fellow minister on his own authority. Instead, the Executive Council had to be disbanded and reformed entirely to remove a member. The President of the Executive Council also did not have the right to advise the Governor-General to dissolve Dáil Éireann on his own authority, that power belonging collectively to
2970-627: Was reported speculatively that the former Steward's Lodge at Farmleigh adjoining the Phoenix Park would become the official residence of the Taoiseach. However, no official statements were made nor any action taken. The house, which forms part of the Farmleigh estate acquired by the State in 1999 for €29.2 million, 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
3025-517: 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
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