The Presidential Commission () is the collective vice-presidency of

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St George's Channel. Ireland is the s ...

Membership

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 The (; "Head of heCouncil"; plural usually ) is the chairperson (or speaker) of , the lower house of the (parliament) of Ireland. The person who holds the position is elected by members of the from among their number in the first session a ...

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.

Powers

The Presidential Commission fulfills all functions and duties of the office of

President of Ireland The president of Ireland ( ga, Uachtarán na hÉireann) 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.Constitu ...

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 Impeachment is the process by which a legislative body or other legally constituted tribunal initiates charges against a public official for misconduct. It may be understood as a unique process involving both political and legal elements. In ...

of the incumbent, which has never happened. * in the short interval between the conclusion of one president's term of office and the inauguration of a successor the next day — although the Presidential Commission has never been required to act in this time; The Presidential Commission has often acted when the President is abroad, typically while making a

state visit A state visit is a formal visit by a head of state to a foreign country, at the invitation of the head of state of that foreign country, with the latter also acting as the official host for the duration of the state visit. Speaking for the host ...

. When the government of the 26th Dáil collapsed in November 1992, president

Mary Robinson Mary Therese Winifred Robinson ( ga, Máire Mhic Róibín; ; born 21 May 1944) is an Irish politician who was the 7th president of Ireland, serving from December 1990 to September 1997, the first woman to hold this office. Prior to her electi ...

was abroad. The resignation of the

Progressive Democrats The Progressive Democrats ( ga, An Páirtí Daonlathach, literally "The Democratic Party" ), commonly referred to as the PDs, was a conservative-liberal political party in the Republic of Ireland. Launched on 21 December 1985 by Desmond O'Ma ...

ministers, the appointment by Taoiseach

Albert Reynolds Albert Martin Reynolds (3 November 1932 – 21 August 2014) was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who served as Taoiseach from 1992 to 1994, Leader of Fianna Fáil from 1992 to 1994, Minister for Finance from 1988 to 1991, Minister for Indust ...

of caretaker

Fianna Fáil Fianna Fáil (, ; meaning 'Soldiers of Destiny' or 'Warriors of Fál'), officially Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party ( ga, audio=ga-Fianna Fáil.ogg, Fianna Fáil – An Páirtí Poblachtánach), is a conservative and Christia ...

replacement ministers, and Reynolds' request for a

dissolution of the Dáil The dissolution of a legislative assembly is the mandatory simultaneous resignation of all of its members, in anticipation that a successive legislative assembly will reconvene later with possibly different members. In a democracy, the new assem ...

, were all effected by the Presidential Commission. Temporary illness may also indispose the President. No President has ever refused to fulfil any of the duties of office. Bills have occasionally been signed into law while the President is out of the country, including the Marriage Act 2015 legalising

same-sex marriage Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same sex or gender. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 33 countries, with the most recent being Mexico, constituting ...

due to

Michael D. Higgins Michael Daniel Higgins ( ga, Mícheál Dónal Ó hUigínn; born 18 April 1941) is an Irish politician, poet, sociologist, and broadcaster, who has served as the ninth president of Ireland since November 2011. Entering national politics throug ...

being in the United States.

Origins

The Presidential Commission was created in the 1937

Constitution of Ireland The Constitution of Ireland ( ga, Bunreacht na hÉireann, ) is the fundamental law of Ireland. It asserts the national sovereignty of the Irish people. The constitution, based on a system of representative democracy, is broadly within the traditi ...

. It was first used between December 1937, when the Constitution came into force, and June 1938, when the first President was inaugurated. Initially, as the Irish senate had not been constituted and elected, the seat on the Presidential Commission intended for the Cathaoirleach of Seanad Éireann was filled by the President of the High Court under the Transitory Provisions of the Constitution.

Members of the Presidential Commission as acting President of Ireland

1937–38

From the adoption of the

to the inauguration of

Douglas Hyde Douglas Ross Hyde ( ga, Dubhghlas de hÍde; 17 January 1860 – 12 July 1949), known as (), was an Irish academic, linguist, scholar of the Irish language, politician and diplomat who served as the first President of Ireland from June 1938 t ...

1974

From the death of

Erskine H. Childers Erskine Hamilton Childers (11 December 1905 – 17 November 1974) was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who served as the fourth president of Ireland from June 1973 to November 1974. He is the only Irish president to have died in office. He also ...

to the inauguration of

Cearbhall Ó Dálaigh Cearbhall Ó Dálaigh (; 12 February 1911 – 21 March 1978) was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician, judge and barrister who served as the fifth president of Ireland from December 1974 to October 1976. His birth name was registered in English ...

1976

From the resignation of

to the inauguration of

Patrick Hillery Patrick John Hillery ( ga, Pádraig J. Ó hIrghile; 2 May 1923 – 12 April 2008) was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who served as the sixth president of Ireland from December 1976 to December 1990. He also served as vice-president of the Eur ...

1997

From the resignation of

to the inauguration of

Mary McAleese Mary Patricia McAleese ( ; ga, Máire Pádraigín Mhic Ghiolla Íosa; ; born 27 June 1951) is an Irish activist lawyer and former politician who served as the eighth president of Ireland from November 1997 to November 2011. She is an academic ...

References

External links

*{{Cite web, title=Constitution of Ireland, publisher=Department of the Taoiseach, date=August 2012, url=https://www.constitution.ie/Documents/Bhunreacht_na_hEireann_web.pdf, access-date=30 October 2015, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160209115852/https://www.constitution.ie/Documents/Bhunreacht_na_hEireann_web.pdf, archive-date=9 February 2016, url-status=dead Politics of the Republic of Ireland Commission

Membership

Powers

Origins

Members of the Presidential Commission as acting President of Ireland

1937–38

1974

1976

1997

See also

References

External links