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Oireachtas
The Oireachtas ( ; ), sometimes referred to as Oireachtas Éireann, is the Bicameralism, bicameral parliament of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The Oireachtas consists of the president of Ireland and the two houses of the Oireachtas (): 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 Duke, ducal palace. The directly elected Dáil is the more powerful of the houses of the Oireachtas. Etymology The word comes from the Irish language, Irish word / ("deliberative assembly of freemen; assembled freemen; assembly, gathering; patrimony, territory"), ultimately from the word ("freeman"). Its first recorded use as the name of a legislative body was within the Irish Free State. Composition 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 ...
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Ceann 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 after each general election. The since 18 December 2024 has been Verona Murphy, independent TD. The since 19 February 2025 has been John McGuinness (Fianna Fáil). Overview 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. In order to protect the neutrality of the chair, the Constitution of Ireland provides that an incumbent Ceann Comhairle does not seek re-election as a Teachta Dála (Deputy to the Dáil), but rather is deemed automatically to have been re-elected by their constituency at that general election, unless they are retiring. As a consequence, the constituenc ...
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Committees Of The Oireachtas
Committees of the Oireachtas are committees and sub-committees and select committees of Dáil Éireann and Joint Committees of Dáil Éireann and Seanad Éireann, that are small groups of TDs and senators of the Oireachtas, the parliament of the Republic of Ireland. Some committees are formed by statute after every general election, others are formed by agreement for a full parliamentary term or for a specific issue on a time-limited basis. Committees are formed on a proportional basis from members of the political parties/groups in each house. Chairs of committees are granted a stipend for their work. Some committees scrutinise the work and proposed legislation from specific government departments, and senior ministers or junior ministers of state as well as public servants or representatives of semi-state bodies and organisations supported by state funding are also regularly invited to address such committees. Private meetings Committees agree their agendas and ways of ...
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Simon Harris
Simon Harris (born 17 October 1986) is an Irish Fine Gael politician serving as Tánaiste, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade and Minister for Defence since January 2025, having previously served as Taoiseach from 2024 to 2025. He has been leader of Fine Gael since 2024 and a TD for the Wicklow constituency since 2011. A Cabinet minister since 2016, he previously served as a minister of state from 2014 to 2016. Born in Greystones, Harris became politically active as a teenager, campaigning on behalf of children with autism and attention deficit disorder. He was elected to Wicklow County Council in the 2009 local elections. He was elected to Dáil Éireann at the 2011 general election, becoming the " baby of the Dáil" at age 24, and was appointed Minister of State at the Department of Finance in 2014. Following the formation of a Fine Gael minority government in 2016, he was appointed Minister for Health. On the formation of the coalition government in 20 ...
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27th Seanad
The 27th Seanad has been in office since February 2025. The 2025 Seanad election took place in January 2025, following the 2024 Irish general election, 2024 general election to the 34th Dáil on 29 November 2024. It was fully composed on 7 February 2025 on the nomination of members by the taoiseach. Background The Constitution of Ireland requires a general election for Seanad Éireann, the senate of the Oireachtas, to take place no later than ninety days after the dissolution of Dáil Éireann. There are 60 seats in the Seanad: 43 were elected on five vocational panels by serving politicians; 6 were elected in two university constituencies; and 11 are Nominated members of Seanad Éireann, nominated by the taoiseach who was appointed after the assembly of the 34th Dáil. It will remain in office until the close of poll for the 28th Seanad. The 33rd Dáil was dissolved on 8 November 2024. On 15 November 2024, the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Darragh O'Bri ...
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Seanad Éireann
Seanad Éireann ( ; ; "Senate of Ireland") is the senate of the Oireachtas (the Irish legislature), which also comprises the President of Ireland and Dáil Éireann (defined as the house of representatives). It is commonly called the Seanad or Senate and its members senators ( in Irish language, Irish, singular: ). Unlike Dáil Éireann, it is not directly elected but consists of a mixture of members chosen by various methods. Its powers are much weaker than those of the Dáil and it can only delay laws with which it disagrees, rather than veto them outright. It can introduce new legislation. Since its establishment, it has been located in Leinster House. Composition Under Article 18 of the Constitution of Ireland, Constitution, Seanad Éireann consists of 60 senators, composed as follows: * Eleven Nominated members of Seanad Éireann, nominated by the Taoiseach. * Six elected in university constituencies by the graduates of certain Irish universities: ** Three by graduates of ...
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Dáil Éireann
Dáil Éireann ( ; , ) is the lower house and principal chamber of the Oireachtas, which also includes the president of Ireland and a senate called Seanad Éireann.Article 15.1.2° of the Constitution of Ireland reads: "The Oireachtas shall consist of the President and two Houses, viz.: a House of Representatives to be called Dáil Éireann and a Senate to be called Seanad Éireann." It consists of 174 members, each known as a (plural , commonly abbreviated as TDs). TDs represent 43 Dáil constituencies, constituencies and are directly elected for terms not exceeding five years, on the system of proportional representation using the single transferable vote (PR-STV). Its powers are similar to those of lower houses under many other bicameralism, bicameral parliamentary systems and it is by far the dominant branch of the Oireachtas. Subject to the limits imposed by the Constitution of Ireland, it has the power to pass any law it wishes, and to nominate and remove the Taoiseach (h ...
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34th Dáil
The 34th Dáil was elected at the 2024 general election on 29 November 2024 and first met on 18 December 2024. The members of Dáil Éireann, the house of representatives of the Oireachtas (legislature) of Ireland, are known as TDs. It is sitting with the 27th Seanad as the Houses of the Oireachtas. There are 174 TDs in the 34th Dáil, an increase of 14 from the 33rd Dáil. The 34th Dáil must be dissolved by the president at the request of the taoiseach within five years of its first sitting. It has lasted to date. Composition Government coalition parties denoted with bullets () Ceann Comhairle * Ceann Comhairle: Verona Murphy * Leas-Cheann Comhairle: John McGuinness The first order of business of the 34th Dáil on 18 December 2024 was to elect a new Ceann Comhairle. Four candidates were nominated: John McGuinness ( FF), Verona Murphy (Ind), Seán Ó Fearghaíl (FF), who had served as Ceann Comhairle in the 32nd and 33rd Dáil, and Aengus Ó Snodaigh ( SF). Mu ...
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Mary Lou McDonald
Mary Louise McDonald (born 1 May 1969) is an Irish politician who has served as Leader of the Opposition in Ireland since June 2020, as President of Sinn Féin since February 2018, and as a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Dublin Central constituency since 2011. She previously served as vice president of Sinn Féin from 2009 to 2018 and as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for the Dublin constituency from 2004 to 2009. On 10 February 2018, following a special ( party conference) in Dublin, McDonald succeeded Gerry Adams to become Sinn Féin's first new leader since 1983 and the party's first female leader since Margaret Buckley (president from 1937 to 1950). She led the party into the 2020 general election, in which Sinn Féin delivered its best ever general election performance, attaining 24.5 percent of the vote and winning 37 seats in Dáil Éireann, one fewer than Fianna Fáil and two more than Fine Gael. Following Micheál Martin's appointment as Taoiseach in June ...
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Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil ( ; ; meaning "Soldiers of Destiny" or "Warriors of Fál"), officially Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party (), is a centre to centre-right political party in Ireland. Founded as a republican party in 1926 by Éamon de Valera and his supporters after they split from Sinn Féin in order to take seats in the Oireachtas, which Sinn Féin refused to recognise, since 1927 Fianna Fáil has been one of Ireland's two major parties, along with Fine Gael since 1933; both are seen as centre-right parties, to the right of the Labour Party and Sinn Féin. The party dominated Irish political life for most of the 20th century, and, since its foundation, either it or Fine Gael has led every government. Between 1932 and 2011, it was the largest party in Dáil Éireann, but latterly with a decline in its vote share; from 1989 onwards, its periods of government were in coalition with parties of either the left or the right. Fianna Fáil's vote collapsed in the 2011 ge ...
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Cathaoirleach
Cathaoirleach (; Irish language, Irish for Chair (officer), chairperson; plural: ) is the title of the chair (or speaker (politics), presiding officer) of Seanad Éireann, the sixty-member upper house of the Oireachtas, the legislature of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The current Cathaoirleach is Fianna Fáil Senator Mark Daly (politician), Mark Daly, who has held the office since 12 February 2025. Powers and functions 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 and declares the results. *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 great disorder can suspend or adjourn the House. The Cathaoirleach is also an member of the Cou ...
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Mark Daly (politician)
Mark Daly (born 12 March 1973) is an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who has served as Cathaoirleach of Seanad Éireann since 12 February 2025. He previously served as Cathaoirleach#Leas-Chathaoirleach, Leas-Chathaoirleach of Seanad Éireann from December 2022 to February 2025 and as Cathaoirleach of Seanad Éireann from June 2020 to December 2022. He has served as a Seanad Éireann, senator for the Administrative Panel since July 2007. Early and personal life Daly was born in Cork (city), Cork in 1973, but is a native of Kenmare, County Kerry. He is a qualified estate agent. He finished third on the RTÉ reality television show ''Treasure Island (show), Treasure Island'' in 2002. Political career He previously worked as an assistant to Member of the European Parliament, MEP Brian Crowley. Daly was previously Seanad spokesperson for Fianna Fáil on Overseas Development and deputy spokesperson on Innovation, Office of Public Works and Youth Affairs. He is also a member of the Joint ...
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President Of Ireland
The president of Ireland () is the head of state of Republic of Ireland, Ireland and the supreme commander of the Defence Forces (Ireland), Irish Defence Forces. The presidency is a predominantly figurehead, ceremonial institution, serving as the representative of the Irish state both at home and abroad. Nevertheless, the office of president is endowed with certain reserve powers which have constitutional importance. When invoking these powers, the president acts as the guardian of the Constitution of Ireland, Irish constitution. This representative and moderating role is in keeping with the president's solemn oath to "...maintain the Constitution of Ireland and uphold its laws..", to "...fulfil my duties faithfully and conscientiously in accordance with the Constitution and the law...", and to "...dedicate my abilities to the service and welfare of the people of Ireland." The president's official residence and principal workplace is in Phoenix Park, Dublin. Presidents hold o ...
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