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Republic of Ireland

This article is part of the series: Politics and government of the Republic of Ireland Politics, sometimes defined as the art and science of government. ... Image File history File links COA_IRELAND.PNG Licensing File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... The Republic of Ireland is a sovereign, independent state. ...

Constitution Referendum

Oireachtas Seanad Éireann Cathaoirleach: Rory Kiely Dáil Éireann Ceann Comhairle: Rory O'Hanlon President: Mary McAleese Council of State Presidential Commission

Government Taoiseach: Bertie Ahern Tánaiste: Mary Harney Departments of State Minister of State Opposition Leader: Enda Kenny Civil Service Local Government

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See also The Oireachtas is the National Parliament of the Republic of Ireland. ... The Seanad Chamber The Seanad meets in the former picture gallery in Leinster House. ... Cathaoirleach (pronounced, ka-here-loch) is the title of the speaker of the sixty-member Irish upper house, Seanad Éireann (pronounced sch-anad air-inn). ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... The Dáil Chamber Dáil Éireann is the lower house of the Oireachtas (parliament) of the Republic of Ireland. ... The Ceann Comhairle1 is the chairman or speaker of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas (parliament) of the Republic of Ireland. ... Dr. Rory OHanlon (born 7 February 1934), Ceann Comhairle of Dáil Éireann. ... The President of Ireland (Irish: Uachtarán na hÉireann) is the head of state of the Republic of Ireland. ... Mary Patricia McAleese (Irish name Máire Pádraigín Mhic Ghiolla Íosa; born 27 June 1951) is the eighth, and current, President of Ireland. ... The Council of State (Irish: Comhairle Stáit) is an organ established by the Constitution of Ireland to advise the President of Ireland in the exercise of many of her discretionary, reserve powers. ... The Presidential Commission (Irish: Coimisiún Uachtarán) is the collective vice-presidency of the Republic of Ireland. ... The Taoiseach (plural: Taoisigh) or, more formally, An Taoiseach, is the head of government of the Republic of Ireland and the leader of the Irish cabinet. ... Patrick Bartholemew Ahern (Irish name: Pádraig Parthalán Ó hEachthairn) (born 12 September 1951), commonly called Bertie Ahern, is an Irish politician. ... The Tánaiste (plural: Tánaistithe), or more formally An Tánaiste, is the deputy prime minister of the Republic of Ireland1. ... Mary Harney (born 11 March 1953) is an Irish politician who has been the leader of the Progressive Democrats (the fourth largest political party in Ireland) since 1993. ... The Irish Government contains a number of departments or ministries, known in the Republic of Ireland as a Department of State (Roinn Stáit in Irish). ... A Minister of State, in the Republic of Ireland, is a junior minister of non-cabinet rank, attached to one or more Departments of State of the cabinet. ... The Opposition Front Bench in the Republic of Ireland is a group of senior parliamentary opposition Teachtaí Dála who together under the leadership of the Leader of the Opposition form an alternative cabinet to the governments. ... The Leader of the Opposition (Ir Ceannaire an Fhreasúra) in the Republic of Ireland is the politician who, at least in theory, leads the Parliamentary Opposition bloc in the lower house of the Irish Parliament, Dáil Éireann. ... Enda Kenny (born 24 April 1951) is an Irish politician, leader of the Fine Gael party and Leader of the Opposition in Dáil Éireann. ... The civil service (an stát-sheirbhís in Irish) of the Republic of Ireland consists of two broad components, the Civil Service of the Government and the Civil Service of the State. ... Local government in the Republic of Ireland is governed by the Local Government Acts, the most recent of which (Local Government Act 2001) established a two-tier structure of local government. ... The courts system in the Republic of Ireland consists of the Supreme Court, the High Court and a number of lower courts. ... The Supreme Court (Irish: Chúirt Uachtarach) is the highest judicial authority in the Republic of Ireland. ... Chief Justice John L. Murray is the current Chief Justice of Ireland. ... The High Court (Irish: An Ard-Chúirt) of the Republic of Ireland is a court which deals at first instance with the most serious and important civil and criminal cases, and also acts as a court of appeal for civil cases in the Circuit Court. ... The Special Criminal Court is a juryless criminal court in the Republic of Ireland which tries terrorist and organized crime cases. ... The Republic of Ireland elects on national level a head of state - the president - and a legislature. ... The date for Irelands presidential election was set for 22 October 2004. ... The European Parliament Election, 2004 was the Republic of Ireland component of the European Parliament Election, 2004. ... The Irish general election of 2002 was held on Friday 17 May 2002, just over three weeks after the dissolution of the 28th Dáil on Thursday 25 April by President Mary McAleese, at the request of the Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern. ... The lower house of the Irish parliament, Dáil Éireann, currently contains 166 Teachtaí Dála (TDs), representing 42 parliamentary constituencies throughout the Republic of Ireland. ... This is a list of Irish by-elections, with the names of the incumbent and victor and their respective parties. ... There are a number of political parties in the Republic of Ireland, and coalition governments are common. ... This is an incomplete list of public-representative office-holders, elected and appointed, past and present, in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. ... The European Union or EU is a supranational and intergovernmental union of 25 European states. ... The Republic of Ireland is involved in a number of outstanding international disputes. ... Politics of Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland is an administrative region and one of four parts of the United Kingdom. ...

An amendment may be made to any part of Bunreacht na hÉireann, the constitution of the Republic of Ireland, but only by referendum. An amendment must first be approved by both Houses of the Oireachtas (parliament), then submitted to a referendum, and finally signed into law by the President. The Constitution of Ireland is the founding legal document of the state known today as the Republic of Ireland. ... The Oireachtas is the National Parliament of the Republic of Ireland. ... A referendum (plural: referendums or referenda) or plebiscite is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal. ... The President of Ireland (Irish: Uachtarán na hÉireann) is the head of state of the Republic of Ireland. ...

Aside from constitutional referenda, the constitution also provides, in extraordinary circumstances, for a referendum on a normal bill known as the ordinary referendum, but none has yet occurred. The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ... The ordinary referendum is a referendum in the Republic of Ireland in which the President may refer a bill directly to the electorate before it becomes law. ...

Procedure

Referendum

The procedure for amending the constitution is specified in Article 46. A proposed amendment must take the form of a bill to amend the constitution originating in Dáil Éireann (the lower house of parliament). It must first be formally approved by both the Dail and the Senate   in practice the Senate only has the power to delay an amendment adopted by the Dáil. Then it must be endorsed by the electorate in a referendum. The Dáil Chamber Dáil Éireann is the lower house of the Oireachtas (parliament) of the Republic of Ireland. ... The Seanad Chamber The Seanad meets in the former picture gallery in Leinster House. ...

A simple majority is sufficient to carry an amendment and there is no minimum turn-out required for a constitutional referendum to be considered valid. The vote occurs by secret ballot. A proposal to amend the constitution put to a referendum must not contain any other proposal. While United Kingdom citizens resident in the state may vote in a general election, only Irish citizens can participate in a referendum.

After being approved by referendum an amendment must be signed into law by the President. However, this is merely a formality as, provided the correct procedure has been complied with, the President cannot veto an amendment. The dates given for the amendments listed in this article are (unless otherwise stated) the dates on which each amendment was signed into law.

Historical methods

Historically the constitution has also been amended by two other means. The Transitory Provisions that formed a part of the constitution at its adoption in 1937 provided that for an initial four year period (from 1937-1941) the document could be amended by a simple act of the Oireachtas. The First and Second Amendments were adopted in this way. However, as a safeguard to prevent the wholescale change of the document after it has been approved en bloc by the people, the President of Ireland, was given the right to decline to sign a Bill amending the constitution until the amendment had been voted on by the people, if he believed the amendment materially changed the whole constitution. The President in office, Douglas Hyde, did not however refer any amendment directly to the people, but instead chose to sign all Oireachtas-passed amendments directly into law. The constitution stated that this power, and indeed the Oireachtas's power to amend the constitution without automatic reference to the people, automatically lapsed three years after the entry into office of the first president. 1937 (MCMXXXVII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... For the movie, see 1941 (film) 1941 (MCMXLI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1941 calendar). ... The President of Ireland (Irish: Uachtarán na hÉireann) is the head of state of the Republic of Ireland. ... Douglas Hyde (Irish name Dubhghlas de hÍde) (17 January 1860 - 12 July 1949) was an Irish language scholar who served as the first President of Ireland from 1938 to 1945. ...

Since 1941, on the third anniversary of President Hyde's election when the Transitional Provisions lapsed, every amendment must follow a set process of creation: passage through the Oireachtas, followed by a public referendum. One partial exception to this, however, were the changes made to Articles 2 and 3 of the constitution in 1999. The Nineteenth Amendment, adopted by referendum in May, 1998, did not itself amend those articles but rather introduced, on a temporary basis, a special mechanism whereby the Government could order their amendment once it was satisfied that certain commitments made by other parties to the Belfast Agreement had been complied with. Article 2 and Article 3 of Bunreacht na hÉireann, the constitution of the Republic of Ireland, were adopted with the constitution as a whole in 1937, but completely revised by means of the Nineteenth Amendment which took full effect in 1999. ... 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ... 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean. ... The Belfast Agreement (also known as the Good Friday Agreement and, more rarely, as the Stormont Agreement) was a major step in the Northern Ireland peace process. ...

List of amendments

Under Transitory Provisions

• First Amendment (1939): Extend the definition of "time of war" to include a war in which the state is not a participant. The motive behind this amendment was to allow the Government to exercise emergency powers during the World War II, in which the state was neutral.
• Second Amendment (1941): This was an omnibus amendment to a variety of articles aimed at introducing a variety of changes to the document, some significant and others minor, while still possible without the need for a referendum.

The First Amendment of Bunreacht na hÉireann, the constitution of the state known today as the Republic of Ireland, was effected by the First Amendment of the Constitution Act, 1939, signed into law on 2nd September, 1939. ... 1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... The Second Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland, the founding legal document of the Republic of Ireland, was an omnibus amendment to a variety of articles aimed at implementing a list of many different changes. ... For the movie, see 1941 (film) 1941 (MCMXLI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1941 calendar). ...

By referendum

• Third Amendment (1972): Permitted the state to join the European Communities.
• Fourth Amendment (5th January, 1973): Reduced minimum voting age from 21 to 18.
• Fifth Amendment (5th Jan, 1973): Removed reference to "special position" of the Catholic Church and to certain other named denominations.
• Sixth Amendment (1979): Provided that orders made by the Adoption Board could not be declared unconstitutional because they were not made by a court.
• Seventh Amendment (1979): Allowed the state to determine by law which institutions of higher education would be entitled to elect members of the Senate.
• Eighth Amendment (1983): Introduced the constitutional prohibition of abortion.
• Ninth Amendment (1984): Extended the right to vote to certain non-nationals.
• Tenth Amendment (1987): Permitted the state to ratify the Single European Act.
• Eleventh Amendment (July, 1992): Permitted the state to ratify the Maastricht Treaty.
• Thirteenth Amendment (3 December 1992): Specified that the prohibition of abortion would not limit freedom of travel in and out of the state.
• Fourteenth Amendment (23 December 1992): Specified that the prohibition of abortion would not limit the right to distribute information about abortion services in foreign countries.
• Fifteenth Amendment (June, 1996): Removed the constitutional prohibition of divorce, but retained certain restrictions on its occurrence.
• Sixteenth Amendment (December, 1996): Allowed a court to refuse someone bail if it suspected they would commit a criminal offence while at liberty.
• Seventeenth Amendment (1997): Introduced provisions related to the confidentiality of cabinet meetings. This became protected unless, in certain circumstances, the High Court orders otherwise.
• Eighteenth Amendment (3 June 1998): Allowed the state to ratify the Amsterdam Treaty.
• Nineteenth Amendment (3 June 1998): Provided for the amendment of Articles 2 and 3 as required by the Belfast Agreement.
• Twentieth Amendment (1999): Provided that local government elections must occur every five years.
• Twenty-first Amendment (27 March 2002): Introduced the constitutional prohibition of the death penalty, and also removed all incidental references to the death penalty from the text.
• Twenty-third Amendment (27 March 2002): Allowed the state to ratify the Statute of the International Criminal Court.
• Twenty-sixth Amendment (November, 2002): Allowed the state to ratify the Nice Treaty.
• Twenty-seventh Amendment (24 June 2004): restricted the right to Irish citizenship.

The Third Amendment of Bunreacht na hÉireann, the constitution of the Republic of Ireland, permitted the state to join the European Communities and provided that European law would take precedence over the constitution. ... 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1972 calendar). ... The Fourth Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland, the founding legal document of the Republic of Ireland, lowered the voting age for all national elections and referenda in the state from twenty-one to eighteen years of age. ... January 5 is the 5th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1973 (MCMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1973 calendar). ... The Fifth Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland, the founding legal document of the Republic of Ireland, removed from the constitution a controversial reference to the special position of the Roman Catholic Church as well as recognition of certain other named religious denominations. ... 1973 (MCMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1973 calendar). ... The Sixth Amendment of Bunreacht na hÉireann, the constitution of the Republic of Ireland, ensured that certain adoption orders would not be found to be unconstitutional because they had not been made by a court. ... This page refers to the year 1979. ... The Seventh Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland, the founding legal document of the Republic of Ireland, provided that the procedure for the election of six members of the Senate by university graduates could be altered by law. ... This page refers to the year 1979. ... Seanad Éireann (English: Senate of Ireland), the Irish Senate, is the upper house of the Oireachtas: the parliament of the Republic of Ireland1. ... The Eighth Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland, the founding legal document of the Republic of Ireland, introduced the controversial constitutional ban on abortion. ... 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Ninth Amendment of Bunreacht na hÉireann, the constitution of the Republic of Ireland, extended the right to vote in elections to Dáil Éireann (the lower house of parliament) to certain non-Irish citizens. ... 1984 (MCMLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Tenth Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland, the founding legal document of the Republic of Ireland, permitted the state to ratify the Single European Act. ... 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Single European Act (SEA) was the first major revision of the Treaty of Rome. ... The Eleventh Amendment of Bunreacht na hÉireann, the constitution of the Republic of Ireland, permitted the state to ratify the Maastricht Treaty. ... 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday. ... The Maastricht Treaty (formally, the Treaty on European Union) was signed on 7 February 1992 in Maastricht between the members of the European Community and entered into force on 1 November 1993, under the Delors Commission. ... The Thirteenth Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland specifies that the prohibition of abortion would not limit freedom of travel from Ireland to other countries where a person might legally obtain an abortion. ... December 3 is the 337th (in leap years the 338th) day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday. ... The Fourteenth Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland, the founding legal document of the Republic of Ireland was passed on December 23, 1992. ... December 23 is the 357th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (358th in leap years). ... 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday. ... The Fifteenth Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland, the founding legal document of the Republic of Ireland, repealed the constitutional prohibition of divorce. ... 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ... The Sixteenth Amendment of Bunreacht na hÉireann, the constitution of the Republic of Ireland, provided that a court could refuse bail to a suspect where it feared that while at liberty they would commit a criminal offence. ... 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ... The Seventeenth Amendment of the Bunreacht na hÉireann, the constitution of the Republic of Ireland, provided that the confidentiality of meetings of the cabinet would not prevent the High Court from ordering that certain information be disclosed when this was in the public interest. ... 1997 (MCMXCVII in Roman) is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Eighteenth Amendment of Bunreacht na hÉireann, the constitution of the Republic of Ireland, permitted the state to ratify the Amsterdam Treaty. ... June 3 is the 154th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (155th in leap years), with 211 days remaining. ... 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean. ... Treaty of Amsterdam amending the Treaty of the European Union, the Treaties establishing the European Communities and certain related acts The Treaty of Amsterdam amending the Treaty of the European Union, the Treaties establishing the European Communities and certain related acts, commonly known as the Amsterdam Treaty, was signed on... The Nineteenth Amendment of Bunreacht na hÉireann, the constitution of the Republic of Ireland, introduced changes to Articles 2 and 3 of the constitution required by the 1998 Belfast Agreement (also known as the Good Friday Agreement). ... June 3 is the 154th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (155th in leap years), with 211 days remaining. ... 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean. ... Article 2 and Article 3 of Bunreacht na hÉireann, the constitution of the Republic of Ireland, were adopted with the constitution as a whole in 1937, but completely revised by means of the Nineteenth Amendment which took full effect in 1999. ... The Twentieth Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland, the founding legal document of the Republic of Ireland, provided constitutional recognition of local government and required that local government elections occur at least once in every five years. ... 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ... The Twenty-first Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland, the founding legal document of the Republic of Ireland, introduced a constitutional ban on the death penalty and removed all references to capital punishment from the text. ... March 27 is the 86th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (87th in Leap years). ... For the Cusco album, see 2002 (album). ... Capital punishment, also referred to as the death penalty, is the judicially ordered execution of a prisoner as a punishment for a serious crime, often called a capital offense or a capital crime. ... The Twenty-third Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland, the founding legal document of the Republic of Ireland, permitted the state to recognise the International Criminal Court (ICC). ... March 27 is the 86th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (87th in Leap years). ... For the Cusco album, see 2002 (album). ... Official logo of the ICC. The International Criminal Court (ICC) was established in 2002 as a permanent tribunal to prosecute individuals for genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes, as defined by several international agreements, most prominently the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. ... The Twenty-sixth Amendment of Bunreacht na hÉireann, the constitution of the Republic of Ireland, permitted the state to ratify the Nice Treaty. ... For the Cusco album, see 2002 (album). ... The Treaty of Nice is a treaty adopted in Nice by the European Council to amend the two founding treaties of the European Union: the Treaty on European Union, or Maastricht Treaty, which introduced the Euro and the 3-pillar structure of the EU; the Treaty of Rome, which established... The Twenty-seventh Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland, the founding legal document of the Republic of Ireland, provided that children born on the island of Ireland to parents who were both non-nationals would no longer have a constitutional right to Irish citizenship. ... June 24 is the 175th day of the year (176th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 190 days remaining. ... It has been designated the: International Year of Rice (by the United Nations) International Year to Commemorate the Struggle against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO) 2004 World Health Day topic was Road Safety (by World Health Organization) Year of the Monkey (by the Chinese calendar) See the world in...

'Missing' amendments

It should be noted that there is officially no 12th, 22nd, 24th or 25th Amendment. This has occurred for a number of reasons; one is that the formal title of an amendment cannot be altered once it has been adopted by the houses of the Oireachtas. This means that where a number of amendments are put to the electorate on the same day, and one is rejected, an amendment number may be 'skipped'. In November 1992 three proposed amendments were put to the people: the 12th, 13th and 14th. The proposed 12th Amendment was defeated but the 13th and 14th Amendments, which were approved, could not then be renamed.

List of failed amendments

• Third Amendment Bill (1958): This was a proposal to alter the electoral system for elections to Dáil Éireann from proportional representation under the Single Transferable Vote to the British 'First Past the Post' system. It also proposed to establish an independent commission for the drawing of constituency boundaries on a constitutional basis. It was put to a referendum on 17 June 1959 but defeated.
• Third Amendment Bill (1968): This proposed to specify more precisely the system of apportionment in the drawing of constituency boundaries. It would have permitted rural constituencies to elected a disproportionate number of TDs (MPs) (see malapportionment). The proposal was put to a referendum on 16 October 1968 but rejected.
• Fourth Amendment Bill (1968) (1968): This was a second attempt to alter the electoral system by abolishing proportional representation in favour of 'First Past the Post'. It was submitted to a referendum on the same day as the Third Amendment Bill and defeated.
• Tenth Amendment Bill (1986): This proposed to remove the constitutional ban on divorce. It was put to a referendum on 26 June, 1986 but defeated. The ban on divorce was eventually lifted by the Fifteenth Amendment in 1996.
• Twelfth Amendment Bill (1992): This proposed to strengthen the constitutional ban on abortion by stating that an abortion could not be procured to protect the health, rather than the life, of the mother, and that risk to the life of the mother from suicide could not be grounds for an abortion. This was put to a referendum on 25 November, 1992 but defeated.
• Twenty-second Amendment Bill (2001): This proposed to establish a body for the investigation of judges and to amend the procedure for the removal of judges. It was not passed by the houses of the Oireachtas.
• Twenty-fourth Amendment Bill (2001): Would have allowed the state to ratify the Nice Treaty. This was rejected in a referendum on 7 June, 2001. Voters reversed this decision when they adopted the Twenty-sixth Amendment in 2002.
• Twenty-fifth Amendment Bill (2002): This was a second attempt to strengthen the constitutional ban on abortion and to prevent risk of suicide being invoked as grounds for an abortion. It was submitted to a referendum on 6 March, 2002 but defeated.

Proportional representation, also known as full representation, is an electoral system in which the overall votes are reflected in the overall outcome of the body or bodies of representatives. ... This STV ballot for the Australian Senate illustrates group voting tickets. ... The plurality voting system, also known as first past the post, is a voting system used to elect a single winner in a given election. ... June 17 is the 168th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (169th in leap years), with 197 days remaining. ... 1959 (MCMLIX) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A TD or Teachta Dála (Irish for Dáil Deputy, pronounced chock-ta dawla) is a member of Dáil Éireann, the lower chamber of the Irish Oireachtas (pronounced orr-och-tas) or National Parliament. ... Apportionment, or reapportionment, is the process of determining representation in politics within a legislative body by creating constituencies. ... October 16 is the 289th day of the year (290th in Leap years). ... 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1968 calendar). ... 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1968 calendar). ... June 26 is the 177th day of the year (178th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 188 days remaining. ... 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday. ... November 25 is the 329th (in leap years the 330th) day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2001: A Space Odyssey. ... 2001: A Space Odyssey. ... June 7 is the 158th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (159th in leap years), with 207 days remaining. ... For the Cusco album, see 2002 (album). ... March 6 is the 65th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (66th in Leap years). ...

List of referenda

The following is a list of every referendum in the state since 1937 ^[1]. The Constitution of Ireland was approved by plebiscite in July, 1937 and every subsequent referendum has concerned a constitutional amendment. Dates given are those on which referenda were held.

July 1 is the 182nd day of the year (183rd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 183 days remaining. ... 1937 (MCMXXXVII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... The Constitution of Ireland is the founding legal document of the state known today as the Republic of Ireland. ... July 17 is the 198th day (199th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 167 days remaining. ... 1959 (MCMLIX) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... October 16 is the 289th day of the year (290th in Leap years). ... 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1968 calendar). ... May 10 is the 130th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (131st in leap years). ... 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1972 calendar). ... The Third Amendment of Bunreacht na hÉireann, the constitution of the Republic of Ireland, permitted the state to join the European Communities and provided that European law would take precedence over the constitution. ... The European Community (EC), most important of three European Communities, was originally founded on March 25, 1957 by the signing of the Treaty of Rome under the name of European Economic Community. ... December 7 is the 341st day (342nd on leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... The Fourth Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland, the founding legal document of the Republic of Ireland, lowered the voting age for all national elections and referenda in the state from twenty-one to eighteen years of age. ... The Fifth Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland, the founding legal document of the Republic of Ireland, removed from the constitution a controversial reference to the special position of the Roman Catholic Church as well as recognition of certain other named religious denominations. ... July 5 is the 186th day of the year (187th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 179 days remaining. ... This page refers to the year 1979. ... The Sixth Amendment of Bunreacht na hÉireann, the constitution of the Republic of Ireland, ensured that certain adoption orders would not be found to be unconstitutional because they had not been made by a court. ... The Seventh Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland, the founding legal document of the Republic of Ireland, provided that the procedure for the election of six members of the Senate by university graduates could be altered by law. ... September 7 is the 250th day of the year (251st in leap years). ... The Eighth Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland, the founding legal document of the Republic of Ireland, introduced the controversial constitutional ban on abortion. ... June 14 is the 165th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (166th in leap years), with 200 days remaining. ... 1984 (MCMLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Ninth Amendment of Bunreacht na hÉireann, the constitution of the Republic of Ireland, extended the right to vote in elections to Dáil Éireann (the lower house of parliament) to certain non-Irish citizens. ... June 26 is the 177th day of the year (178th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 188 days remaining. ... 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... May 26 is the 146th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (147th in leap years). ... 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Tenth Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland, the founding legal document of the Republic of Ireland, permitted the state to ratify the Single European Act. ... The Single European Act (SEA) was the first major revision of the Treaty of Rome. ... June 18 is the 169th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (170th in leap years), with 196 days remaining. ... 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday. ... The Eleventh Amendment of Bunreacht na hÉireann, the constitution of the Republic of Ireland, permitted the state to ratify the Maastricht Treaty. ... The Maastricht Treaty (formally, the Treaty on European Union) was signed on 7 February 1992 in Maastricht between the members of the European Community and entered into force on 1 November 1993, under the Delors Commission. ... (Redirected from 25 November) November 25 is the 329th (in leap years the 330th) day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... The Thirteenth Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland specifies that the prohibition of abortion would not limit freedom of travel from Ireland to other countries where a person might legally obtain an abortion. ... The Fourteenth Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland, the founding legal document of the Republic of Ireland was passed on December 23, 1992. ... (Redirected from 24 November) November 24 is the 328th day (329th on leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... The Fifteenth Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland, the founding legal document of the Republic of Ireland, repealed the constitutional prohibition of divorce. ... (Redirected from 28 November) November 28 is the 332nd day (333rd on leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... The Sixteenth Amendment of Bunreacht na hÉireann, the constitution of the Republic of Ireland, provided that a court could refuse bail to a suspect where it feared that while at liberty they would commit a criminal offence. ... October 30 is the 303rd day of the year (304th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 62 days remaining. ... 1997 (MCMXCVII in Roman) is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Seventeenth Amendment of the Bunreacht na hÉireann, the constitution of the Republic of Ireland, provided that the confidentiality of meetings of the cabinet would not prevent the High Court from ordering that certain information be disclosed when this was in the public interest. ... May 22 is the 142nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (143rd in leap years). ... 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean. ... The Eighteenth Amendment of Bunreacht na hÉireann, the constitution of the Republic of Ireland, permitted the state to ratify the Amsterdam Treaty. ... Treaty of Amsterdam amending the Treaty of the European Union, the Treaties establishing the European Communities and certain related acts The Treaty of Amsterdam amending the Treaty of the European Union, the Treaties establishing the European Communities and certain related acts, commonly known as the Amsterdam Treaty, was signed on... The Nineteenth Amendment of Bunreacht na hÉireann, the constitution of the Republic of Ireland, introduced changes to Articles 2 and 3 of the constitution required by the 1998 Belfast Agreement (also known as the Good Friday Agreement). ... The Belfast Agreement (also known as the Good Friday Agreement and, more rarely, as the Stormont Agreement) was a major step in the Northern Ireland peace process. ... June 11 is the 162nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (163rd in leap years), with 203 days remaining. ... 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ... The Twentieth Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland, the founding legal document of the Republic of Ireland, provided constitutional recognition of local government and required that local government elections occur at least once in every five years. ... June 7 is the 158th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (159th in leap years), with 207 days remaining. ... 2001: A Space Odyssey. ... The Twenty-first Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland, the founding legal document of the Republic of Ireland, introduced a constitutional ban on the death penalty and removed all references to capital punishment from the text. ... The Twenty-third Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland, the founding legal document of the Republic of Ireland, permitted the state to recognise the International Criminal Court (ICC). ... Official logo of the ICC. The International Criminal Court (ICC) was established in 2002 as a permanent tribunal to prosecute individuals for genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes, as defined by several international agreements, most prominently the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. ... The Treaty of Nice is a treaty adopted in Nice by the European Council to amend the two founding treaties of the European Union: the Treaty on European Union, or Maastricht Treaty, which introduced the Euro and the 3-pillar structure of the EU; the Treaty of Rome, which established... March 6 is the 65th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (66th in Leap years). ... For the Cusco album, see 2002 (album). ... October 19 is the 292nd day of the year (293rd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... For the Cusco album, see 2002 (album). ... The Twenty-sixth Amendment of Bunreacht na hÉireann, the constitution of the Republic of Ireland, permitted the state to ratify the Nice Treaty. ... The Treaty of Nice is a treaty adopted in Nice by the European Council to amend the two founding treaties of the European Union: the Treaty on European Union, or Maastricht Treaty, which introduced the Euro and the 3-pillar structure of the EU; the Treaty of Rome, which established... June 11 is the 162nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (163rd in leap years), with 203 days remaining. ... It has been designated the: International Year of Rice (by the United Nations) International Year to Commemorate the Struggle against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO) 2004 World Health Day topic was Road Safety (by World Health Organization) Year of the Monkey (by the Chinese calendar) See the world in... The Twenty-seventh Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland, the founding legal document of the Republic of Ireland, provided that children born on the island of Ireland to parents who were both non-nationals would no longer have a constitutional right to Irish citizenship. ...

Major subjects

The European Union

A number of amendments to the Constitution of Ireland have related to the European Union (and its predecessors). Before the state could join the European Communities the Third Amendment was necessary. Membership granted powers to European institutions which the 1937 constitution had vested in the Oireachtas (parliament) and the Government. It was also possible that many provisions of the constitution might in the future be found to be incompatible with European law. For these reasons the Third Amendment introduced a provision expressly permitting the state to joing the Communities and stating in broad terms that European law has supremacy over the constitution. The European Union is unique among international organizations in having a complex and highly developed system of internal law which has direct effect within the legal systems of its member states. ...

A number of subsequent amendments have been made to expressly permit the state to ratify changes to the treaties of the EU. This is because of a 1987 ruling by the Supreme Court, in the case of Crotty v. An Taoiseach, that major changes to the EU treaties require a constitutional amendment. Referenda have therefore been held on the Single European Act, the Maastricht Treaty, the Amsterdam Treaty and the Treaty of Nice. There has however, been debate among legal scholars as to whether or not each and everyone of these treaties has been sufficiently far reaching as to necessitate a constitutional amendment. 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Supreme Court (Irish: Chúirt Uachtarach) is the highest judicial authority in the Republic of Ireland. ...

Abortion

The Eighth Amendment introduced the constitutional prohibition on abortion in 1983. Opponents of abortion sought this amendment partly because of fears that the Supreme Court would in the future infer an implicit right to an abortion in the provisions of the constitution. The court had already ruled, in the 1974 case of McGee v. The Attorney General, that reference in Article 41 to the "imprescriptable rights, antecedent and superior to all positive law" of the family conferred upon spouses a broad right to privacy in marital affairs. It was feared that this right might be extended to include the right to an abortion. There was further concern that the Supreme Court might take its lead from developments in judicial review in other nations, such as the controversial ruling of the United States Supreme Court in the 1973 case of Roe v. Wade. The Supreme Court (Irish: Chúirt Uachtarach) is the highest judicial authority in the Republic of Ireland. ... 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (the link is to a full 1974 calendar). ... The Supreme Court Building, Washington, D.C. The Supreme Court Building, Washington, D.C., (large image) The Supreme Court of the United States, located in Washington, D.C., is the highest court (see supreme court) in the United States; that is, it has ultimate judicial authority within the United States... 1973 (MCMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1973 calendar). ... Holding Texas laws criminalizing abortion violated womens Fourteenth Amendment right to choose whether to continue a pregnancy. ...

It was observed at the time of the adoption of the constitutional prohibition of abortion that its wording was very vague. Since its adoption a number of attempts have been made to modify the constitution in order to clarify the ban's precise implications. In particular there have been two failed attempts (in 1992 and 2002) to strengthen the ban, but two successful attempts to weaken its implications (both in December 1992).

The two failed amendments arose from a ruling of the Supreme Court in March 1992, in the case of the Attorney General v. X (more commonly known as the "X case"), that a mother is entitled to an abortion where there is a risk to her life from suicide. Opponents of abortion feared that this ruling could only be enforced in a way that would lead to a liberal abortion regime of the kind found in many other countries, such as the United Kingdom, but this has not yet come to pass (although the government has yet to legislate for the implications of the 'X' case). The Thirteenth and Fourteenth Amendments guaranteed that the ban on abortion would not compromise the right to obtain information about, or freedom of travel to avail of, abortion services available abroad. Attorney General v. ...

Previous constitutions

Prior to the adoption of the Constitution of Ireland in 1937, the state was governed under two other documents: the Dáil Constitution of the short-lived 1919-1922 Irish Republic and the constitution of the 1922-1937 Irish Free State. Each used different formal procedures for amendment of the text. 1937 (MCMXXXVII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... The Constitution of Dáil Éireann (Irish: Bunreacht Dála Éireann), more commonly known as the Dáil Constitution, was a short, provisional constitution adopted by the First Dáil in January 1919. ... 1919 (MCMXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... 1922 (MCMXXII) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... 1922 (MCMXXII) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... 1937 (MCMXXXVII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... The Irish Free State (Irish: Saorstát Éireann) was (1922–1937) the name of the state comprising the 26 of Irelands 32 counties which were separated from the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland under the Irish Free State Agreement (or Anglo-Irish Treaty) signed by British and...

The Dáil Constitution was enacted by Dáil Éireann (which was at that time a single chamber legislature) as an ordinary act of parliament. As a result it could be amended by simple vote of the legislature.

The Constitution of the Irish Free State originally provided for a process of amendment by means of a referendum. However the constitution could initially be amended by the Free State Oireachtas for eight years. The Oireachtas chose to extent that period, meaning that for the duration of its existence, the Free State constitution could be amended at will by parliament. The Constitution of the Irish Free State was the constitution of the independent Irish state established in December 1922. ...

In theory, it was argued that the constitution could not be amended in a way with conflicted with the Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1921 ratified by both the United Kingdom and the Irish Republic. However the Statute of Westminster and legal judgments removed that restriction in the 1930s. Signature page of the Anglo-Irish Treaty The Anglo-Irish Treaty, officially called the Articles of association between Ireland and the British Empire, was a treaty between the Government of the United Kingdom and representatives of the (extra-judicial) Irish Republic which concluded the Anglo-Irish War. ... 1921 (MCMXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... The Statute of Westminster 1931 was the enactment of the United Kingdom Parliament (December 11, 1931) which established a status of legislative equality between the self-governing dominions of the British Empire and the United Kingdom. ...

Footnote

1. ↑  The "total poll" column in the table below gives the total number of votes cast, including spoilt votes. The percentages given in the "for" and "against" columns are derived from the total number of valid, or unspoilt votes. A green coloured row indicates a proposal approved by the electorate; red indicates a rejected measure. All data are taken from the official website of the Referendum Returning Officer [2].

See also

• Politics of the Republic of Ireland
• Abortion in Ireland
• Constitutional amendment

The Republic of Ireland is a sovereign, independent state. ... The subject of abortion has had a controversial history in Ireland, and remains a controversial subject today. ... A constitutional amendment is an alteration to the constitution of a nation or a state. ...

External links

• www.Referendum.ie - official website of the Referendum Returning Officer. Includes an archive of referendum statistics.
• The Unabridged Constitution of Ireland - this is an unofficial variorum edition with amendments alongside the original text. It is only accurate up until the Twentieth Amendment in 1999.
• Irish Legal Information Initiative
• IrishStatuteBook.ie