The Great Seal of the Irish Free State
All state documents were stamped with the Seal from 1931.

From 1922-1937 the Oireachtas was the legislature, or parliament, of the Irish Free State. Until the final days of the Irish Free State it consisted of the King and two houses: Dáil Éireann and Seanad Éireann (also known as the 'Senate'). Image File history File links Great Seal of the Irish Free State - fair use This work is copyrighted. ... Image File history File links Great Seal of the Irish Free State - fair use This work is copyrighted. ... 1922 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... 1937 was a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... Chamber of the Estates-General, the Dutch legislature. ... 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... King George V, the first monarch to reign in the Irish Free State. ... The Dáil Chamber The chamber was remodelled in the early 1920s. ... The Seanad Chamber The Seanad meets in the former picture gallery in Leinster House. ...

Like the modern Oireachtas, the Free State legislature was dominated by the powerful, directly elected Dáil. Unlike the modern organ, the Free State Oireachtas had authority to amend the constitution as it saw fit, without recourse to a referendum. During the Free State it was also the Oireachtas as a whole, rather than the Dáil, that had authority to commit the state to war, although this distinction was not significant in practice.

In 1936 the constitution was amended so that the Seanad was abolished and the King lost his legislative role. From then on the Free State Oireachtas consisted solely of the Dáil. In 1937 the new Constitution of Ireland replaced the Free State Oireachtas with the modern Oireachtas Éireann. The Free State legislature was often referred to officially as the "Oireachtas of Saorstát Éireann" (Saorstát Éireann is the Irish for Irish Free State). For example, every law enacted by the Free State Oireachtas began with the phrase: "Be it enacted by the Oireachtas of Saorstát Éireann as follows:-". 1936 was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1937 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. ... The Oireachtas is the National Parliament of the Republic of Ireland. ...

Composition

The Free State Dáil was directly elected by all citizens over the age of twenty-one. The election occurred under the Single Transferable Vote form of proportional representation. It was originally intended that the Senate would be directly elected as well. However, after the holding of only one direct election, in 1925, the system was changed to one of indirect election. Members of either house had to take an oath of fidelity to the King known as the "Oath of Allegiance" before taking their seats. However this oath was abolished by a constitutional amendment in 1936. This STV ballot for the Australian Senate illustrates group voting tickets. ... Proportional representation (PR) is any election system which ensures a proportionally representative result of a democratic election, x% of votes should be represented by x% in the democratic institutions, parliament or congress. ... 1925 was a common year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ... The Irish Oath of Allegiance was a controversial provision in the Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1921, which Irish TDs (members of the Irish parliament) and Senators were required to take, in order to take their seats in Dáil Éireann (The Chamber of Deputies) and Seanad Éireann (the Irish Senate). ...

The Oireachtas: Its third tier
The King of Ireland

The King was the same individual who held the position of King of Great Britain, represented in the Free State by the Governor General. Until 1927 he reigned in the Irish Free State as "King in Ireland". However from 1927 onwards he technically reigned in Free State on a separate throne as "King of Ireland". Image File history File links Buckingham Palace with Victoria Monument from the Mall, in London, England, United Kingdom. ... Image File history File links Buckingham Palace with Victoria Monument from the Mall, in London, England, United Kingdom. ... Henry VIII, became King of Ireland in 1542. ... This article describes the British monarchy from the perspective of the United Kingdom. ... The Governor-General (Irish: Seanascal) was the representative of the King in the 1922-1937 Irish Free State. ... During the period of 1801 to 1927 British monarchs reigned as King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. 1801 was the date on which Great Britain and Ireland were first merged into the United Kingdom. ... Henry VIII, became King of Ireland in 1542. ...

Until 1936 the Oireachtas was dissolved by the King acting on the 'advice' of the Executive Council (cabinet). After the adoption of an amendment in that year the power to dissolve the legislature was exercised by the Ceann Comhairle (Chairman of Dáil Éireann) when instructed to do so by the President of the Executive Council (prime minister). The Executive Council (Irish: Ard-Chomhairle) was the cabinet and de facto executive branch of government of the 1922-1937 Irish Free State. ... The Ceann Comhairle1 is the chairman or speaker of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas (parliament) of the Republic of Ireland. ... A President of the Executive Council is the presiding officer of an Executive Council, in Commonwealth constitutional practice. ...

Role

The Oireachtas: The upper house
Seanad Éireann

Until 1936, to become law a bill had to be approved by both houses of the Oireachtas, and then receive the Royal Assent from the Governor-General, acting on behalf of the King. In 1936, when the King ceased to be a part of the Oireachtas, the responsibility for signing bills into law became a formality exercised by the Ceann Comhairle. Whatever the procedure in practice the Dáil had power to ensure the enactment of almost any law it chose. Before its abolition the Seanad merely had power to delay money bills for 21 days and any other bill for nine months. Image File history File links This work is copyrighted. ... Image File history File links This work is copyrighted. ... 1936 was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ...

During the early years of the Irish Free State there existed a theoretical possibility that the Governor-General might veto an act of the Oireachtas, or "reserve it for the King's pleasure". In fact, after his appointment Governor-General Tim Healy was instructed by the British Government to withhold the Royal Assent from any bill that sought to abolish the Oath of Allegiance. However, after the passage of the Royal and Parliamentary Titles Act 1927 the British Government lost the right to formally advise the King in relation to the Free State and so the possibility of a veto royal became remote. In 1933, under Amendment No. 21 to the Free State constitution, provisions expressly permitting the Governor-General to veto or reserve bills were removed entirely. Timothy Michael Healy, KC (17 May 1855–26 March 1931) was one of the most brilliant and most controversial of Irish politicians, with a career that spanned the period from Charles Stewart Parnells leadership of the Irish Parliamentary Party in the 1880s to the foundation of the Irish Free... The granting of Royal Assent is the formal method by which the Sovereign of the United Kingdom, or the Sovereigns representative in Commonwealth Realms, completes the process of the enactment of legislation by formally assenting to an Act of Parliament. ... The Royal and Parliamentary Titles Act 1927 () was an Act of Parliament of the United Kingdom that formed a significant landmark in the constitutional history of the UK and British Empire as a whole. ...

The Oireachtas: The lower house
Dáil Éireann

As adopted, the Free State constitution, permitted the Oireachtas to amend the constitution by means of an ordinary law, but only during a transitional period of eight years. From 1930 it was envisaged that all amendments would be proposed by the Oireachtas but then be subject to approval in a referendum. However this transitional period was extended in 1929 so that during the entire period of the Irish Free State the Oireachtas had authority to adopt constitutional amendments without recourse to a referendum. Until the 1936 the Oireachtas was theoretically prevented from adopting any law or constitutional amendment that violated the terms of the 1921 Anglo-Irish Treaty. However, constitutional changes introduced in that year removed this limitation. Image File history File links This work is copyrighted. ... Image File history File links This work is copyrighted. ... The Constitution of the Irish Free State was the constitution of the independent Irish state established in December 1922. ... 1930 is a common year starting on Wednesday. ... 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. ... 1929 was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1921 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... Signature page of the Anglo-Irish Treaty Anglo-Irish Treaty refers to a agreement between the British government and representatives of the (extra-judicial) Irish Republic which concluded the Anglo-Irish War. ...

The seat of the Oireachtas
Leinster House

image of Leinster House. ... image of Leinster House. ... Leinster House The former palace of the Duke of Leinster. ...

Powers

Under the constitution the Oireachtas had exclusive authority to:

• Legislate, including approving the budget.
• Create subordinate legislatures.
• Amend the constitution.
• Permit the state to participate in a war.
• Raise and control armed forces.

Limitations

• In theory laws were invalid if they were repugnant to the constitution. In practice the power of the Oireachtas to amend the constitution prevented meaningful judicial review.
• Until 1936 laws or constitutional amendments were invalid if they violated the Anglo-Irish Treaty.
• It could not retrospectively criminalise acts that were not illegal at the time they were committed.
• Until the 1931 Statute of Westminster, the British Parliament retained the power, in theory, to legislate for the Irish Free State without its consent.
• The Oireachtas could only legislate for the Free State, and not for Northern Ireland.

1931 is a common year starting on Thursday. ... The Statute of Westminster 1931 was the enactment of the United Kingdom Parliament (December 11, 1931) which established the legislative equal status of the self-governing dominions of the British Empire and United Kingdom. ... The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative institution in the United Kingdom and British overseas territories (it alone has parliamentary sovereignty). ... Royal motto: Quis separabit (Latin: Who will separate?) Northern Irelands location within the UK Official languages English, Irish, Ulster Scots Capital and largest city Belfast First Minister Office suspended Area  - Total Ranked 4th 13,843 km² Population  - Total (2001)  - Density Ranked 4th 1,685,267 122/km² NUTS 1...

See also

• History of the Republic of Ireland

The Irish Free State (1922-1937)
Anglo-Irish Treaty | Provisional Government | Constitution of the Irish Free State | Statute of Westminster | Great Seal of the Irish Free State | Monarchy in the Irish Free State The state known today as the Republic of Ireland came into being when twenty-six of the counties of Ireland seceded from the United Kingdom (UK) in 1922. ... 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... Image File history File links Great Seal of the Irish Free State - fair use This work is copyrighted. ... Signature page of the Anglo-Irish Treaty Anglo-Irish Treaty refers to a agreement between the British government and representatives of the (extra-judicial) Irish Republic which concluded the Anglo-Irish War. ... The Provisional Government was, in British law, the transitional government of Southern Ireland in 1922 from the signing of the Anglo-Irish Treaty to the creation of the Irish Free State. ... The Constitution of the Irish Free State was the constitution of the independent Irish state established in December 1922. ... ... The Great Seal of the Irish Free State (Irish: Séala Mor do Shaorstát Éireann) was the official seal which replaced the Great Seal of the Realm used to seal official documents of the Irish Free State (Saorstát Éireann) by the Governor-General. ... King George V, the first monarch to reign in the Irish Free State. ...
Executive King of Ireland | Governor-General | President of the Executive Council | Vice-President of the Executive Council | Executive Council | Extern Minister | Ministers and Secretaries Act Henry VIII, became King of Ireland in 1542. ... The Governor-General (Irish: Seanascal) was the representative of the King in the 1922-1937 Irish Free State. ... The President of the Executive Council (Irish: Uachtaráin na hArd-Chomhairle) was the head of government or prime minister of the 1922-1937 Irish Free State, and the leader of the Executive Council (cabinet). ... The Vice-President of the Executive Council (Irish: Leas-Uachtarán na hArd-Chomhairle) was in effect the deputy prime minister of the Irish Free State, the Executive Council. ... The Executive Council (Irish: Ard-Chomhairle) was the cabinet and de facto executive branch of government of the 1922-1937 Irish Free State. ... An Extern Minister was a Irish minister appointed by the Governor-General of the Irish Free State on the nomination of a committee of Dáil Éireann. ... The Ministers and Secretaries Act, 1924 was one of the key statute laws enacted by the Irish Free State. ...
Legislative: Oireachtas Éireann (made up of the King, Dáil Éireann & Seanad Éireann) | Royal Assent | Ceann Comhairle | Cathaoirleach | Oath of Allegiance The Dáil Chamber The chamber was remodelled in the early 1920s. ... The Seanad Chamber The Seanad meets in the former picture gallery in Leinster House. ... The Ceann Comhairle1 is the chairman or speaker of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas (parliament) of the Republic of Ireland. ... Cathaoirleach (pronounced, ka-here-loch) is the title of the speaker of the sixty-member Irish upper house, Seanad Éireann (pronounced External link Official website Categories: Government stubs ... The Irish Oath of Allegiance was a controversial provision in the Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1921, which Irish TDs (members of the Irish parliament) and Senators were required to take, in order to take their seats in Dáil Éireann (The Chamber of Deputies) and Seanad Éireann (the Irish Senate). ...
Judiciary Supreme Court | High Court | Chief Justice | Courts of Justice Act, 1924 Dublin Castle Seat of the Supreme Court of the Irish Free State until 1931. ...
Other topics: General elections: 1922 | 1923 | 1927 (June) | 1927 (Sept) 1932 | 1933 | 1937 See also: External Relations Act | Executive Powers (Consequential Provisions) Act | Constitution (Amendment No. 27) Act A general election took place in southern Ireland in 16 June 1922 under the provisions of the 1921 Anglo-Irish Treaty to elect a constituent assembly paving the way for the establishment of the Irish Free State. ... See also: Government of the 4th Dáil Irish Treaty Election, 1922 Categories: Elections in Ireland | 1923 ... See also: Government of the 5th Dáil Categories: Elections in Ireland | 1927 ... The Irish general election of September 1927 was held on September 15, 1927. ... The Irish general election of 1932 was held on February 16, 1932, just over two weeks after the dissolution of the 6th Dáil on January 29. ... The Irish general election of 1933 was held on January 24, 1933. ... See also: Government of the 9th Dáil Categories: Elections in Ireland | 1937 ... The Executive Authority (External Relations) Act, 1936 was an enactment of the Oireachtas (Irish parliament) in 1936. ... The Executive Powers (Consequential Provisions) Act, 1937 was an Act of the Oireachtas which retrospectively completed the abolition of the Governor-General of the Irish Free State. ... The Constitution (Amendment No. ...

Upper Houses in Irish parliaments 1171-present
Irish House of Lords | Senate of Southern Ireland | Seanad Éireann (Irish Free State) 1922-1936 | Seanad Éireann 1937-present Irish House of Lords - my picture, no copyright. ... The former House of Lords chamber in the Irish Parliament Building, today in use as a function room by the Bank of Ireland. ... The then Royal College of Science The Senate of Southern Ireland assembled there in June 1921. ... The Seanad Chamber The Seanad meets in the former picture gallery in Leinster House. ... Seanad Éireann (English: Senate of Ireland), the Irish Senate, is the upper house of the Oireachtas: the parliament of the Republic of Ireland1. ...
See also: Cathaoirleach | King of Ireland | Lord Chancellor of Ireland | Lord Lieutenant of Ireland | President of Ireland | Presidential Commission

Lower Houses of Irish Parliaments 1171-present
House of Commons mediæval - 1800 | House of Commons of Southern Ireland 1921-1922 | Dáil Éireann (House of Assembly) 1919-1922 | Dáil Éireann (Chamber of Deputies) 1922-1937 | Dáil Éireann (House of Representatives) 1937-present Cathaoirleach (pronounced, ka-here-loch) is the title of the speaker of the sixty-member Irish upper house, Seanad Éireann (pronounced External link Official website Categories: Government stubs ... Henry VIII, became King of Ireland in 1542. ... The office of Lord Chancellor of Ireland was the highest judicial office in Ireland from earliest times until the establishment of the Irish Free State in 1922. ... Official standard of the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland The Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (also known as the Viceroy or in the Middle Ages as the Lord Deputy) was the head of the Kingdom of Englands (before the Act of Union 1707) or Kingdom of Great Britains (after 1707... The President of Ireland (Irish: Uachtarán na hÉireann) is the head of state of the Republic of Ireland. ... The Presidential Commission (Irish: Coimisiún Uachtarán) is the collective vice-presidency of the Republic of Ireland. ... Image File history File links This work is copyrighted. ... The Irish House of Commons by Francis Wheatley (1780). ... House of Commons of Southern Ireland was the lower house of the Irish parliament created by the Government of Ireland Act, passed in 1920, during the Irish War of Independence. ... Irish stamp comemorating the first meeting of Dáil Éireann in 1919. ... The Dáil Chamber The chamber was remodelled in the early 1920s. ... The Dáil Chamber Dáil Éireann is the lower house of the Oireachtas (parliament) of the Republic of Ireland. ...
See Also First Dáil | Second Dáil | Third Dáil The First Dáil (Irish: An Chéad Dáil) was Dáil Éireann as it convened from 1919–1921. ... The Second Dáil was Dáil Éireann as it convened from 16th August, 1921 until 8th June, 1922. ... The Third Dáil, also known as the Provisional Parliament or the Constituent Assembly, was the parliament of the post-partition twenty-six county Irish state which met from 9th September, 1922 until 9th August 1923. ...