Republic of Ireland: The State

1. Overview

2. Government

3. Political Parties

4. Local Government

5. The Courts

6. Police and Defence Forces

7. Role of the Catholic Church in national affairs

Overview

The Republic of Ireland (Irish: Poblacht na hÉireann) is a constitutional parliamentary democracy. The name of the country is often referred shortly to as Ireland (Irish: Éire). Ireland is divided into four provinces: Connacht, Leinster, Munster and Ulster. These were further divided into 32 counties for administrative purposes. Six counties from Ulster remained under British sovereignty as Northern Ireland following Ireland's partition in 1922.  The Republic of Ireland has 26 counties, and these are used in political, cultural and sporting contexts.  The capital is Dublin.

In the first two decades after Ireland achieved independence in 1922, the institutions of the State were consolidated and a tradition of political stability was established. The Constitution of 1937 and the Republic of Ireland Act 1948 broke Ireland's last formal links with Britain. Ireland remained neutral during the Second World War and does not belong to any military alliance.

Language
Article 8 of the Constitution declares:
1. The Irish language as the national language, it is the first official language.
2. The English language is recognised as the second official language.
 

Flag 
The national flag is a tricolour of green, white and orange. The flag is rectangular in shape, the width being twice the depth. The three colours are of equal size with the green next to the staff.  Green and White are traditionally the colours of those who fought for independence taking pride in their Gaelic heritage, while orange is the colour of the British Prostestants who used to rule Ireland until 1922.

Emblem
The harp has been regarded as the official symbol or coat of arms of Ireland since medieval times. The heraldic harp is used by the Government, its agencies and its representatives at home and abroad. It is engraved on the seal matrix of the Office of the President as well as on the obverse of all coinage.  It features on the Irish euro coins.

Anthem
The text of Amhrán na bhFiann (Soldier's Song), consisting of three stanzas and a chorus, was written by Peadar Kearney who also composed the music together with Patrick Heeney.  The chorus was formally adopted as the National Anthem in 1926.  A section of the National Anthem (consisting of the first four bars followed by the last five) is also the Presidential Salute.

The National Day
Saint Patrick's Day, (17 March) is the National Day.  He brought Christianity to Ireland in the 5th century AD and established the first Christian churches and monasteries in the country.  17th of March is the date of his death.  Tradition holds that it was the use of the shamrock by Saint Patrick when preaching in Ireland that led to its adoption as an Irish symbol.

Government

The law in Ireland is based on common law and legislation enacted by Parliament under the Constitution. Regulations of the European Communities (Ireland joined the European Union in 1973) have the force of law in Ireland. The Constitution of Ireland sets out the form of government and defines the powers and functions of the President, both Houses of the National Parliament and the Government.

It also defines the structure and powers of the Courts and outlines the fundamental rights of citizens. The definition of rights covers five broad headings: Personal Rights, The Family, Education, Private Property and Religion.

The President is the Head of State. Where there is more than one candidate for the office, the people elect the President by direct vote. The presidency is open to all citizens who are at least 35.  A candidate may also be chosen by a consensus among the political parties, in which case it is unnecessary to hold an election.  A President may only serve for two terms. The current President, Mary McAleese (on the picture), was elected for a seven year term in November 1997.

There are fifteen Government Departments each headed by a Minister who collectively form the Government. Executive power is exercised by the Government, which is responsible to the Dáil (House of Representatives). The Head of the Government is the Taoiseach (Prime Minister) while the Tánaiste is the Deputy Prime Minister.

There are two Houses of Parliament, known as Dáil Éireann (House of Representatives) and Seanad Éireann (Senate). The Dáil has 166 members.  They are elected on a system of proportional representation (unlike in the UK) by universal suffrage (18 years of age and above).  Elections take place at least once every five years.  The main political parties in the Dáil are Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael, the Labour Party, Progressive Democrats, the Green Party, Sinn Féin and the Socialist Party. The present government is made up of a coalition between Fianna Fáil and the Progressive Democrats.

The Seanad has 60 members, eleven of whom are nominated by the Taoiseach (Prime Minister) while the rest are elected from a number of vocational panels and by graduates of universities. The Seanad may initiate or revise legislation, but the Dáil has the power to reject any such amendments or proposed legislation.

Elections: Senate - last held 16 and 17 July 2002 (next to be held by July 2007); House of Representatives - last held 17 May 2002 (next to be held by May 2007)

Election results: Senate - seats by party:

Fianna Fail 30

Fine Gael 15

Labor Party 5

Progressive Democrats 4

Independents and others 6

House of Representatives - seats by party:

Fianna Fail 81

Fine Gael 31

Labor Party 21

Progressive Democrats 8

Green Party 6

Sinn Fein 5

Others 14

Political Parties

Fianna Fáil, the Republican Party, is well represented in urban and rural Ireland. Since 1932 it has been the largest party in the Dáil. Its aims include securing in peace and agreement the unity and independence of Ireland, and the development of a distinct national life in accordance with the diverse traditions of the Irish people. It is part of the Union for Europe group in the European Parliament.

Fine Gael, the second largest party, is based on the principle of encouraging enterprise and social justice with decision-making devolved to the appropriate level. A core ideal of the party is reconciliation with and between the peoples of the island of Ireland, and the belief that this is not achieved through confrontation. It is part of the European People's Party in the European Parliament.

The Labour Party is affiliated to the Socialist International Party and is a member of the Party of European Socialists (PES) in the European Parliament. It seeks to build a society free from deprivation and based on the principles of democracy, equality, participation and co-operation.

The Progressive Democrats were established with the aim of providing Ireland with a modern, forward-looking liberal party in the European mould and is working to develop the role of the State in the economic and social life of the country.

The Green Party is a political party associated with Green Parties in over 30 other countries. It stands for protection of the environment, community decision-making, freedom of information, open government and peace through disarmament. The Green Party motto is 'Think Globally, Act Locally'. The Party is represented at local, national and European Parliament level.

Sinn Féin is an Irish republican party, based in Northern Ireland (where it is much more popular). Its objectives are the reunification of Ireland, political independence and national sovereignty.

The Socialist Party campaigns in the interest of ordinary workers, the unemployed and young people.

Local Government

The local government system is administered by 114 local authorities and is undergoing a process of renewal and reform.

The services provided by the local authorities can be described under eight main headings: housing and building; road transportation and safety; water supply and sewerage; development incentives and controls; environmental protection; recreation; education, and health and welfare.  Education, health and welfare services are however primarily delivered at local level by other public agencies. The local government reform programme has seen local government expand its community development role and widen its sphere of influence in locally delivered public services. Local government is funded partly by central government and partly by local sources including motor tax proceeds, rates (on commercial property) and local charges such as refuse, rents and so on.

The Courts

Irish law is based on Common Law, was modified by subsequent legislation and by the Constitution of 1937.  In accordance with the Constitution, justice is administered in public by courts established by law. The President appoints judges, on the advice of the Government.  Judges are usually senior practising lawyers. Summary offences and minor civil cases are dealt with by the District Court presided over by a District Judge.  More serious cases are heard by the Circuit Court, presided over by a judge who sits with a jury of twelve citizens in criminal cases.  The most serious cases are heard by the High Court, presided over by a judge; when trying criminal cases it sits with a jury and is known as the Central Criminal Court. The court of final appeal is the Supreme Court which has the final say in the interpretation of the Constitution.

Police and Defence Forces

The national police force (An Garda Síochána), established in 1922, comprises almost 12,000 men and women. The general direction, management and control of the service is, subject to regulations made by the Minister of Justice, Equality, Law and Reform, vested in a Commissioner appointed by the Government.

An Garda Síochana is unarmed with the exception of some specialized units. Among developed countries Ireland has one of the lowest levels of serious crimes of violence while the crime detection rate is comparable to that of other European countries. Since 1989, An Garda Síochána have served in United Nations (UN) missions in Namibia, Angola, East Timor, El Salvador, Cambodia, Cyprus, Western Sahara, Somalia, Mozambique, the former Yugoslavia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Tajikistan and Eastern Slavonia. They have also served under the EU flag in the former Yugoslavia, Macedonia and Eastern Slavonia and have provided monitors for the South African and Palestine elections. An Garda Síochána are currently serving in a UN mission in Cyprus and a EU mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The Defence Forces consists of a Permanent Defence Force (PDF) which comprises the Army, Naval Service and Air Corps, with a strength of 10,500 personnel. The Reserve Defence Forces (RDF) has a strength of 12,500 personnel. The Mission of the Defence Forces is to contribute to the security of the state by providing for military defence of its territorial integrity and to fulfil all roles assigned by Government. The roles include defending the state against armed aggression; to participate in multinational peace support, crisis management and humanitarian relief operations in support of the United Nations. The Defence Forces will also carry out such other duties as may be assigned from time to time e.g. assistance on the occasion of natural or other disasters.

Defence Forces involvement in peacekeeping missions began in 1958.  Irish military personnel have completed over 50,000 tours of duty on 55 Peace Support Operations throughout the world. Currently there are sizeable contingents of troops serving in Liberia and Kosovo as well as smaller elements in several other areas including, the Middle East, Bosnia and Herzegovina,  Afghanistan, East Timor, Cyprus, Western Sahara, Congo and Kuwait.

Role of the Catholic Church in national affairs

Church attendance has declined rapidly in Ireland in recent years.  As with other predominantly Roman Catholic European states (e.g., Italy), the Irish state has undergone a period of legal secularisation.  In 1972, the "special position" of the Catholic Church in Ireland was deleted from the Irish constitution.

In 1995, after a seventy-year ban, a constitutional amendment allowed divorce in the Republic.

In 1983, the Irish constitution was amended to recognise "the right to life of the unborn", subject to qualifications concerning the "equal right to life" of the mother. In the 1990s the Supreme Court interpreted the qualifications in the amendment as allowing abortion in limited circumstances. However, the Oireachtas has not introduced a law enabling abortion to take place in those circumstances allowed by the court. A subsequent series of constitutional amendments allow Irish citizens access to information about abortion and to travel freely to get abortions outside Ireland.

sources:

www.eu2004.ie

Wikipedia: Republic of Ireland; Politics of the Republic of Ireland

The text was composed by using the relevant materials of...

1. www.eu2004.ie, the official website of the Irish Presidency of the EU © Government of Ireland 2004

2. Role of the Catholic Church...: Wikipedia The Free Encyclopedia under GNU Free Documentation Licence.