The Dáil Éireann (Gaelic name) is the Irish National Assembly of the Republic of Ireland. Although this assembly had a stormy start, today it is an institutional political body, essential to the smooth running of the Irish government.
The Dàil Eireann is considered the lower house of Parliament, which is made up of 3 distinct entities:
After centuries of British domination, Ireland has never ceased to challenge the English presence on its island, whether through war or politics. By 1700, Ireland was still fighting for political autonomy, and attempting to create a Parliament with a Lower House, called the House of Commons. The aim of this political body is to represent the political rights of the Irish people, and to combat anti-Catholic discrimination. The British did not tolerate this Parliament for long, however, and theAct of Union of 1801 enabled them to put an end to it, despite the tense climate of protest.
Furious and scandalized, the Irish decided to create another Parliament, which they named “Dàil Eireann” in 1919. In British eyes, this Revolutionary Parliament was seen as a real attack on London’s authority, and defined as illegal. Dail Eireann continued to operate in secret.
The signing of the Treaty of London on December 21, 1921, giving autonomy to the Republic of Ireland, however, was a key event for Dàil Eireann. The latter is now legalized, on condition that it only exercises its policy in the south of Ireland, with the north remaining in British hands…
The First Dáil Eireann was an assembly of Sinn Féin members elected to the House of Commons in the 1918 UK general election. After a crushing victory, winning a large majority of Irish seats, Sinn Féin parliamentarians refused to recognize the British Parliament.
As the months went by, the Dàil’s denial of the British Empire’s authority over Ireland irritated the British government, which decided to reverse its position and no longer recognize the Dàil as an official political institution. He even declared it illegal, turning the Dàil into an unofficial organization that went underground when its parliamentarians gathered.
Dàil Éireann did not cease its activities, however, and kept a low profile from 1919 to 1921. Hidden in the shadows, this political cell continued to work in the interests of a still undeclared Republic of Ireland, but its limited room for maneuver was unable to assert itself against British authority.
It wasn’t until 1921 that the wind changed direction for Dàil Eireann: the Treaty of London of December 21, 1921, authorizing the proclamation of a Republic, officially established the Assembly. The Dáil Éireann then became the lower house of a new assembly: the Oireachtas.
The First Dáil held under the Constitution of the Irish Free State was followed by the Second Dáil of the Republic of Ireland, and so on. The Third and subsequent Dáils were held at Leinster House in Dublin.
Dàil Eireann has been in business since 1921. At present, it is the 29th Dàil. It is made up of 9 distinct political parties, including :
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