Ireland is a sovereign, independent, democratic state with a parliamentary system of government. The president, who serves as chief of state in a largely ceremonial role, is elected for a 7-year term and can be re-elected only once. In carrying out certain constitutional powers and functions, the president is aided by the Council of State, an advisory body. On the Taoiseach’s (prime minister’s) advice, the president also dissolves the Oireachtas (Parliament).

The prime minister is elected by the Dail (lower house of Parliament) as the leader of the political party, or coalition of parties, which wins the most seats in the national elections, held approximately every 5 years (unless called earlier). Executive power is vested in a cabinet whose ministers are nominated by the Taoiseach and approved by the Dail.

The bicameral Oireachtas (Parliament) consists of the Seanad Eireann (Senate) and the Dail Eireann (House of Representatives). The Seanad is composed of 60 members–11 nominated by the prime minister, 6 elected by the national universities, and 43 elected from panels of candidates established on a vocational basis. The Seanad has the power to delay legislative proposals and is allowed 90 days to consider and amend bills sent to it by the Dail, which wields greater power in Parliament. The Dail has 166 members popularly elected to a maximum term of 5 years under a complex system of proportional representation. A member of the Dail is known as a Teachta Dala, or TD.

Judges are appointed by the president on nomination by the government and can be removed from office only for misbehavior or incapacity and then only by resolution of both houses of Parliament. The ultimate court of appeal is the Supreme Court, consisting of the chief justice and five other justices. The Supreme Court also can decide upon the constitutionality of legislative acts if the president asks for an opinion.

Local government is by elected county councils and–in the cities of Dublin, Cork, Limerick, and Waterford–by county borough corporations. In practice, however, authority remains with the central government.

Irish politics remain dominated by the two political parties that grew out of Ireland’s bitter 1922-23 civil war. Fianna Fail was formed by those who opposed the 1921 treaty that partitioned the island. Although treaty opponents lost the civil war, Fianna Fail soon became Ireland’s largest political party. Fine Gael, representative of the pro-treaty forces, remains the country’s second-largest party. The Progressive Democrats, Labour, Sinn Fein, and the Greens are the other significant parties. In the 2002 general elections, “Independentâ€? TDs began to emerge as a political force, with 14 “Independentâ€? TDs elected to the Dail.

The May 2002 national elections returned Fianna Fail and its coalition partner, the Progressive Democrats, to power. Bertie Ahern was re-elected Taoiseach and Mary Harney was reappointed as Tanaiste (Deputy Prime Minister).

Local and European elections were held in June 2004, along with a referendum in which Irish voters approved by a margin of four-to-one a measure to end the country’s automatic grant of citizenship to children born on Irish soil. In September 2004, Ahern shuffled the cabinet in a move that was widely interpreted as an attempt to position his party for elections in 2005, while Mary McAleese was appointed to a second seven-year term as President in October 2004 after opposition parties failed to nominate alternative candidates.

Northern Ireland
Consolidating the peace process in Northern Ireland and encouraging the full implementation of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement (GFA) remain U.S. priorities in Ireland.

The conflict in Northern Ireland stems from a history of British rule, historical animosity between Catholics and Protestants, and the various armed and political attempts to unite Northern Ireland with the rest of the island. “Nationalist” and “republicanâ€? groups seek a united Ireland, while “unionistsâ€? and “loyalistsâ€? want Northern Ireland to remain part of the United Kingdom. After decades of violence by both unionist and republican paramilitaries, most notably the Irish Republican Army (IRA), the British and Irish governments negotiated an IRA ceasefire in 1994, which was followed by the landmark U.S.-brokered Good Friday Agreement (GFA) in 1998.

The GFA established a power-sharing legislative assembly to serve as the autonomous local government of Northern Ireland. The 108-member Northern Ireland Assembly is led by a first minister and deputy first minister, one from each of the two communities, and a 10-minister executive. The GFA also provided for changes in both the British and Irish constitutions. Ireland ceded territorial claim to Northern Ireland, and the U.K. agreed that Northern Ireland could become part of Ireland if a majority (north and south) so voted in the future. Finally, the GFA provides the blueprint for “normalization,� to include the eventual removal of British forces, devolution of police and justice functions, and guarantees of human rights and equal opportunity for all individuals. The agreement was approved in a referendum by 71% of Northern Ireland voters and 95% of Irish voters.

The major political parties in Northern Ireland are the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), Sinn Fein, the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP), and the Social Democratic and Labor Party (SDLP). The UUP and SDLP are centrist unionist and republican parties, respectively, while Sinn Fein is strongly republican and the DUP is strongly unionist. From the time the Assembly was created in 1998 until 2003, the UUP and SDLP were the governing parties.

In October 2002, the British Government suspended (for the fourth time) the Assembly, following a breakdown in trust between unionists and republicans. The British and Irish Governments began discussions with the parties to try to resolve longstanding unresolved differences between the communities, and to secure a commitment from Sinn Fein that republicans would divest themselves of all paramilitary activities and capabilities.

Efforts to restore the political process in time to stage new elections to the Assembly in May 2003 broke down when Ireland and the U.K. concluded they did not have sufficient assurances from the republicans in Northern Ireland. However, Ireland and the U.K. proceeded to publish a joint declaration, mapping out the timetable to full implementation of the GFA. The governments also created an International Monitoring Commission to serve as a forum to hear complaints of alleged breaches of GFA commitments by the political parties and/or by British authorities. The four-member commission includes a representative from the United States. It issued its first report in April 2004, in which it criticized republican and loyalist paramilitary groups for illegal activities.

The British and Irish Governments attempted again in October 2003 to conclude a deal with the parties to restore government, but failed to reach agreement. However, elections to the suspended Assembly went forward in November 2003; these elections turned the more moderate UUP and SDLP out of power and installed the strongly unionist DUP and strongly republican Sinn Fein. The Assembly remains suspended, as the DUP refuses to enter into dialogue or government with Sinn Fein until the IRA ends all paramilitary activities and decommissions its weapons. The British and Irish Governments are engaged in ongoing efforts with the parties to restore the political process and restore devolved government, including the Leeds Castle talks in September 2004.

The United States supports the efforts of the British and Irish Governments to restore the democratic process in Northern Ireland and to fully implement the GFA. The U.S. remains engaged in dialogue with all parties, in coordination with our Embassies in Dublin and London, our Consulate in Belfast, and the office of the President’s Special Envoy for Northern Ireland.

The United States also continues to provide funding ($25 million in 2003) for projects administered under the International Fund for Ireland, created in 1986 to generate economic opportunity and cross-community engagement in the border areas, both north and south.

Principal Government Officials
President–Mary McAleese
Taoiseach (Prime Minister)–Bertie Ahern
Tanaiste (Deputy Prime Minister) and Minister of Health and Children–Mary Harney
Ambassador to the United States–Noel Fahey

The Irish Embassy in the United States is at 2234 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20008 (tel. 202-462-3939/40/41/42). Irish Consulates are located in New York, Chicago, Boston, and San Francisco.