Today, we had the good fortune of getting to go visit the Irish Parliament Building, or the House of the Oireachtas. These are the people in charge of passing laws and regulations in Ireland. Ireland is a parliamentary democracy, which is made up of three parts: the President, the Dail Eireann (House of Representatives), and the Seanad Eireann (Senate). The Dail and the Seanad are both set in the Leinster House (not to be mistaken with the Lannister House of course) which we visited today.
We were not allowed to take photos, but I learn a lot about how the Irish government works.
We were not allowed to take photos, but I learn a lot about how the Irish government works.
The Dail and a the Seanad both work to make laws, but in very different ways.
The Dail is made up of 166 members representing the 43 constituencies (one member for every 20,000 to 30,000 people). the elections are held once every five years. These members can be elected as many times as the people see fit. In the Dail, new laws are researched, put forth, and voted on. the deputies are expected to have close ties to the communities who elected them, to know how best to serve them. This is the house that serves to create laws, and, once they have passed through the Seanad, send them off to the president for the final approval.
The Seanad is made up of 60 appointed members. 43 are elected by vocational panels (representing Culture and Education, Agriculture, Labor, Industry and Commerce, and Public Administration), 6 are elected by graduates from the two main universities of Ireland (National University of Ireland and The university of Dublin, aka Trinity College), and 11 are nominated by the Taoisearch (the Prime Minister). This house has the responsability of looking over bills passed by the Dail, and can make financial and legal suggestions. The Senate is responsible for research and debate, and can advise the Dail, but not pass or write any laws of its own.
Seeing this location really helped educate me on how the Irish lawmaking process works, a very intricate and interesting process.
The Dail is made up of 166 members representing the 43 constituencies (one member for every 20,000 to 30,000 people). the elections are held once every five years. These members can be elected as many times as the people see fit. In the Dail, new laws are researched, put forth, and voted on. the deputies are expected to have close ties to the communities who elected them, to know how best to serve them. This is the house that serves to create laws, and, once they have passed through the Seanad, send them off to the president for the final approval.
The Seanad is made up of 60 appointed members. 43 are elected by vocational panels (representing Culture and Education, Agriculture, Labor, Industry and Commerce, and Public Administration), 6 are elected by graduates from the two main universities of Ireland (National University of Ireland and The university of Dublin, aka Trinity College), and 11 are nominated by the Taoisearch (the Prime Minister). This house has the responsability of looking over bills passed by the Dail, and can make financial and legal suggestions. The Senate is responsible for research and debate, and can advise the Dail, but not pass or write any laws of its own.
Seeing this location really helped educate me on how the Irish lawmaking process works, a very intricate and interesting process.
While I was at the Lainster House, The painting to the right caught my eye. It was hanging by the back entrance to the Seanad room, and was so drastically different from all the other portraits of stern men in uniform I had to ask about it. This is a portrait of Countess Constance Markievicz, a very important figure in Irish history. She was born in London, to rich family, and had a great interest in politics, despite not being able to vote as a woman. In 1901 she married Count Casimir Dunin-Markievics, a Polish count, who painted the image the right. The couple moved to Sligo, Ireland in 1901, and in 1903, Markievicz moved to Dublin, leaving her daughter Meave to be raised by her grandparents. She became a noted philanthropist, and joined the Inghinidhe na hÉireann (Daughters of Ireland), a feminist group dedicated to women's suffrage, among other causes. She also founded the Na Fianna Éireann (Irish Republican Youth Movement) a group dedicated to teaching children about the traditional Irish values and culture. She ran a soup kitchen during the 1913 Lockout, and joined the Irish Citizen's Army. She was an intergral part of the army, rising to second in command by 1916. During the 1916 Easter Uprising, she fought with the rest of the army, and was brought before the court marshal after the surrender. At her trial, she defiantly said, "I did what I thought was right, and I stand by it," and was sentenced to death. Because of her gender, the sentence was changed to "hard labor for life," and she was sent to Aylesburry Prison in Buckingham. In 1917, under the General Amnesty, she was freed, and in the next year elected to be part of the House of Commons as part of the Sinn Fein party. She turned down the seat, and instead became Minister of Labor from 1919 to 1921 in the first Dail. This makes her the first female politician in Europe to hold a Ministerial position.
After her work at the Dail she continued to advocate for Ireland's complete independence, joining the Fianna Fail- the party who opposed the Treaty with the British. In 1926, she was once again elected to the Dail, but passed away on July 15, 1927.
Constance Markievicz is still remembered today as one of Ireland's most famous feminists. A bust of her was erected in St. Steven's green, and WB Yeats wrote a poem in her honor, titled "In memory of Eva Gore-Booth and Constance Markievicz."
As with all famous figures, there is some controversy around Markievics. Some feel that she was a bloodthirsty diva, who fought for causes she did not quite understand and wore uniforms simply to be noticed. She is sometimes accused of brainwashing the youth of Ireland into nationalist killing machines. Overall though, she is quite favorably remembered. Her work as a feminist certainly helped show the world of the early 1920s that women were capable of taking part in politics. It is also hard to not admire someone who fights so passionately for their country. One doesn't often stumble upon feminist icons, and I have to say I really enjoyed researching the stories of Constance Markievicz.
Constance Markievicz is still remembered today as one of Ireland's most famous feminists. A bust of her was erected in St. Steven's green, and WB Yeats wrote a poem in her honor, titled "In memory of Eva Gore-Booth and Constance Markievicz."
As with all famous figures, there is some controversy around Markievics. Some feel that she was a bloodthirsty diva, who fought for causes she did not quite understand and wore uniforms simply to be noticed. She is sometimes accused of brainwashing the youth of Ireland into nationalist killing machines. Overall though, she is quite favorably remembered. Her work as a feminist certainly helped show the world of the early 1920s that women were capable of taking part in politics. It is also hard to not admire someone who fights so passionately for their country. One doesn't often stumble upon feminist icons, and I have to say I really enjoyed researching the stories of Constance Markievicz.