Ireland - Government
Based on the etymolgy of Ireland, it was the modern Irish name "Eire" evolved from the Gaelic "Eriu," the name of the matron goddess of Ireland (goddess of the land); the names "Ireland" in English and "Eire" in Irish are direct translations of each other. The Government system in this country is the parliamentary republic type and the different Administrative divisions includes: 28 counties and 3 cities*; Carlow, Cavan, Clare, Cork, Cork*, Donegal, Dublin*, Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown, Fingal, Galway, Galway*, Kerry, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Leitrim, Limerick, Longford, Louth, Mayo, Meath, Monaghan, Offaly, Roscommon, Sligo, South Dublin, Tipperary, Waterford, Westmeath, Wexford, Wicklow
National symbols
Harp, shamrock (trefoil); national colors: blue, green.
The flag
The National flag of Ireland has three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), white, and orange; officially the flag colors have no meaning, but a common interpretation is that the green represents the Irish nationalist (Gaelic) tradition of Ireland; orange represents the Orange tradition (minority supporters of William of Orange); white symbolizes peace (or a lasting truce) between the green and the orange.
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note: similar to the flag of Cote d'Ivoire, which is shorter and has the colors reversed - orange (hoist side), white, and green; also similar to the flag of Italy, which is shorter and has colors of green (hoist side), white, and red
The National Anthem
| Title | "Amhran na bhFiann" (The Soldier's Song) |
|---|---|
| Lyric/music | Peadar KEARNEY [English], Liam O RINN [Irish]/Patrick HEENEY and Peadar KEARNEY |
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note: adopted 1926; instead of "Amhran na bhFiann," the song "Ireland's Call" is often used at athletic events where citizens of Ireland and Northern Ireland compete as a unified team
More about the government of Ireland
| Date of Independence | 6 December 1921 (from the UK by the Anglo-Irish Treaty, which ended British rule); 6 December 1922 (Irish Free State established); 18 April 1949 (Republic of Ireland Act enabled) |
|---|---|
| National holiday | Saint Patrick's Day, 17 March; note - marks the traditional death date of Saint Patrick, patron saint of Ireland, during the latter half of the fifth century A.D. (most commonly cited years are c. 461 and c. 493); although Saint Patrick's feast day was celebrated in Ireland as early as the ninth century, it only became an official public holiday in Ireland in 1903 |
| Legal system | common law system based on the English model but substantially modified by customary law; judicial review of legislative acts by Supreme Court |
| International law organization participation | accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction |
| Constitution | |
| History | Previous 1922; latest drafted 14 June 1937, adopted by plebiscite 1 July 1937, effective 29 December 1937 |
| Amendments | Proposed as bills by Parliament; passage requires majority vote by both the Senate and House of Representatives, majority vote in a referendum, and presidential signature; amended many times, last in 2019 |
| Citizenship | |
| Citizenship by birth | no, unless a parent of a child born in Ireland has been legally resident in Ireland for at least three of the four years prior to the birth of the child |
| Citizenship by descent only | yes |
| Dual citizenship recognized | yes |
| Residency requirement for naturalization | 4 of the previous 8 years |
| Executive Branch | |
| Chief of state | President Michael D. HIGGINS (since 11 November 2011) |
| Head of government | Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Simon HARRIS (since 9 April 2024) |
| Cabinet | Cabinet nominated by the prime minister, appointed by the president, approved by the Dali Eireann (lower house of Parliament) |
| Elections/appointments | president directly elected by majority popular vote for a 7-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 26 October 2018 (next to be held no later than November 2025); taoiseach (prime minister) nominated by the House of Representatives (Dail Eireann), appointed by the president |
| Election results | 2024: Simon HARRIS is elected taoiseach by parliament, 88 votes to 69, and is appointed taoiseach by the president 2018: Michael D. HIGGINS reelected president in first round; percent of vote in first round - Michael D. HIGGINS (independent) 55.8%, Peter CASEY (independent) 23.3%, Sean GALLAGHER (independent) 6.4%, Liadh NI RIADA (Sinn Fein) 6.4%, Joan FREEMAN (independent) 6%, Gavin DUFFY (independent) 2.2% 2011: Michael D. HIGGINS elected president in second round; percent of vote in first round - Michael D. HIGGINS (Labor) 39.6%, Sean GALLAGHER (independent) 28.5%, Martin McGuinness (Sinn Féin) 13.7%, Gay Mitchell (Fine Gael) 6.4%, David Norris (independent) 6.2%, Mary DAVIS (independent) 2.7%; percent of vote in second round - Michael D. HIGGINS 56.8%, Sean GALLAGHER 35.5% |
| Legislative branch | |
| Description | Bicameral Parliament or Oireachtas consists of: Senate or Seanad Eireann (60 seats; 49 members indirectly elected from 5 vocational panels of nominees by an electoral college, 11 appointed by the prime minister House of Representatives or Dail Eireann (160 seats; members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by proportional representation vote; all Parliament members serve 5-year terms) |
| Elections | Senate - last held early on 21-30 May 2020 (next to be held in March 2025) House of Representatives - last held on 29 November 2024 (next to be held no later than November 2029) |
| Election results | Senate - percent of vote by party - Fianna Fail 35%, Fine Gael 26.7%, Green Party 6.7%, Labor Party 6.7%, Sinn Fein 6.7%, other 1.6%, independent 16.7%; seats by party - Fianna Fail 21, Fine Gael 16, Green Party 4, Labor Party 4, Sinn Fein 4, other 1, independent 10; composition - men 36, women 24, percentage women 40% House of Representatives - seats by party - Fianna Fail 48, Sinn Fein 39, Fine Gael 38, Social Democrats 11, Labor Party 11, Independent Ireland 4, PBP-S 3, other 1, independent 16; composition - men 123, women 37, percentage women 23.1%; total Parliament percentage women 27.7% |
| Judicial branch | |
| Highest court(s) | Supreme Court of Ireland (consists of the chief justice, 9 judges, 2 ex-officio members - the presidents of the High Court and Court of Appeal - and organized in 3-, 5-, or 7-judge panels, depending on the importance or complexity of an issue of law) |
| Judge selection and term of office | Judges nominated by the prime minister and Cabinet and appointed by the president; chief justice serves in the position for 7 years; judges can serve until age 70 |
| Subordinate courts | High Court, Court of Appeal; circuit and district courts; criminal courts |
| Diplomatic representation in the US | |
| Chief of mission | Ambassador Geraldine BYRNE NASON (since 16 September 2022) |
| Chancery | 2234 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 |
| Telephone | [1] (202) 462-3939 |
| FAX | [1] (202) 232-5993 |
| Email address and website | https://www.ireland.ie/en/usa/washington/ |
| Consulate(s) general | Atlanta, Austin (TX), Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco |
| Diplomatic representation from the US | |
| Chief of mission | Ambassador Claire D. CRONIN (since 10 February 2022) |
| Embassy | 42 Elgin Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4 |
| Mailing address | 5290 Dublin Place, Washington DC 20521-5290 |
| Telephone | [353] (1) 668-8777 |
| FAX | [353] (1) 688-8056 |
| Email address and website | [email protected] https://ie.usembassy.gov/ |
| National heritage | |
| Total World Heritage Sites | 2 (both cultural) |
| Selected World Heritage Site locales | Brú na Bóinne - Archaeological Ensemble of the Bend of the Boyne; Sceilg Mhichíl |
Key Political parties and their leaders in Ireland
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International organization participation
All Important Facts about Ireland
Want to know more about Ireland? Check all different factbooks for Ireland below.
