Dáil Éireann

Dáil Éireann

Dáil Éireann is the lower house and main part of the Oireachtas, Ireland’s parliament. The Oireachtas also includes the president of Ireland and a senate called Seanad Éireann.

The Dáil has 174 members, called Teachta Dála or TDs. These TDs are elected to represent 43 areas in Ireland. Voters choose them every five years using a system called proportional representation with the single transferable vote.

The Dáil can make laws and choose or remove the Taoiseach, who is the head of government. This makes it the most important part of Ireland’s parliament. Since 1922, the Dáil has met in a building called Leinster House in Dublin. The Dáil took its current shape when the 1937 Constitution of Ireland was created, but it is linked to the first Dáil that began in 1919.

Composition

The Dáil has 174 members, called TDs. They are chosen by people in Ireland to represent areas called constituencies. Each TD serves for up to five years. They are picked through a voting system called the single transferable vote.

People in Ireland who are 21 or older can become TDs. Voters must be Irish or British citizens who are at least 18 years old and registered to vote. Elections for the Dáil happen at least once every seven years, but usually every five years. The head of the government, called the Taoiseach, can ask the president to call a new election.

Duration

The first Dáil started on 21 January 1919 as the parliament of the Irish Republic. At first, it did not have a fixed time limit.

After the Anglo-Irish Treaty in 1921, the Dáil became the lower house of a new parliament called the Irish Free State. In 1922, laws set the term of the Dáil at four years. This was later changed to six years, and then fixed at five years.

When the Constitution of Ireland began in 1937, it said the Dáil could not last more than seven years from its first meeting, but laws kept the term at five years. This five-year term has been the rule ever since.

Dissolution

The Constitution of Ireland says that when the Dáil Éireann ends, a new election must happen within 30 days. After the election, the new Dáil must meet within another 30 days. This means the whole process takes at most 60 days.

The President of Ireland ends the Dáil when the Taoiseach, or leader of the government, asks them to. The Taoiseach decides when to have an election, but there are rules about when people can vote. After the President ends the Dáil, the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage sets the voting day, which must be between 18 and 25 days after the announcement. Voting takes place for at least 12 hours between 7 a.m. and 10:30 p.m.

Title

The name Dáil Éireann comes from the Irish language and is the official title of this important group in both English and Irish, including in the Irish constitution. Since it began in 1919, the Dáil has sometimes been called a "National Assembly", a "Chamber of Deputies", and a "House of Representatives".

The word dáil means a "meeting" of any kind. The 1937 Constitution describes it as a "House of Representatives to be called Dáil Éireann". We say "the Dáil" but not "the Dáil Éireann". When talking about different groups after various elections, we use the plural form "Dáils".

Ceann Comhairle

Main article: Ceann Comhairle

The Ceann Comhairle is the chairperson of the Dáil, the main chamber of Ireland’s government. The Ceann Comhairle is chosen from the members of the Dáil, called TDs. They must stay neutral. Usually, the ruling party picks one of its own members for this role. When there is a general election, the current Ceann Comhairle is usually re-elected unless they decide to leave. The Ceann Comhairle only votes to break a tie. Right now, the Ceann Comhairle is an independent member named Verona Murphy.

Powers

The Dáil is the main part of the Oireachtas, which also includes the President of Ireland and the Seanad Éireann. The Dáil has the most power, so most laws it passes become real laws. The president can check a law by asking the Supreme Court of Ireland if it follows the country’s rules. If the court says it does not, the president does not sign the law.

The Dáil also chooses the leader of the government, called the Taoiseach, and can say it does not trust the government. If this happens, the Taoiseach must either ask to end the parliament or leave the job.

The Dáil can do special jobs only it can do, like choosing the Taoiseach, approving the budget, and starting changes to the country’s rules.

Activities

The Dáil makes its own rules and its members have special rights. Members usually follow their party's instructions. The Dáil usually meets in public and has groups to help with its work.

As of 2019, the Dáil meets on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. A typical day includes questions for government leaders, debates on laws, and discussions led by opposition leaders. These debates often get a lot of attention. Discussions usually happen in English, but members can also use Irish.

The leader of the Dáil has set rules about respectful behavior. There are clear guidelines on what kind of language is not allowed.

Committees

Main article: Committees of the Oireachtas

There are 35 Committees as of 30 July 2025. Most of these Committees have a "Select Committee" and a joint committee that work together on similar tasks.

Standing committees

• Business Committee (Also acts as the Dáil Committee of Selection)
• Committee on Budgetary Oversight
• Committee on Consolidation Bills
• Committee on Members' Interests of Dáil Éireann
• Committee on Parliamentary Privileges and Oversight
• Committee on Standing Orders and Dáil Reform
• Committee of Public Accounts
• Working Group of Committee Cathaoirligh
• Committee on Members Interests (Seanad Éireann)
• Committee of Selection (Seanad Éireann)
• Committee on Parliamentary Privileges and Oversight (Seanad Éireann)

Joint/Select committees

• Committee on Agriculture and Food
• Joint Committee on Artificial Intelligence
• Committee on Arts, Media, Communication, Culture and Sport
• Committee on Children and Equality
• Committee on Climate, Environment and Energ
• Committee on Defence and National Security
• Committee on Disability Matters
• Joint Committee on Drugs Use
• Committee on Education and Youth
• Committee on Tourism, Enterprise and Employment
• Committee on European Union Affairs
• Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation and Taoiseach
• Committee on Fishiries and Maritime Affairs
• Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade
• Committee on Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science
• Committee on Health
• Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage
• Committee on Infrastructure and National Development Plan Delivery
• Committee on Justice, Home Affairs and Migration
• Joint Committee on Key Issues Affecting the Traveller Community
• Joint Committee on Public Petitions and the Ombudsmen
• Committee on Social Protection, Rural and Community Development
• Joint Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement
• Committee on the Irish Language, Gaeltacht and the Irish-speaking Community
• Committee on Transport

Voting procedure

In Dáil Éireann, the leader of the house, called the Ceann Comhairle, asks members to say "Tá" for Yes or "Níl" for No about a question. If they disagree with the leader’s decision, members can shout "Vótáil!" to request an official vote. When this happens, bells ring to call members to vote.

Members have one minute to press a button on their desk to choose Yes or No. After this time, the results are shown and the leader announces the outcome. Sometimes, votes are done by walking through special doors at the back of the room, especially for very important decisions.

History

Precursors

The first group of lawmakers in Ireland was the Parliament of Ireland from 1297 to 1800. In 1800, new laws ended this group, and Irish lawmakers joined the House of Commons of the United Kingdom until 1922. In 1919, Irish nationalists started their own parliament called Dáil Éireann, but it was not recognized by United Kingdom law.

In 1921, the United Kingdom made a new group called the Parliament of Southern Ireland. But nationalists refused to work with this group and stayed loyal to the Dáil.

Revolutionary Dáil (1919–1922)

The current Dáil comes from the 1937 Constitution of Ireland, but it is thought to continue from the 1st Dáil in 1919. That Dáil was created by Sinn Féin MPs who were elected to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom in the 1918 United Kingdom general election. They promised to create a group chosen by Irish areas to speak for the Irish people. After winning many seats, Sinn Féin MPs did not recognize the United Kingdom parliament and instead met as Dáil Éireann, meaning "Assembly of Ireland". This was the only parliament of a country called the Irish Republic that Ireland had had since 1801. The first meeting of the Dáil was in Dublin on January 21, 1919, at the Mansion House, with 27 members. The group was banned later that year.

Irish Free State (1922–1937)

The Dáil of the Irish Republic was replaced on December 6, 1922, by the Dáil of the Irish Free State. The Irish Free State was made up of 26 southern and western areas of Ireland under the 1921 Anglo-Irish Treaty. Dáil Éireann became the main group of lawmakers in a two-part group called the Oireachtas of the Irish Free State. The first Dáil under the Constitution of the Irish Free State was called the 3rd Dáil. Since then, every Dáil has met in Leinster House.

Constitution of Ireland (since 1937)

The Constitution of Ireland, which started in 1937, created the modern Irish state, still called Ireland. Under this constitution, a new group of lawmakers kept the name Oireachtas, and its main part stayed Dáil Éireann. The first Dáil under this constitution was called the Ninth Dáil.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Dáil met at the Convention Centre Dublin from June 2020 to July 2021 because of the need for social distancing. Starting in September 2021, the Dáil went back to meeting in Leinster House.

Historical composition

Irish Republic (1916/1919–1922)

Irish Free State (1922–1937)

Republic of Ireland (since 1937)

Gender composition

The 2024 general election had many women running to be members of the Dáil. This was a record number. Only a few of these women were elected.

The Dáil still has fewer women than men.

Still, the 34th Dáil made some important changes. Verona Murphy became the first woman to hold the position of Ceann Comhairle of the Dáil. Then, Elaine Gunn was appointed as the first female Clerk of Dáil Éireann.