The Uachtarn na hireann, of the President of Ireland, is the head of state and is elected by the people.

His role is

mainly ceremonial, he can serve only 2 seven year Michael D. Higgins is the current President (pictured left)

terms. to

The Government of Ireland

The Head of Government, the Taoiseach, the Deputy Prime Minister, the Tnaiste, and the 15 government department Ministers hold the executive power. There are 15 government departments. Most named for their Irish Gaelic translation from English. There are 114 local authorities that provide from welfare to waste management and everything in between. Oireachtas is another word for Parliament. Ireland has two houses of Parliament, the Dil ireann, of the House of Representatives and the Seanand ireann, or the Senate. The Dil has 166 members, they are known as the Teachta Dla. The Teachta Dla are elected every five years using proportional representation with a single transferrable vote. The Seanand has 60 members, 11 elected by The Head of Government, or the Taoiseach, and the rest by vocational panels and national universities. It works much like the U.S. government where the Seanand can make and revise legislation, but the Dil can reject what they propose.

Parliamentary Democracy

The President

The Oireachtas