Our Day at the Dil

Once we arrived at the Dil former pupils from our school, Derek Nolan and Brian Walsh were waiting for us outside Leinster House. We posed for pictures with them and they brought us to the video room to talk to us. They told us about their time in St. Michaels and their work as Dil Deputies. After they were done talking, a bell rang indicating that a Dil vote would take place within six minutes. So that meant that Derek and Brian had to leave.

Derek Nolan T.D.

Derek is a past pupil of St. Michaels School. He was a Galway City Councillor for two years before he was elected to the Dil by the people of Galway West in 2011. He sits on two committees one of which is the Public Accounts Committee. He is a member of the Labour Party. The Labour party forms a coalition government with the Fine Gael party.

National Parliament of Ireland

Parliamentary Monuments and Citizenship Vol. 3

Oireachtas

The Constitution contains the fundamental laws and rules by which our political system is governed. It outlines our constitutional rights as citizens. It was enacted by the people of Ireland in 1937 and can only be changed by a referendum of the people. The Constitution outlines the function of the Oireachtas. The Oireachtas consists of three different bodies: The President, Seanad ireann (upper house), and Dil ireann (lower house).

Brian Walsh T.D.

Brian is a past pupil of St. Michaels School. He was a Galway City Councillor for seven years, and City mayor for one year before he was elected to the Dil by the people of Galway West in 1911. He sits on the Committee of Transport and Communication. He is a member of the Fine Gael Party. The Fine Gael party forms a coalition government with the Labour party.

A guide then brought us around Leinster House. We saw the chambers of the Dil and the Seanad (Senate). We saw pictures of former Taoisigh (leaders). We learned about the Ceann Comhairle or speaker of the Dil. After all of that we were finished and we got back on the bus and went returned to Galway. It was a great tour. Scott Rigny - Sixth Class

We visited Leinster House which is the home of Dil ireann and Seanad ireann. We were received by two past pupils of our school, Derek Nolan and Brian Walsh, who are now members of the Dil.

Dil ireann
Dil ireann is the primary legislative body of the Oireachtas. It is made up of 166 directly elected members who are called Dil Deputies or TDs. Citizens ages 18 years and over may vote. By law a general election to Dil ireann must be held at least every 5 years. A TD may be a member of a political party, or may be an Independent. The main functions of Dil ireann are to elect a Taoiseach, to hold the government to account, to approve spending of public money and to enact new legislation.

Parliamentary Monuments and Citizenship

Leinster House
The house was originally known as Kildare house named after James Fitzgerald, the earl of Kildare, who commissioned it to built between 1745-47. It was designed by Richard Cassel, who was born in Germany. On becoming the Duke of Leinster in 1776, the house was renamed Leinster House. The third duke of Leinster, sold the mansion to the Royal Dublin Society (RDS) for 10,000.

Offices of the Oireachtas

Taoiseach: The Taoiseach or Prime Minister is elected by members of Dil ireann. He then forms a government that may last for 5 years. Tnaiste: The Tnaiste or Deputy Prime Minister is appointed by the President on advice from the Taoiseach.

Seanad ireann
The 60 members of Seanad ireann are not directly elected by the public. They are elected by select groups and 11 are nominated by the Taoiseach. The main functions of the Seanad are to debate, amend and pass laws. The Seanad has limited powers of initiating laws, but does not have the power to veto legislation.

After the establishment of the Irish Free State in 1922, the Government secured a part of Leinster House for parliamentary use. The entire building was acquired by the state in 1924. Today, Leinster House is the seat of the two Houses of the Oireachtas, Dil ireann and Seanad ireann.

Ceann Comhairle: The Ceann Comhairle is the chairperson or Speaker of Dil ireann. He is elected by the members of Dil ireann. Dil Deputies take part in debates and make representations on behalf of members of the public, interest groups and their constituents. In addition, TDs vote on legislation and ask parliamentary questions.