Dáil Éireann

Compiled: Martin Melaugh ... Additional Material: Brendan Lynn and Fionnuala McKenna Material is added to this site on a regular basis - information on this page may change Dáil Éireann The 'lower house' of the parliament of the Republic of Ireland. The electorate in the Republic of Ireland elect Teachta Dála (TDs - Dáil Deputies; members of Dáil Éiraeann) to represent them in the Irish Parliament. Dáil Uladh Ulster Parliament (?). The name given to a nine county parliament that was proposed in 1972. The idea received support among nationalists and was promoted by Provisional Sinn Féin and the Provisional Irish Republican Army (PIRA). Democratic Left (DL) Political party in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Began when a number of people, including six Teachta Dála (TDs - members of Dáil Éiraeann), broke away from the Workers Party (WP) in February 1992. The WP leader Prionsias De Rossa was one of the six TDs to form DL. The only other TD, Tomás Mac Giolla, stayed with the WP. Initially the party was know as New Agenda but changed its name to Democratic Left in March 1992. It is claimed that Democratic Left has a stronger following in the Republic of Ireland than in Northern Ireland. In the 1992 Dáil election the DL lost two seats and the WP lost the seat held by Tomás Mac Giolla. During 1999 DL merged with the Irish Labour Party (based in the Republic of Ireland) and the joint party became The Labour Party. Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) synonyms: Ulster Democratic Unionist Party (UDUP) One of the two main Unionist political parties in Northern Ireland. The DUP was formed in September 1971 by Ian Paisley and Desmond Boal who was then Member of Parliament for Shankill. Boal said the party would be "right wing in the sense of being strong on the Constitution, but to the left on social policies". The party took over from the Protestant Unionist Party. The DUP has stood in Northern Ireland local government elections, various local assemblies, Westminster general elections, and elections to the European Parliament. Down through the years the main objective of the party has been to defend Northern Ireland's constitutional position within the United Kingdom. The DUP campaigned vigorously for a 'No' vote in the Referendum campaign in May 1998 on the Good Friday Agreement (GFA). In the elections that followed in June 1998 for the new Northern Ireland Assembly the party polled 18% of the first preference vote and won 20 seats. This entitled it to take two seats in the Executive and it used this position to maintain the party's opposition to the GFA. Such an approach has brought further electoral success for the DUP and at the elections to the Northern Ireland Assembly in November 2003 it emerged as the largest party winning 25.7% of the first preference vote and 30 seats. With subsequent defections from its main political rival, the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP), this figure rose to 33 in January 2004. In addition the DUP has one Member of the European Parliament, Ian Paisley, and six Westminster Members of Parliament Gregory Campbell, Jeffrey Donaldson (who defected to the party from the UUP in January 2004), Nigel Dodds, Ian Paisley, Peter Robinson, and Iris Robinson. [Main Entry] [Web Site ] Department of Education Northern Ireland (DENI), Community Relations Branch (CRB) The Community Relations Branch of DENI plays a role in trying to improve community relations between young (up to the age of 25) people in Northern Ireland. DENI provides grants and other financial support under a number of programmes. DENI supports various voluntary reconciliation bodies, provides grants to schools engaged in cross-community contact schemes, and also supports projects in the area of cultural traditions. [Web Site] Departments of Government Under the system of direct rule from Westminster introduced in 1972 Northern Ireland was administered by six government departments: Environment (DOE); Economic Development (DED); Education (DENI