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Seanad Éireann

Official website (https://www.oireachtas.ie/)

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Seanad Éireann

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Also known as Seanad Eireann, Seanad, Irish Seanad, Irish Senate

upper house of the Oireachtas (Irish parliament)

Key facts

Type
Senate of the Oireachtas
Established
29 December 1937 ( Modern form )
Preceded by
Irish Free State Seanad
New session started
12 February 2025
Cathaoirleach
Mark Daly , FF , since 12 February 2025
Leas chathaoirleach
Maria Byrne , FG , since 19 February 2025
Leader of the seanad
Vacant
Deputy leader
Fiona O'Loughlin , FF , since 12 February 2025
Opposition leader
Conor Murphy , SF , since 12 February 2025
Political groups
Government (35) Fianna Fáil (19) Fine Gael (16) Opposition (24) Sinn Féin (6) Independent Group (8) Independent (8) Civil Engagement (4) Independent (4) Cross-Party Group (4) Labour (2) Green (1) Social Democrats (1) Aontú (1) Independent ( 1 ) Vacant (1)
Committees
6 Administration Consolidation Bills Members' Interests of Seanad Éireann Parliamentary Privileges and Oversight (Seanad) Seanad Public Consultation Selection
Length of term
No more than 5 years
Authority
Articles 18−19, Constitution of Ireland
Salary
€79,614 per year plus expenses
Voting system
Indirect election
Last election
29−30 January 2025

via Wikipedia infobox

Official website

Houses of the Oireachtas website

Official website of Ireland's national parliament, comprising Dáil and Seanad Éireann and the Oireachtas Committees

oireachtas.ie

Link to the official site · 40,000 chars · not written by Vinony

~20 min read

Encyclopedic overview

53°20′26″N 6°15′14″W / 53.34055°N 6.254021°W / 53.34055; -6.254021 Seanad Éireann (/ˈʃænəd ˈɛərən, ˈʃænəð/ SHAN-əd(h) AIR-ən; Irish: [ˈʃan̪ˠəd̪ˠ ˈeːɾʲən̪ˠ]; "Senate of Ireland") is the upper house of the Oireachtas (the Irish legislature), which also comprises the President of Ireland and Dáil Éireann (the lower house).

The has 60 members known as senators (Irish: seanadóirí, singular: seanadóir). Unlike the Dáil, it is not directly elected but consists of a mixture of members chosen by various methods. Its powers are more limited than those of the Dáil. New legislation can be initiated in the Seanad, but this may not include money bills or bill to amend the Constitution. Where a bill is rejected by the Seanad, the Dáil may deem it have been passed by the Seanad after 180 days. Since its establishment, it has been located in Leinster House.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Seanad Éireann” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

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