Constitution of the Irish Free State

E93219

The Constitution of the Irish Free State was the foundational legal document adopted in 1922 that established the institutions, powers, and governance framework of the newly independent Irish Free State following the Anglo-Irish Treaty.

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Statements (49)

Predicate Object
instanceOf constitution
foundational legal document
adoptedOn 1922-12-06
alsoKnownAs Constitution of the Irish Free State
surface form: Saorstát Éireann Constitution
approvedBy Irish Free State (Agreement) Act 1922
surface form: British Parliament (via the Irish Free State Constitution Act 1922)

Third Dáil sitting as a Constituent Assembly
archivedAt National Archives of Ireland
article50ProvidedFor amendment of the constitution by ordinary legislation
cameIntoForceOn 1922-12-06
containedArticle Article 1
Article 2
Article 50
country Irish Free State
createdState Irish Free State
definedFormOfState dominion within the British Commonwealth
establishedExecutive Irish Free State Executive Council
surface form: Executive Council of the Irish Free State
establishedJudiciary High Court of Justice of the Irish Free State
Supreme Court of the Irish Free State
establishedLegislativeHouse Dáil Éireann
Seanad Éireann
establishedLegislature Irish Free State Oireachtas
surface form: Oireachtas of the Irish Free State
establishedOffice President of the Executive Council
Vice-President of the Executive Council
governedPeriod 1922–1937
headOfStateTitle King
influencedBy British constitutional practice
Dominion constitutions such as the Canadian constitution
Weimar Constitution
surface form: Weimar Constitution (in aspects of proportional representation)
inForceUntil adoption of the Constitution of Ireland in 1937
language English
Irish
legalBasis Anglo-Irish Treaty
legalStatus supreme law of the Irish Free State
locationOfAdoption Dublin
promulgatedBy Provisional Government of Ireland
providedFor bicameral legislature
collective responsibility of the Executive Council to the Dáil
fundamental rights
independent courts
judicial review of legislation
local government framework
proportional representation by single transferable vote
repealedOn 1937-12-29
replacedBy Constitution of Ireland
representedBy Governor-General
surface form: Governor-General of the Irish Free State
requiredOath Oath of Allegiance to the King
subjectTo limitations imposed by the Anglo-Irish Treaty
superseded pre-existing British statutes as primary constitutional framework in the territory of the Free State
typeOfGovernmentEstablished parliamentary democracy

Referenced by (10)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Constitution of the Irish Free State alsoKnownAs Constitution of the Irish Free State
this entity surface form: Saorstát Éireann Constitution
Constitution (Amendment No. 27) Act 1936 amends Constitution of the Irish Free State
this entity surface form: Constitution of the Irish Free State 1922
Irish Free State constitution Constitution of the Irish Free State
Oireachtas establishedBy Constitution of the Irish Free State
this entity surface form: Irish Free State Constitution Act 1922
Anglo-Irish Treaty implementedBy Constitution of the Irish Free State
Constitution of India inspiredBy Constitution of the Irish Free State
this entity surface form: Irish Constitution
National Army of the Irish Free State legalBasis Constitution of the Irish Free State
President of the Executive Council legalBasis Constitution of the Irish Free State
President of the Executive Council officeCreatedBy Constitution of the Irish Free State
Irish Free State replacedByConstitution Constitution of the Irish Free State
this entity surface form: Constitution of Ireland 1937