An Bunreaċt 1937

The Irish Constitution is the fundamental law of Éire. It asserts the national sovereignty of the Irish people. The Constitution, based on a system of representative democracy, is broadly within the tradition of liberal democracy.

Its the second Constitution of the Irish State since independence, replacing the 1922 Constitution of the Irish Free State. It came into force on 29th December 1937 following a State-wide plebiscite held on 1 July 1937. The Constitution may be amended solely by a national referendum. It is the longest continually operating republican Constitution within the European Union.

While there have been twenty six amendments to this document so far, there is a query over them as they have assumed that the first amendment (written solely in English,) redefining "wartime" stands, even though it could be argued that this amendment is "repugnant" to the Constitution. There is a requirement for amendments to be written in our native language, and in Clo Gaelach - our national text - and most have not met this criteria.

This website primarily refers to "JM Kelly The Irish Constitution", An Bunreacht 1937 and to the Oireachtas-commissioned literal translation of the "1999 Blue Book" Constitution. One of the reasons that this study of the Irish text was commissioned was because of the number of queries on and challenges to the original translation. While it would be preferable to be able to refer to a literal translation of the 1937 Constitution, none exists as yet. There is still huge value in comparing these two translations, especially in those articles which have not been amended. This website gives a synapsis of some key articles and their particular importance to the Irish nation, especially in the present times. It is recommended that you do not rely on or accept anything written in any website blindly, but rather take this gift of An Bunreacht 1937 that your forefathers fought for and gave to future generations. While this well-framed document could not have predicted all of the conditions in the modern world, it has catered very well for many of them. Some of the proposed upcoming amendments may have far-reaching effects beyond what is obvious and it would be valuable for you to research the implications of each proposed amendment before you vote on it, and potentially surrender your rights, in the name of what is likely to be presented as progress or inclusion.