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CONSTITUTION OF IRELAND – BUNREACHT NA hÉIREANN

BUNREACHT NA hÉIREANN

CONSTITUTION OF IRELANDEnacted by the People 1st July, 1937In operation as from 29th December, 1937

This text of the Constitution is a copy of the textenrolled on 27 May, 1999 pursuant to Article 25.5.2°except that: the Transitory Provisions (Articles 51-63) are omitted asrequired by their terms; the Irish text has been alteredso as to make it conform to modern standardized Irish;the twentieth amendment, enacted subsequent toenrolment, is incorporated; the new Articles 2 and 3 andthe new section 8 in Article 29 are inserted pursuant tothe provisions of the Nineteenth Amendment of theConstitution Act, 1998; the twenty-first, twenty-third,twenty-sixth and twenty-seventh amendments, enactedsubsequent to enrolment have now been incorporated.Amendments effected since the Constitution wasenacted in 1937 up to the time of printing of this edition(November 2004) are listed below.

CONSTITUTION OF IRELAND – BUNREACHT NA hÉIREANN

AMENDING ACTSSHORT TITLEDATES OF SIGNATURE

First Amendment of the Constitution Act,1939

[Extended to conflicts in which the Stateis not a participant the provision for astate of emergency to secure the publicsafety and preservation of the Statein time of war or armed rebellion.]

2 September, 1939Second Amendment of the ConstitutionAct, 1941

[An omnibus proposal, covering a rangeof disparate Articles, aimed attidying up the Constitution in the light of experience since its enactment.]

30 May, 1941Third Amendment of the Constitution Act,1972

[Allowed the State to become a memberof the European Communities.]

8 June, 1972Fourth Amendment of the ConstitutionAct, 1972

[Reduced the minimum voting age at Dáiland Presidential electionsand referendums from 21 years to 18years.]

5 January, 1973Fifth Amendment of the Constitution Act,1972

[Removed from the Constitution thespecial position of the CatholicChurch and the recognition of othernamed religious denominations.]

5 January, 1973Sixth Amendment of the Constitution(Adoption) Act, 1979

[Ensured that adoption orders made bythe Adoption Board couldnot be declared invalid because theywere not made by a court.]

3 August, 1979

CONSTITUTION OF IRELAND – BUNREACHT NA hÉIREANN

Seventh Amendment of the Constitution(Election of Members of Seanad Éireannby Institutions of Higher Education) Act,1979

[Provided for the election of members of Seanad Éireann by universitiesand other institutions of highereducation.]

3 August, 1979Eighth Amendment of the ConstitutionAct, 1983

[Acknowledged the right to life of theunborn, with due regard to theequal right to life of the mother.]

7 October, 1983Ninth Amendment of the ConstitutionAct, 1984

[Extended the right to vote at Dáilelections to certain non-Irish nationals.]

2 August, 1984Tenth Amendment of the ConstitutionAct, 1987

[Allowed the State to ratify the SingleEuropean Act.]

22 June, 1987Eleventh Amendment of the ConstitutionAct, 1992

[Allowed the State to ratify the Treaty onEuropean Union (Maastricht)and to become a member of that union.]

16 July, 1992

There is no Twelfth Amendment. On 25 November 1992, threeproposals were put to the people, the Twelfth, Thirteenth andFourteenth Amendments. The people rejected the Twelfth (whichdealt with the right to life of the unborn) and approved theThirteenth and Fourteenth (below).

Thirteenth Amendment of theConstitution Act, 1992

[Provided that Article 40.3.3

(the rightto life of the unborn) would not limitfreedom to travel between Ireland andanother state]

23 December, 1992