Oireachtas (Irish Free State)

Oireachtas of the Irish Free State Oireachtas Shaorstát Éireann
Great Seal of the Irish Free State
Type
Type	Bicameral (1922–1936) Unicameral (1936–1937)
Houses	Dáil Éireann Seanad Éireann (1922–1936)
History
Established	1922
Disbanded	1937
Preceded by	Dáil Éireann
Succeeded by	Oireachtas Éireann
Seats	188–213 60 Senators 128–153 Teachta Dála (TDs)
Elections
Dáil voting system	STV
Seanad voting system	Appointment by the Dáil and President of the Executive Council Direct election (1925) Election by members of Dáil and Seanad
Last Dáil election	1937 general election
Meeting place
Leinster House, Dublin

The Oireachtas of the Irish Free State (Irish: Oireachtas Shaorstát Éireann) was the legislature of the Irish Free State from 1922 until 1937. It was established by the 1922 Constitution of Ireland which was based from the Anglo-Irish Treaty. It was the first independent Irish Parliament officially recognised outside Ireland since the historic Parliament of Ireland which was abolished with the Acts of Union 1800.

The Parliament was bicameral, consisting of Dáil Éireann (the lower house, also known as the Dáil) with 153 seats and Seanad Éireann (the upper house; also known as the Seanad) with 60 seats). The Seanad was abolished on 29 May 1936, and from then until its abolition the Oireachtas was unicameral. The King, who was officially represented by the Governor-General, was also a constituent part of the Oireachtas. The Oireachtas of the Irish Free State was disbanded by the 1937 Constitution of Ireland which created the modern Oireachtas.

Like the modern Oireachtas, the Free State legislature was dominated by the directly elected Dáil. Unlike the modern body, the Free State Oireachtas had authority to amend the constitution as it saw fit, without recourse to a referendum. During the Free State it was also the Oireachtas as a whole, rather than the Dáil, that had authority to commit the state to war, although this distinction was not significant in practice.