Irish Parliament is, at the current time, known as the Oireachtas. The Oireachtas is made up of the President of Ireland, along with the two houses of the legislative part of this Irish parliament, which are known as the Dail Eireann and the Seanad Eireann. The Oireachtas is often, of necessity, differentiated from the term Irish Parliament or the Parliament of Ireland because that form of legislature was abolished in 1800. The Irish Parliament was technically the name for the government under which England ruled Ireland from the 13th century up until 1800. The current Irish Parliament, the Oireachtas, was only put into place in 1937, when the Constitution of Ireland was adopted.
The Irish Parliament in its modern form of the Oireachtas functions in a fashion similar to most forms of parliament in the world today. The Dail Eireann, which is considered the lower house of the Irish Parliament, is directly elected by the resident citizens of Ireland, once every five years, but it can also be dissolved at the request of the Taoiseach, who acts as the head of government for the Irish Parliament.
The Seanad Eireann is not elected directly, but instead, members are elected or appointed through a number of different means, including appointment by the Taoiseach. The President of Ireland is also elected through a direct election of the people of Ireland. Most of the power of the Irish Parliament resides with the Dail Eireann, because it is the directly elected house of the Irish Parliament.
