A Visit to the Dáil and a Lecture with Martina Devlin

Tuesday, May 20th, 2025

Today we took advantage of the fact that our trip to the Irish Parliament was not until 12:30 PM, so we slept in.  But when we did awake we knew it was going to be a very busy afternoon.  We started our day at the Centre, where we had a very brief, but very informative session with Sean about how the Irish political system and how it works.  

In layman’s terms, the Irish political system is set up like this:

• A parliamentary democracy
  • President – symbolic figurehead, not a lot of real political power (like the British monarch)
    • Uachtaráin in Irish
  • Upper House – the Senate, again very little power, has power to slow down legislation and make sure it is thoroughly analyzed before passing
    • Seanad in Irish
      • Chairman of Seanad 
      • Cathaoirleach in Irish
  • Lower House – also known as The Dáil
    • The Parliament
    • The Prime Minister – who holds the most political power
      • Taoiseach in Irish
      • The Cabinet is appointed by the Taoiseach 

And for elections:

• Elections occur every 5 years
• Irish elections use PR – or Proportional Representation
  • Proportional Representation is an electoral system in which parties gain seats in proportion to the number of votes cast for them
  • Additionally, allows voters to express wider preference and can vote on more than one candidate (can even rank their candidates)
• The Taoiseach is decided based on which party wins the majority – they appoint their leader to be the Taoiseach

There is still quite a bit more that can be expressed about the Irish political system, however, that is a lot of information to divulge.  Still, we had the opportunity to visit the Irish Parliament, The Dáil, and learn about the day-to-day of the Irish government.  It was an honor to also be able to see the gorgeous buildings that make up the Irish government.  One of which was Leinster House, which we learned originally was a private residence.  The interior was magnificent and we got a special tour from an usher who was filled with knowledge about the history and facts of the buildings.  

After we toured the Parliament; Sav, Max, and I went to Eddie Rockets (not to be confused with Johnny Rockets at Kennywood, but also very similar in 1950’s American diner style), I tried a Spice Bag officially and actually really enjoyed it.  We sat and chatted for a couple hours until we had to go back to the Centre for a guest lecture from journalist and novelist, Martina Devlin, at 4:00 PM.  

Martina Devlin is a profound storyteller and writer, she captivated me with every word she spoke and seemed so passionate about her work.  Truly her words inspired me, and her positive, feminist energy radiated.  I am very excited to get the opportunity to read her books, I am most looking forward to her books About Sisterland (a futuristic, fiction novel set in a time where women rule the world) and Ship of Dreams (a story about the Titanic, with a personal twist as Martina uncovered information about a relative of hers who perished on the Titanic).  I can’t begin to express how her words moved me, and time moved so quickly as she spoke.  I am so excited to have had the chance to have met her and listen to her speak.  

One more thing before I conclude this blog; thus far in this trip, we have had the most sun-filled and beautiful weather – to which most Irish people would remark that we “weren’t getting the full Irish experience”.  Well, today was the first day that I experienced an “Irish rain”, and I am so glad it was basically the only day of rain because it made me feel cold and tired.  It would have definitely put a damper on the trip, so I am very fortunate and blessed to have experienced such lovely weather throughout the trip (and also an authentic Irish rainy day too).