Discuss some of the main developments in the Irish Constitution since its enactment in 1937
Introduction
The current Constitution of Ireland was adopted in 1937 and replaced The Constitution of the Irish Free State, which had been in force since 1922. The latter consolidate the provisions of the Anglo-Irish treaty of 1921, according to which Ireland gained independence. It proclaimed Ireland a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system of government, and it contained guarantees of several rights and freedoms of citizens.
The new constitution of 1937 was adopted on June 14, approved at a plebiscite on July 1 (56.5% voted in favor of the constitution). It entered into force on December 29, 1937. The two main reasons for adopting a new Basic Law were:
the previous Constitution was closely related to the Anglo-Irish treaty of 1921 (which had many opponents in the country);
many changes were made to it by simple parliamentary acts (even though official amendments could be made onl...