Law of the Republic of Ireland

The Brehon Laws were a relatively sophisticated early Irish legal system, the practice of which was only finally wiped out during the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland.

The Irish Constitution was enacted by a popular plebiscite held on 1 July 1937, and came into force on 29 December of the same year.

[3] The Constitution is the cornerstone of the Irish legal system and is held to be the source of power exercised by the legislative, judicial and executive branches of government.

Modern-day statute law is made by the bicameral National Parliament — more commonly known by its Irish name, the Oireachtas.

[7] As a result, while the Irish state has been in existence for a century, the statute book stretches back in excess of 800 years.

The statute law of Ireland includes law passed by the following:[8] Notwithstanding the declaration in the 1937 constitution that the Oireachtas is to be "the sole and exclusive" legislature, it has long been held that it is permissible for the Oireachtas to delegate its law-making power(s) to other bodies as long as such delegated legislation does not exceed the "principles and policies" set out in the relevant authorising statute.

[11] This latter subset is composed of statutory instruments which are required to be laid before the Oireachtas or which are of general application.

In addition, a body of charters, statutory rules and orders and other secondary legislation made prior to the independence of the Irish Free State in 1922 continues to be in force currently in Ireland, insofar as such legislation has not been revoked or otherwise ceased to be in force.

The main exception to this rule is that the Supreme Court has declared itself not to be bound by its own previous decisions.

Ireland is a dualist state and treaties are not part of Irish domestic law unless incorporated by the Oireachtas.