Oireachtas

The Oireachtas, sometimes referred to as Oireachtas Éireann, is the "national parliament" or legislature of Ireland. The Oireachtas consists of:

• The President of Ireland
• The two Houses of the Oireachtas (Irish: Tithe an Oireachtais):
  • Dáil Éireann (Lower house)
  • Seanad Éireann (Upper house)

The Houses of the Oireachtas sit in Leinster House in Dublin, an eighteenth-century ducal palace. The directly elected Dáil is by far the most powerful branch of the Oireachtas.