conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Ireland

EI

republic

Dublin

26 counties; Carlow, Cavan, Clare, Cork,
Donegal, Dublin, Galway, Kerry, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Leitrim,
Limerick, Longford, Louth, Mayo, Meath, Monaghan, Offaly, Roscommon,
Sligo, Tipperary, Waterford, Westmeath, Wexford, Wicklow

6 December 1921 (from UK by treaty)

Saint Patrick's Day, 17 March

29 December 1937; adopted 1 July 1937 by plebiscite

based on English common law, substantially modified by
indigenous concepts; judicial review of legislative acts in Supreme
Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

18 years of age; universal

chief of state: President Mary MCALEESE (since 11 November 1997)
head of government: Prime Minister Bertie AHERN (since 26 June 1997)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president with previous nomination
by the prime minister and approval of the House of Representatives
elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term;
election last held 31 October 1997 (next to be held NA November 2004);
prime minister nominated by the House of Representatives and appointed
by the president
election results: Mary MCALEESE elected president; percent of vote -
Mary MCALEESE 44.8%, Mary BANOTTI 29.6%
note: government coalition - Fianna Fail and the Progressive Democrats

bicameral Parliament or Oireachtas consists of the
Senate or Seanad Eireann (60 seats - 49 elected by the universities
and from candidates put forward by five vocational panels, 11 are
nominated by the prime minister; members serve five-year terms) and
the House of Representatives or Dail Eireann (166 seats; members are
elected by popular vote on the basis of proportional representation to
serve five-year terms)
elections: Senate - last held NA August 1997 (next to be held NA
2002); House of Representatives - last held 6 June 1997 (next to be
held NA 2002)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - Fianna Fail 29,
Fine Gael 16, Labor Party 4, Progressive Democrats 4, others 7; seats
by party - NA; House of Representatives - percent of vote by party -
NA; seats by party - Fianna Fail 76, Fine Gael 53, Labor Party 19,
Progressive Democrats 4, Democratic Left 4, Green Alliance 2, Sinn
Fein 1, independents 7

Supreme Court, judges appointed by the president on
the advice of the government (prime minister and cabinet)

Communist Party of Ireland [Michael
O'RIORDAN]; Democratic Left ; Fianna Fail [Bertie
AHERN]; Fine Gael ; Green Alliance ;
Labor Party ; Progressive Democrats ; Sinn
Fein ; The Workers' Party

Australia Group, BIS, CCC,
CE, EBRD, ECE, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU,
ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol,
IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, MINURSO, NAM (guest), NEA, NSG, OECD,
OPCW, OSCE, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNIKOM,
UNITAR, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOP, UNTAET, UNTSO, UPU, WEU (observer), WHO,
WIPO, WMO, WTrO, ZC

chief of mission: Ambassador Sean O'HUIGINN
chancery: 2234 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone:  (202) 462-3939
FAX:  (202) 232-5993
consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, New York, and San Francisco

chief of mission: Ambassador Michael SULLIVAN
embassy: 42 Elgin Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4
mailing address: use embassy street address
telephone:  (1) 668-7122
FAX:  (1) 668-9946

three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side),
white, and orange; similar to the flag of Cote d'Ivoire, which is
shorter and has the colors reversed - orange (hoist side), white, and
green; also similar to the flag of Italy, which is shorter and has
colors of green (hoist side), white, and red