Dublin Days 10 & 11


I have to admit that I was probably looking forward to days 10 & 11 more than anyone else. These are the days for the Irish government guest lecturer and tours. I am teaching a political theory course to the students here, and we are focusing on political ideology, nationalism, democracy, and the relationship between church and state. Studying these things in the Irish context provides a rich backdrop and fascinating examples. We have already had the benefit of several political conversations through our experiences so far, and these two days were an opportunity to bring many of these discussions into focus.

 Day 10 features a lecture on Irish political history by a member of the Dublin city council, who also has a Master's degree in political science and history. This unique opportunity is made even more outstanding because he invites us to Dublin City Hall, where we are given the lecture in the legislative chamber of Dublin city government. On our way we even meet the former Lord Mayor of Dublin on his bicycle, who stops to chat with us for a few minutes.

The entry hall in City Hall, Dublin. 

Meeting the Lord Mayor (in helmet) on the way in


We get to hear our lecture in the Dublin City Hall Council room 

 The students are told to use the official microphones to ask questions. I make them all do it.

City Council member, Daithí de Róiste, gives us a detailed lecture on Irish political history and ideology.

 Dr. Thoune and Dr. Dale also take advantage of the opportunity to ask provocative questions.


The next day we head to the National Capital Building to tour government offices there. Ireland has a parliamentary system of government, which means its legislative and executive branches are combined. The primary branch of government is called the Oireachtas, which refers to the two legislative houses (like our Congress): the Dáil Éireann (lower house, like the House of Representatives), and the Seanad Éireann (upper house, like our Senate). The Dáil is directly elected, and is the most powerful branch of the Oireachtas. We learn today that the Seanad is appointed by local councils, and has very limited legislative power. The Oireachtas is housed in Leinster House in Dublin, an eighteenth-century palace.

Our group outside Leinster House
In the Seanad Éireann we hear about the differences between the legislative chambers and the history of the building.

When we visited we were able to see a debate in the Dáil about the Church being involved in adoptions and record keeping. Coincidentally, the arguments made in this debate about the separation of Church and state directly reflected our class discussions. 
After our tour, in front of the National Library 

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