LEGAL SYSTEM
1 Is your jurisdiction primarily a common law, civil
law, customary law or theocratic law jurisdiction? Are the laws
substantially derived from the laws of another jurisdiction and, if
so, which? What instruments have legal force and effect? Who are
the lawmaking bodies? How and where are new laws published? Can
laws be passed with retrospective effect?
Ireland is a common law jurisdiction deriving its laws
substantially from laws of other common law jurisdictions,
principally England and Wales. The Constitution, Acts of
Parliament, Statutory Instruments, regulations, European Union
legislation all have legal force and effect. The Oireachtas (the
Irish parliament comprising two houses – the Dail and the
Seanad) is the lawmaking body. New laws are published by the
Oireachtas on the Irish Statute Book (irishstatutebook.ie) and are
signed into law by the President. Laws can be passed with
retrospective effect, provided they do not seek to render as
