What the President of Ireland can and cannot do under the Constitution

The President signs every law, can send a Bill to the Supreme Court and can refuse to dissolve the Dáil in rare cases. Here is what the role allows, what it rules out, and how a President is chosen.

The President of Ireland can pause a Bill on its way to becoming law. Before signing, the President can send it to the Supreme Court to check it against the Constitution. That choice belongs to the President alone, not the Government.

A head of State, not a head of Government

The President is head of State. But the Office of the President says the role "does not have an executive or policy role". Under Article 13.9 of the Constitution, most powers can be used only on the advice of the Government.

The current President is Catherine Connolly. She was elected on 25 October 2025 and her term began on 11 November 2025. She was an Independent TD for Galway West and, from 2020, the first woman to be Leas-Cheann Comhairle, the Dáil's deputy chair.

Every law needs the President's signature

A Bill passed by the Dáil and Seanad only becomes law when the President signs it. The President signs on the 5th, 6th or 7th day after receiving it. The Government can ask for an earlier signature if the Seanad agrees.

Under Article 25.4.1, a Bill becomes law on the day it is signed, unless it says otherwise.

Sending a Bill to the Supreme Court

Article 26 lets the President ask the Supreme Court whether a Bill, or part of it, breaks the Constitution. This is how it works:

1. The President consults the Council of State, a group of advisers.
2. The President decides alone whether to refer the Bill, within seven days of receiving it.
3. At least five Supreme Court judges hear the case.
4. The Court must decide within 60 days.
5. If the Court finds a problem, the President cannot sign the Bill.
6. If the Court approves it, the President signs and those parts cannot be challenged in court later.

Money Bills, which deal only with taxes and spending, cannot be referred. Neither can Bills to change the Constitution.

The most recent referral was by President Michael D. Higgins on 13 October 2023. He sent the Judicial Appointments Commission Bill to the Supreme Court, which found it constitutional on 8 December 2023.

In April 2026, President Connolly called the Council of State to discuss the International Protection Bill 2026. She signed it on 22 April 2026. Our separate guide covers the International Protection Act.

“The concerns that led to the President calling a meeting of the Council of State remain.”— Office of the President, statement on signing the International Protection Bill 2026, 22 April 2026

Who sits on the Council of State

The Council of State advises the President. The President must consult it before a Supreme Court referral, but does not have to follow its advice.

Calling and dissolving the Dáil

The President dissolves the Dáil, which leads to a general election, on the Taoiseach's advice. If the Taoiseach has a Dáil majority, the President cannot refuse.

If a Taoiseach has lost majority support, the President may refuse to dissolve the Dáil. TDs would then have to find another Government. The Office of the President says this power of refusal has never been used.

Other powers

• Appoints the Taoiseach after the Dáil nominates them
• Appoints Ministers nominated by the Taoiseach and approved by the Dáil
• Appoints judges, the Attorney General and Defence Forces officers on Government advice
• Is Supreme Commander of the Defence Forces, though the Government directs them
• May address the Oireachtas or the nation, with the text approved by Government
• May call a meeting of the Dáil or Seanad, a power never used

Under Article 27, a majority of Senators and a third of TDs can ask the President not to sign a Bill of national importance. The President could then refuse until voters approve it in a referendum or after a general election. This has never happened.

What the President cannot do

• Make Government policy or run Government departments
• Leave the State without the Government's consent (Article 12.9)
• Step in on matters for the Government, courts or local councils
• Give money to people in financial difficulty
• Take part directly in fundraising or charity campaigns
• Serve more than two terms

The President is also not answerable to the Dáil, the Seanad or any court for official acts (Article 13.8.1). The office cost €4.2 million to run directly in 2023, with 29 staff at Áras an Uachtaráin, the official residence.

How a President is chosen

Any Irish citizen aged 35 or over can stand. Candidates need nominations from at least 20 members of the Oireachtas or four local councils. A former or retiring President can nominate themselves.

If only one candidate is nominated, there is no vote. That happened in November 2004, when Mary McAleese began her second term unopposed.

Voters must be Irish citizens aged 18 or over, living in Ireland and on the electoral register. They rank candidates in order of choice, using proportional representation with a single transferable vote.

An election must take place in the 60 days before a term ends. President Connolly's seven-year term, which began on 11 November 2025, runs to November 2032.