There are 60 seats in Seanad Éireann, the senate of the Oireachtas (the legislature of Ireland). Its composition is set out in Article 18 of the Constitution of Ireland. This provides for 11 senators to be nominated by the Taoiseach who is appointed next after the general election to Dáil Éireann (Ireland's house of representatives).[1]
| Taoiseach's Nominees | |
|---|---|
| Seanad Éireann constituency | |
| Current constituency | |
| Created | 1938 |
| Seats | 11 |
| Senators | |
These nominations allow the government to reach a majority in the Seanad, for smaller parties in coalition or supporting the government to achieve more significant Seanad representation, and for the appointment of Independent members to represent particular interests. Those in the last category have included representatives from Northern Ireland; Billy Lawless, a resident of Chicago, nominated by Enda Kenny in 2016 to represent the interest of the Irish diaspora; and Eileen Flynn, nominated by Micheál Martin in 2020, the first Traveller to sit in the Oireachtas.
As the outgoing Seanad continues in session after a general election to the Dáil, it is common for the outgoing Taoiseach to appoint Senators to fill the vacancies left by any nominees who were elected to the Dáil for the short period until the conclusion of the Seanad election.
Of the remaining 49 senators, six are elected by university graduates (3 for the National University and 3 for Dublin University), and 43 are elected across 5 vocational panels by Oireachtas members and city and county councillors.