Constitution (Amendment No. 27) Act 1936

The Constitution (Amendment No. 27) Act 1936 was an act of the Parliament of Ireland that amended the Constitution of the Irish Free State. This amendment altered the constitutional provisions related to the Senate (Seanad Éireann). Specifically, it abolished the existing Seanad and established a new Seanad composed of members elected on a vocational basis.

The Act aimed to create a second chamber that represented various sectors of Irish society, including industry, commerce, agriculture, labour, and the professions. The intention was that this vocational representation would provide specialized knowledge and expertise during the legislative process. The new Seanad was to be partly elected by panels of vocational nominees and partly nominated by the Taoiseach (Prime Minister).

This amendment was controversial at the time and ultimately proved short-lived. The Second Seanad established by the 1936 Act was itself abolished under the 1937 Constitution of Ireland (Bunreacht na hÉireann), which established the present Seanad Éireann. Therefore, the Constitution (Amendment No. 27) Act 1936 represents a transitional phase in the development of the Irish parliamentary system and is historically significant for understanding the evolution of the Seanad.