The Stormont parliament building in Belfast, Northern Ireland, although larger and grander, bears many parallels with Ireland's Leinster House and America's White House. Stormont, which was built between 1922 and 1932, shows many parallels with Neoclassical government structures seen across the world. The main area of Stormont is split into two parts: the Upper House, which consists of 90 members; and the Lower House, which has 150 members.
Both houses have equal powers, but the Executive cannot change the laws nor can it be dissolved without its agreeing to do so. Ministers are responsible to Parliament for their actions and any wrongdoing by them can be investigated by select committees or the Ombudsman. In addition, legislation cannot be passed without votes from at least half of both houses - otherwise known as "the majority vote" - and if it isn't then the government must try to get it passed within six months or face another election.
Whitehall, the old name for the British civil service headquarters in London, is like the Senate of Stormont in that it has two chambers with equal power but unable to veto executive decisions. Like the Westminster parliament, the Queen can ask ministers to form a new administration but only under very specific circumstances (usually when the previous one collapses).
Finally, like the White House, the Stormont parliament building is the home of the government but not the official residence of the prime minister.
Parliament Buildings, sometimes known as Stormont because of its position in Belfast's Stormont Estate, is the home of the Northern Ireland Assembly, the region's devolved legislature. Stormont Castle houses the executive branch of government. The current buildings were constructed between 1845 and 1853 to a design by Edward Lovett Cameron.
Why do they call it that? In Gaelic, parláment means "assembly" or "conference," and bhaile means "returning." Thus, "parláment bhaile" is translated as "the returning assembly."
In English, the building is known as the Houses of Parliament because that is what the Irish people refer to their national legislature as. However, the term "parliament" has other meanings beyond that of an assembly for making laws; for example, a parliament is a body that can make decisions about political issues affecting your country. As there is no separate legislative assembly in Northern Ireland, only the House of Commons of the United Kingdom is considered true Parliament here.
Both the House of Lords and the House of Commons are located in Parliament Buildings. The Lords, or Senate, is made up of members of the royal family as well as other nobility. The House of Commons consists of representatives from each county and then each district within those counties.
Parliament House (Irish: Tithe na Parlaiminte) in Dublin, Ireland, held the Irish Parliament and the Bank of Ireland since 1803. Dublin's Parliament House.
| Parliament House | |
|---|---|
| Location | College Green, Dublin |
| Built | 1729 |
| Rebuilt | 1796 |
| Architect | Sir Edward Lovett Pearce, James Gandon |
The Old Houses of Parliament in Dublin are undoubtedly among my favorite structures in the world. It is presently the Bank of Ireland's headquarters, and its external composition is one of startling homogeneity for a complex built by three architects. The Irish word for hall is'séance', and this is precisely what these buildings provide: an opportunity to meet and discuss issues with your peers.
They were built between 1722 and 1834 by Charles Wilson, James Wyatt and Edward Lovett Cameron. The Irish Free State Government moved into their current home in 1937.
Although they are still used for parliamentary purposes, the old houses are now primarily occupied by corporate tenants. However, you can still go inside them and explore at will. I recommend doing so during opening hours, as there are some interesting things to see including a collection of medieval swords in the House of Lords and the Royal Gallery containing paintings by Dutch and Flemish artists dating back to 1555.
Their age is also an advantage in that many parts of them are open to the public, including the historic corridors, chambers and offices.
If you are interested in politics, this is the place to be! There are numerous exhibitions covering different periods of Irish history, and if you want to know more about how bills become laws you can visit the Westminster Hall Museum.
Richard Cassels created Leinster House in 1745 for the Fitzgerald Earls of Kildare and Leinster. Friends urged the 20th Earl, James FitzGerald, 1st Duke of Leinster, against establishing a mansion in the country.... Instead, he chose to build a country house.
This decision proved beneficial as the new house was ready for him to take up residence when he returned from his Grand Tour of Europe. It is likely that Lord Kildare's son, Charles, who was only nine years old at the time of their construction, played an important role in choosing locations for the houses and designing them to his liking.
The young lord probably also helped select the architect who would draw up plans for the house. Upon Kildare's death in 1749, Leinster House passed to his son, George, who was only eleven years old. The following year, Richard Cassels died and George took over the management of the estate. He was only sixteen years old and had no experience in running a large household or directing construction projects. However, he did have an educated manager, Henry Cassels, who may have been able to help him out.
In the meantime, more friends advised the 21st Earl not to build a country house. This time, they were more persuasive and he decided to move ahead with the project. The new house was completed in 1754.
The quadrangle of government buildings on Upper Merrion Street in Dublin City is a magnificent example of Edwardian architecture, erected by the British administration in Ireland and dedicated in 1904. It consists of a town house for the viceroy (now the Irish embassy to London) and its associated offices, which include that of the attorney general.
The town house was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens in collaboration with Charles Harding Furse. The foundation stone was laid by King Edward VII in May 1902, and the building was completed four years later at a cost of about £300,000 ($3.5 million today). It is regarded as one of the finest examples of its kind in Britain or Ireland.
The structure is made up of three floors plus an attic room. The ground floor contains the main reception area, while the first floor has been converted into private apartments. The second floor also has rooms used as offices, but the majority are storage spaces now.
The building is constructed from red sandstone with Welsh slate roofs. It is surrounded by gardens with trees including elm trees planted by Queen Victoria when she visited Ireland in 1849. These trees are more than 100 years old now and form a significant part of the urban forest that has developed over time around the city center.
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