Constitution & First President

1937 - 1938 — Ireland asserted its sovereignty with a new constitution and the election of its first President, cementing its status as an independent state.

In 1932, Éamon de Valera, the anti-Treaty leader, came to power peacefully. He set about dismantling the remaining links with Britain. In 1937, the Irish people voted to enact a new constitution, Bunreacht na hÉireann, which replaced the Free State constitution.

The new constitution declared Ireland to be a "sovereign, independent, democratic state," removed the British monarch from all internal affairs, and established the office of the President of Ireland (Uachtarán na hÉireann).

In 1938, Douglas Hyde, a Protestant scholar and founder of the Gaelic League, was inaugurated as the first President. His election was a powerful symbol of the desire for a pluralist, culturally rich Ireland.