Guerre et Constitution: Irlande

The adoption of the Irish Constitution in 1937 came after two wars, the War of Independence and the Civil War. As the oldest republican constitution in Europe, Bunreacht na hÉireann served as a framework during the conflicts of the twentieth century: the Second World War on the international stage and the War on Terror in Northern Ireland on the domestic stage. These particular historical and political circumstances explain why Ireland became a neutral country with, today, a very modest army. This chapter aims to explain the relationship of the Irish Constitution to war along two axes: first, a historical-constitutional approach that exposes the interactions between war and the constitution; second, a political-institutional approach that explains the principles of war management through the Constitution.