Lemass's Constitution Revolution | Dublin News

In 1966, Seán Lemass launched a bold constitutional review, assembling a 12-person committee—including himself—to overhaul Ireland’s 1937 Constitution. Though he’d once championed Irish industry and even insisted child allowances go to dads, Lemass evolved into a pragmatic reformer, embracing Europe and pushing for modernization. The committee’s 50-page report, while cautious, proposed groundbreaking ideas like equal pay and removing the Catholic Church’s special status—later enacted in the 1972 Fifth Amendment. Lemass believed every 25 years was the Constitution’s review window, a vision echoed decades later by T.K. Whitaker’s 700-page 1996 report. Since then, Ireland’s Constitution has adapted to EU integration and social change, including a 1999 addition on local government—a gap Lemass’s team had already anticipated. Support the show:Get a discount at https://solipillow.com/discount/dnn. Advertise on DNN:[email protected] This is an automated, high-level news summary based on public reporting.Report issues to [email protected]. View sources & latest updates:https://sources.thednn.ai/ce1936e940cd56fa