Courtesy of an IPA program, I have had an American intern, Caitlin Minarchek (right), working in my office over the past few months. She is finishing up today (thanks very much to her for her good work) and has kindly put together her observations on Irish politics.

I recently went on a trip to Barcelona and met a couple from England on holiday. They asked what I what I was doing in Ireland and when I explained that I had an internship in the Irish Parliament they looked shocked. Believe it or not they were surprised to hear that Ireland had a real, functioning government similar to their own. After 3 ½ months of working in the Dail it’s hard to imagine not understanding (at least at a basic level) Ireland’s political system and government.

Picture of Caitlin

However, when I think back to before I arrived in Ireland I realize that I had never given the Irish government a thought. Coming from a democratic country (the US), I instinctively assume that every other democratic nation is similar to my own. On the contrary, the other US interns and myself have found the political system here and the Dail sessions in particular to be quite interesting and unique.

Considering the fact that Ireland is a much smaller nation than the United States, it should have come to no surprise how dramatically less formal the entire political arena is here. I can not imagine coming into such close contact with political leaders in the US as I do in Ireland; this is not just my own experience, but the other interns are equally as surprised to be shaking hands and chatting with the most influential leaders of government.

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