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Revision as of 01:37, 18 November 2002 by 159.134.168.149 (talk)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)The Irish Parliament, a mediaeval body made up of the Irish House of Commons and the Iirish House of Lords, and from which Roman Catholics had been excluded both from membership and voting for, had been subject to a number of restrictions imposed by English governments as to its ability to debate issues and take decisions, notably Poyning's Law of 1492. These restrictions were all lifted in 1782, producing a period of unheard of legislative freedom. This period came to be known as Grattan's Parliament after Henry Grattan, a major campaigner for reform in the Parliament's Irish House of Commons.
The Irish Parliament merged with the Parliament of Great Britain in 1800, ending the period of legislative freedom. From 1801 to 1922, Ireland legally was part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and legislated for from the United Kingdom parliament in Westminster.
The Old Irish Parliament House in College Green in Dublin survives today under the name of the Bank of Ireland, College Green. While its famed Irish House of Commons chamber was dismantled after the Act of Union. the magnificant Irish House of Lords chamber still exists and is worth a visit by anyone visiting Dublin. Visits are free. It is open during normal Bank opening hours.