Ceann Comhairle
| Ceann Comhairle of Dáil Éireann |
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| Appointer | Elected by the members of Dáil Éireann at start of a new term after a general election. |
| Term length | No term limits are imposed on the office. |
| Inaugural holder | Cathal Brugha |
| Formation | 21 January 1919 |
| Website | Official website |
The Ceann Comhairle (Irish pronunciation: [caːn̪ˠ ˈkoːɾʲlʲə], kahn korl-ah; "head of the council") is the chairperson (or speaker) of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas (parliament) of Ireland. The person who holds the position is elected by members of the Dáil from among their number in the first session after each general election. The Ceann Comhairle of the 32nd Dáil is Fianna Fáil TD Seán Ó Fearghaíl, 8 June 2016.
The Ceann Comhairle is expected to observe strict impartiality. Despite this, a government usually tries to select a member of its own political party for the position, if it has enough deputies to allow that choice. In order to protect the neutrality of the chair, the Constitution of Ireland provides that an incumbent Ceann Comhairle does not seek re-election as a Teachta Dála (Deputy to the Dáil) but rather is deemed automatically to have been re-elected by their constituency at a general election, unless they are retiring. As a consequence, the constituency that an incumbent Ceann Comhairle represents elects one fewer TD in a general election than its usual entitlement, but still has the same number of TDs.
The Ceann Comhairle does not take part in debates nor vote except in the event of a tie. In this event they generally vote in accordance with the parliamentary conventions relating to the Speaker of the British House of Commons, which tend to amount to voting against motions. The Ceann Comhairle formally opens each day's sitting by reading the official prayer. The Ceann Comhairle is the sole judge of order in the house and has a number of special functions. Specifically, the Ceann Comhairle:
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