Democratic Programme

The Democratic Programme was a declaration of social, economic, and political principles adopted on 21 January 1919 by the First Dáil (Dáil Éireann), the revolutionary parliament established by Irish nationalist politicians who had won a sweeping electoral victory in the general election of December 1918. Rather than take their seats at Westminster, these representatives convened in Dublin and declared an independent Irish Republic. The Programme was one of four constitutional documents adopted at that inaugural public sitting, alongside the Constitution of Dáil Éireann, the Declaration of Independence, and the Message to the Free Nations of the World. It outlined a vision of social governance for the new Republic, addressing the rights of citizens, the welfare of children, the development of natural resources, and the relationship between private property and the common good.