Constitution (Consequential Provisions) Act, 1937

General adaptation of the expressions “Saorstát Eireann” and “Irish Free State.”

2.—(1) In every statute and statutory instrument in force immediately prior to the date of the coming into operation of the Constitution and continued in force thereafter by section 1 of Article 50 of the Constitution, the expressions “Saorstát Eireann” and “Irish Free State” (whether such expressions are expressed in such statute or statutory instrument by virtue of original enactment or by virtue of subsequent amendment or modification or are implied therein by virtue of a general or a specific adaptation or interpretation) shall—

(a) in relation to anything done or to be done or an event occurring or a period or series of periods ending before the coming into operation of the Constitution, be construed and have effect (unless the context otherwise requires) in like manner as they respectively were construed and had effect immediately prior to the date of the coming into operation of the Constitution, and

(b) in relation to anything done or to be done or an event occurring or a period or series of periods beginning after the coming into operation of the Constitution, be construed and have effect (unless the context otherwise requires) as meaning Ireland, and

(c) in relation to anything done or to be done or an event occurring partly before and partly after the coming into operation of the Constitution or in relation to a period beginning before and ending after, or a series of periods the first of which begins before and the last of which ends after, the coming into operation of the Constitution, be construed and have effect (unless the context otherwise requires)—

(i) in regard to so much of such thing as is done or to be done and so much of such event as occurs and such portion of such period or series of periods as is prior to the coming into operation of the Constitution, in like manner as they respectively were construed and had effect immediately prior to the date of the coming into operation of the Constitution, and

(ii) in regard to so much of such thing as is done or to be done and so much of such event as occurs and such portion of such period or series of periods as is subsequent to the coming into operation of the Constitution, as meaning Ireland.

(2) No adaptation of the expression “Saorstát Eireann” or the expression “Irish Free State” by virtue of the foregoing sub-section of this section shall operate so as to extend the meaning of such expression as to include therein any area which is, for the time being, not within the area and extent of application of the laws enacted by the Oireachtas.

(3) Neither paragraph (c) of sub-section (1) of this section nor any adaptation by virtue of that paragraph shall operate to cause a break in or otherwise to prejudice the continuity of any such thing, event, period, or series of periods as is mentioned in the said paragraph.