http://dx.doi.org/10.17176/20220413-182411-0 https://verfassungsblog.de/neutrality-and-the-irish-constitution/ Neutrality and the Irish Constitution Daly, Eoin eng 2022-04-13 electronic resource text/html ddc:342 Irish Constitution NATO accession Neutrality Verfassungsblog Verfassungsblog--2366-7044 CC BY-SA 4.0 Ireland, like other neutral states, has witnessed intense debates in recent weeks over the future of its neutral status. Ireland is not a member of NATO and has maintained an ambiguous status of ‘neutrality’ since independence. However, neutrality as such is not a constitutional requirement, and insofar as it obtains at all, has more the character of a policy or tradition. Departures from that tradition – particularly the joining of NATO – would nonetheless likely encounter certain constitutional barriers. In particular, it seems likely that membership of NATO would require a constitutional referendum.