Members of Seanad Ã ireann are members from the first meeting until the day before the next general election of the Seanad . When this document was adopted it was decided to preserve the titles of Oireachtas , for the two houses of the legislature , in conjunction with the President , DÃ il Ã ireann for the lower house , and Seanad Ã ireann for the upper house , the latter having been used during the Irish Free State . This new Seanad was considered to be the direct successor of the Free State Seanad and so the first Seanad convened under the new constitution was referred to as the `` Second Seanad '' .