Irish heads of government since 1919
Ireland
The head of government, or prime minister, of Ireland is known as the Taoiseach and heads a cabinet called the Government. However, since 1919, heads of government in the Irish state have borne a number of titles. Under the short-lived Irish Republic of 1919–22 the head of government was known first as the President of Dáil Éireann and later as the President of the Republic. Under the Irish Free State of 1922–37 the head of government was the President of the Executive Council. There also briefly existed, immediately before the creation of the Irish Free State, an interim office of Chairman of the Provisional Government. For a brief period in 1921 the offices of President of the Republic and Chairman of the Provisional Government existed simultaneously.
Offices
Head | Deputy | Cabinet | State | Constitution | Date |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
President of Dáil Éireann[1] | N/A | Aireacht (Ministry) | Irish Republic | Dáil Constitution | 21 January 1919 – 6 December 1922 |
Chairman of the Provisional Government | N/A | Provisional Government | Southern Ireland | Irish Free State (Agreement) Act, 1922 | 3 May 1921 – 6 December 1922 |
President of the Executive Council | Vice-President | Executive Council | Irish Free State | Constitution of the Irish Free State | 6 December 1922 – 29 December 1937 |
Taoiseach | Tánaiste | Government | Ireland | Constitution of Ireland | 29 December 1937 – present |
List of office-holders
No. | Name | Picture | Birth–Death | Entered Office | Left Office | Party | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. | Cathal Brugha | 1874–1922 | 21 January 1919 | 1 April 1919 | Sinn Féin | ||
2. | Éamon de Valera | 1882–1975 | 1 April 1919 | 9 January 1922 | Sinn Féin | ||
3. | Arthur Griffith[2] | 1872–1922 | 10 January 1922 | 12 August 1922 | Sinn Féin (Pro-Treaty faction) | ||
4. | Michael Collins[2] | 1890–1922 | 16 January 1922 | 22 August 1922 | Sinn Féin (Pro-Treaty faction) | ||
5. | W. T. Cosgrave | 1880–1965 | 22 August 1922 | 9 March 1932 | Cumann na nGaedheal[3] | ||
(2) | Éamon de Valera | 1882–1975 | 9 March 1932 | 18 February 1948 | Fianna Fáil | ||
6. | John A. Costello | 1891–1976 | 18 February 1948 | 13 June 1951 | Fine Gael | ||
(2) | Éamon de Valera | 1882–1975 | 13 June 1951 | 2 June 1954 | Fianna Fáil | ||
(6) | John A. Costello | 1891–1976 | 2 June 1954 | 20 March 1957 | Fine Gael | ||
(2) | Éamon de Valera | 1882–1975 | 20 March 1957 | 23 June 1959 | Fianna Fáil | ||
7. | Seán Lemass | 1899–1971 | 23 June 1959 | 10 November 1966 | Fianna Fáil | ||
8. | Jack Lynch | 1917–1999 | 10 November 1966 | 14 March 1973 | Fianna Fáil | ||
9. | Liam Cosgrave | 1920– | 14 March 1973 | 5 July 1977 | Fine Gael | ||
(8) | Jack Lynch | 1917–1999 | 5 July 1977 | 11 December 1979 | Fianna Fáil | ||
10. | Charles Haughey | 1925–2006 | 11 December 1979 | 30 June 1981 | Fianna Fáil | ||
11. | Garret FitzGerald | 1926–2011 | 30 June 1981 | 9 March 1982 | Fine Gael | ||
(10) | Charles Haughey | 1925–2006 | 9 March 1982 | 14 December 1982 | Fianna Fáil | ||
(11) | Garret FitzGerald | 1926–2011 | 14 December 1982 | 10 March 1987 | Fine Gael | ||
(10) | Charles Haughey | 1925–2006 | 10 March 1987 | 11 February 1992 | Fianna Fáil | ||
12. | Albert Reynolds | 1932–2014 | 11 February 1992 | 15 December 1994 | Fianna Fáil | ||
13. | John Bruton | 1947– | 15 December 1994 | 26 June 1997 | Fine Gael | ||
14. | Bertie Ahern | 1951– | 26 June 1997 | 7 May 2008 | Fianna Fáil | ||
15. | Brian Cowen | 1960– | 7 May 2008 | 9 March 2011 | Fianna Fáil | ||
16. | Enda Kenny | 1951– | 9 March 2011 | Incumbent | Fine Gael |
Northern Ireland
The most recent devolved cabinet in Northern Ireland is the Northern Ireland Executive, established under the Good Friday Agreement. The Executive has been in operation, intermittently, since 1999; but has existed continuously since 2007. Since 1921, there have been three different prime ministerial offices in Northern Ireland. The most recent structure, the Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister, represents a diarchy. As such, there is no longer a singular executive office, but rather a dual office.
Offices
Head | Cabinet | Date |
---|---|---|
Prime Minister | Government | 7 June 1921 – 30 March 1972 |
Chief Executive | Executive (Sunningdale) | 1 January 1974 – 28 May 1974 |
First Minister and deputy First Minister | Executive | 1 July 1998 – present |
List of office-holders
No. | Name | Picture | Birth–Death | Entered Office | Left Office | Party | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. | Sir James Craig[4] | 1871–1940 | 7 June 1921 | 24 November 1940 | Ulster Unionist Party | ||
2. | John Miller Andrews | 1871–1956 | 25 November 1940 | 1 May 1943 | Ulster Unionist Party | ||
3. | Sir Basil Brooke[5] | 1888–1973 | 1 May 1943 | 25 March 1963 | Ulster Unionist Party | ||
4. | Terence O'Neill | 1914–1990 | 25 March 1963 | 1 May 1969 | Ulster Unionist Party | ||
5. | James Chichester-Clark | 1923–2002 | 1 May 1969 | 23 March 1971 | Ulster Unionist Party | ||
6. | Brian Faulkner | 1921–1977 | 23 March 1971 | 30 March 1972 | Ulster Unionist Party | ||
(6) | Brian Faulkner | 1921–1977 | 1 January 1974 | 28 May 1974 | Ulster Unionist Party | ||
First Ministers | |||||||
1. | David Trimble | 1944– | 1 July 1998 | 14 October 2002 | Ulster Unionist Party | ||
2. | Ian Paisley | 1926–2014 | 8 May 2007 | 5 June 2008 | Democratic Unionist Party | ||
3. | Peter Robinson | 1948– | 5 June 2008 | 11 January 2016 | Democratic Unionist Party | ||
4. | Arlene Foster | 1970– | 11 January 2016 | Incumbent | Democratic Unionist Party | ||
Deputy First Ministers | |||||||
1. | Seamus Mallon | 1936– | 1 July 1998 | 6 November 2001 | Social Democratic and Labour Party | ||
2. | Mark Durkan | 1960– | 6 November 2001 | 14 October 2002 | Social Democratic and Labour Party | ||
3. | Martin McGuinness | 1950– | 8 May 2007 | Incumbent | Sinn Féin |
See also
- Irish head of state from 1936 to 1949
- President of Ireland
- Irish cabinets since 1919
- History of the Republic of Ireland
- History of Northern Ireland
- Politics of the Republic of Ireland
- Politics of Northern Ireland
- Records of Irish heads of government since 1922
Footnotes
- ↑ The President of Dáil Éireann, also known as the Príomh Aire, was upgraded to a head of state-level President of the Irish Republic in August 1921.
- 1 2 From January to August 1922 there were two administrations operating in parallel, the Provisional Government and the Ministry of the Irish Republic, and each cabinet had an overlapping membership. Thus, during this time, there were two heads of government, Arthur Griffith, as President of the Republic, and Michael Collins as Chairman of the Provisional Government of Southern Ireland. This anomalous situation came about because the British Government would only recognise the parliament that it had established through the Government of Ireland Act, so Sinn Féin participated in the charade to move matters along. The dual leadership came to an end when W. T. Cosgrave assumed both offices on the deaths of Griffith, on 12 August 1922, and Collins, on 22 August, and merged the two parallel administrations.
- ↑ When W. T. Cosgrave first became head of government he was still technically a member of Sinn Féin. However the pro-Treaty faction of Sinn Féin reformed itself as Cumann na nGaedheal shortly afterwards.
- ↑ After 1927, the Viscount Craigavon
- ↑ After 1952, the Viscount Brookeborough