Records of Irish heads of government since 1922

The Taoiseach (plural: Taoisigh) is the head of government (or prime minister) of Ireland. Prior to the enactment of the Constitution of Ireland in 1937, the head of government was referred to as the President of the Executive Council. This office was first held by W. T. Cosgrave from 1922 to 1932, and then by Éamon de Valera from 1932 to 1937. By convention Taoisigh are numbered to include Cosgrave,[1][2][3][4] for example Micheál Martin is considered the 15th Taoiseach.

Electoral history

No.	Name	Born	First elected		Party	Constituency	Left Dáil
1.	W. T. Cosgrave	6 June 1880	10 August 1917[lower-alpha 1]		Cumann na nGaedheal[lower-alpha 2]	Kilkenny City (1917–18), North Kilkenny (1918–21), Carlow–Kilkenny (1921–27), Cork Borough (1927–44)	30 May 1944
2.	Éamon de Valera	14 October 1882	10 July 1917[lower-alpha 1]		Fianna Fáil[lower-alpha 2]	East Clare (1917–22), Clare (1922–59)	23 June 1959
3.	John A. Costello	20 June 1891	24 January 1933		Fine Gael[lower-alpha 3]	Dublin County (1933–37), Dublin Townships (1937–43; 1944–48), Dublin South-East (1948–69)	18 June 1969
4.	Seán Lemass	12 July 1899	18 November 1924		Fianna Fáil[lower-alpha 2]	Dublin South (1924–48), Dublin South-Central (1948–69)	18 June 1969
5.	Jack Lynch	15 August 1917	29 March 1948		Fianna Fáil	Cork Borough (1948–69), Cork City North-West (1969–77), Cork City (1977–81)	11 June 1981
6.	Liam Cosgrave	13 April 1920	29 March 1943		Fine Gael	Dublin County (1943–48), Dún Laoghaire and Rathdown (1948–77), Dún Laoghaire (1977–81)	11 June 1981
7.	Charles Haughey	16 September 1925	29 March 1957		Fianna Fáil	Dublin North-East (1957–77), Dublin Artane (1977–81), Dublin North-Central (1981–92)	25 November 1992
8.	Garret FitzGerald	9 February 1926	18 June 1969		Fine Gael	Dublin South-East	25 November 1992
9.	Albert Reynolds	3 November 1932	16 June 1977		Fianna Fáil	Longford–Westmeath (1977–92), Longford–Roscommon (1992–2002)	17 May 2002
10.	John Bruton	18 May 1947	18 June 1969		Fine Gael	Meath	31 October 2004
11.	Bertie Ahern	12 September 1951	16 June 1977		Fianna Fáil	Dublin Finglas (1977–81), Dublin Central (1981–2011)	1 February 2011
12.	Brian Cowen	10 January 1960	14 June 1984		Fianna Fáil	Laois–Offaly	1 February 2011
13.	Enda Kenny	24 April 1951	12 November 1975		Fine Gael	Mayo West (1975–97), Mayo (1997–)	14 January 2020
14.	Leo Varadkar	18 January 1979	24 May 2007		Fine Gael	Dublin West
15.	Micheál Martin	1 August 1960	15 June 1989		Fianna Fáil	Cork South-Central

Periods in office

No.	Name	Entered office	Left office	Elected	Period		Party
1.	W. T. Cosgrave	6 December 1922[lower-alpha 4]	9 March 1932	5 terms	–		Cumann na nGaedheal
2.	Éamon de Valera	9 March 1932[lower-alpha 5][lower-alpha 6]	18 February 1948	6 terms[lower-alpha 7]	1st time		Fianna Fáil
3.	John A. Costello	18 February 1948	13 June 1951	1 term	1st time		Fine Gael
	Éamon de Valera	13 June 1951	2 June 1954	1 term	2nd time		Fianna Fáil
	John A. Costello	2 June 1954	20 March 1957	1 term	2nd time		Fine Gael
	Éamon de Valera	20 March 1957	23 June 1959	1 term	3rd time		Fianna Fáil
4.	Seán Lemass	23 June 1959	10 November 1966	3 terms	–		Fianna Fáil
5.	Jack Lynch	10 November 1966	14 March 1973	2 terms	1st time		Fianna Fáil
6.	Liam Cosgrave	14 March 1973	5 July 1977	1 term	–		Fine Gael
	Jack Lynch	5 July 1977	11 December 1979	1 term	2nd time		Fianna Fáil
7.	Charles Haughey	11 December 1979	30 June 1981	1 term	1st time		Fianna Fáil
8.	Garret FitzGerald	30 June 1981	9 March 1982	1 term	1st time		Fine Gael
	Charles Haughey	9 March 1982	14 December 1982	1 term	2nd time		Fianna Fáil
	Garret FitzGerald	14 December 1982	10 March 1987	1 term	2nd time		Fine Gael
	Charles Haughey	10 March 1987	11 February 1992	2 terms	3rd time		Fianna Fáil
9.	Albert Reynolds	11 February 1992	15 December 1994	1 term	–		Fianna Fáil
10.	John Bruton	15 December 1994	26 June 1997	1 term	–		Fine Gael
11.	Bertie Ahern	26 June 1997	7 May 2008	3 terms	–		Fianna Fáil
12.	Brian Cowen	7 May 2008	9 March 2011	1 term	–		Fianna Fáil
13.	Enda Kenny	9 March 2011	14 June 2017	2 terms	–		Fine Gael
14.	Leo Varadkar	14 June 2017	27 June 2020	1 term	–		Fine Gael
15.	Micheál Martin	27 June 2020	Incumbent	1 term	–		Fianna Fáil

Cumulative days served

No.		Name	First entered office	Finally left office	Periods	Cumulative days[lower-alpha 8]
	2.	Éamon de Valera	9 March 1932[lower-alpha 5]	23 June 1959	3	7,735 (21 years, 2 months)[lower-alpha 9][lower-alpha 10]
	11.	Bertie Ahern	26 June 1997	7 May 2008	1	3,968 (10 years, 10 months)
	1.	W. T. Cosgrave	6 December 1922	9 March 1932	1	3,381 (9 years, 3 months)[lower-alpha 11]
	5.	Jack Lynch	10 November 1966	11 December 1979	2	3,205 (8 years, 9 months)
	4.	Seán Lemass	23 June 1959	10 November 1966	1	2,697 (7 years, 5 months)
	7.	Charles Haughey	11 December 1979	11 February 1992	3	2,646 (7 years, 3 months)[lower-alpha 8]
	13.	Enda Kenny	9 March 2011	14 June 2017	1	2,289 (6 years, 3 months)[lower-alpha 8]
	3.	John A. Costello	18 February 1948	20 March 1957	2	2,233 (6 years, 1 month)
	8.	Garret FitzGerald	30 June 1981	10 March 1987	2	1,799 (4 years, 11 months)
	6.	Liam Cosgrave	14 March 1973	5 July 1977	1	1,574 (4 years, 4 months)
	14.	Leo Varadkar	14 June 2017	27 June 2020	1	1,109 (3 years, 13 days)[lower-alpha 8]
	9.	Albert Reynolds	11 February 1992	15 December 1994	1	1,038 (2 years, 10 months)[lower-alpha 8]
	12.	Brian Cowen	7 May 2008	9 March 2011	1	1,036 (2 years, 10 months)
	10.	John Bruton	15 December 1994	26 June 1997	1	924 (2 years, 6 months)
	15.	Micheál Martin	27 June 2020		1	37

Length of individual periods

No.		Name	Entered office	Left office	Period No.	Period length	Length in days[lower-alpha 8]
	2.	Éamon de Valera	9 March 1932[lower-alpha 5]	18 February 1948	1	15 years, 11 months, 16 days	5,824
	11.	Bertie Ahern	26 June 1997	7 May 2008	1	10 years, 10 months, 11 days	3,968
	1.	W. T. Cosgrave	6 December 1922	9 March 1932	1	9 years, 3 months, 4 days	3,381[lower-alpha 11]
	4.	Seán Lemass	23 June 1959	11 November 1966	1	7 years, 4 months, 17 days	2,697
	5.	Jack Lynch	11 November 1966	14 March 1973	1	6 years, 4 months, 4 days	2,316
	13.	Enda Kenny	9 March 2011	14 June 2017	1	6 years, 3 months, 5 days	2,289[lower-alpha 8]
	7.	Charles Haughey	10 March 1987	11 February 1992	3	4 years, 11 months, 1 day	1,799[lower-alpha 8]
	6.	Liam Cosgrave	14 March 1973	5 July 1977	1	4 years, 3 months, 22 days	1,574
	8.	Garret FitzGerald	14 December 1982	10 March 1987	2	4 years, 2 months, 27 days	1,547
	3.	John A. Costello	18 February 1948	13 June 1951	1	3 years, 3 months, 24 days	1,211
	14.	Leo Varadkar	14 June 2017	27 June 2020	1	3 years and 13 days	1,109[lower-alpha 8]
		Éamon de Valera	13 June 1951	2 June 1954	2	2 years, 11 months, 19 days	1,085
	9.	Albert Reynolds	11 February 1992	15 December 1994	1	2 years, 10 months, 4 days	1,038[lower-alpha 8]
	12.	Brian Cowen	7 May 2008	9 March 2011	1	2 years, 10 months, 2 days	1,036
		John A. Costello	2 June 1954	20 March 1957	2	2 years, 9 months, 18 days	1,022
	10.	John Bruton	15 December 1994	26 June 1997	1	2 years, 6 months, 11 days	924
		Jack Lynch	5 July 1977	11 December 1979	2	2 years, 5 months, 6 days	889
		Éamon de Valera	20 March 1957	23 June 1959	3	2 years, 3 months, 3 days	825
		Charles Haughey	11 December 1979	30 June 1981	1	1 year, 6 months, 19 days	567
		Charles Haughey	9 March 1982	14 December 1982	2	9 months, 5 days	280
		Garret FitzGerald	30 June 1981	9 March 1982	1	8 months, 9 days	252
	15.	Micheál Martin	27 June 2020		1	1 month and 7 days	37

Longevity

No.		Name	Born	Died	Age as of 3 August 2020
	6.	Liam Cosgrave	13 April 1920	4 October 2017	97 years, 174 days
	2.	Éamon de Valera	14 October 1882	29 August 1975	92 years, 319 days
	1.	W. T. Cosgrave	6 June 1880	16 November 1965	85 years, 163 days
	8.	Garret FitzGerald	9 February 1926	19 May 2011	85 years, 99 days
	3.	John A. Costello	20 June 1891	5 January 1976	84 years, 199 days
	5.	Jack Lynch	15 August 1917	20 October 1999	82 years, 66 days
	9.	Albert Reynolds	3 November 1932	21 August 2014	81 years, 291 days
	7.	Charles Haughey	16 September 1925	13 June 2006	80 years, 270 days
	10.	John Bruton	18 May 1947		73 years, 77 days
	4.	Seán Lemass	12 July 1899	11 May 1971	71 years, 303 days
	13.	Enda Kenny	24 April 1951		69 years, 101 days
	11.	Bertie Ahern	12 September 1951		68 years, 326 days
	12.	Brian Cowen	10 January 1960		60 years, 206 days
	15.	Micheál Martin	1 August 1960		60 years, 2 days
	14.	Leo Varadkar	18 January 1979		41 years, 198 days

Age on entering/leaving office

No.		Name	Born	Entered office	Age	Left office	Age
	14.	Leo Varadkar	18 January 1979	14 June 2017	38 years, 4 months[lower-alpha 12]	27 June 2020	41 years, 5 months
	1.	W. T. Cosgrave	6 June 1880	6 December 1922[lower-alpha 13]	42 years, 6 months[lower-alpha 13]	9 March 1932	51 years, 9 months
	11.	Bertie Ahern	12 September 1951	26 June 1997	45 years, 9 months	7 May 2008	56 years, 7 months
	10.	John Bruton	18 May 1947	15 December 1994	47 years, 6 months	26 June 1997	50 years, 1 month
	12.	Brian Cowen	10 January 1960	7 May 2008	48 years, 3 months	9 March 2011	51 years, 1 month
	5.	Jack Lynch	15 August 1917	10 November 1966	49 years, 2 months	11 December 1979	62 years, 3 months
	2.	Éamon de Valera	14 October 1882	9 March 1932[lower-alpha 5]	49 years, 4 months[lower-alpha 14]	23 June 1959	76 years, 8 months
	6.	Liam Cosgrave	13 April 1920	14 March 1973	52 years, 11 months	5 July 1977	57 years, 2 months
	7.	Charles Haughey	16 September 1925	11 December 1979	54 years, 2 months	11 February 1992	66 years, 4 months
	8.	Garret FitzGerald	9 February 1926	30 June 1981	55 years, 4 months	10 March 1987	61 years, 1 month
	3.	John A. Costello	20 June 1891	18 February 1948	56 years, 7 months	20 March 1957	65 years, 9 months
	9.	Albert Reynolds	3 November 1932	11 February 1992	59 years, 3 months	15 December 1994	62 years, 1 month
	13.	Enda Kenny	24 April 1951	9 March 2011	59 years, 10 months	14 June 2017	66 years, 1 month
	15.	Micheál Martin	1 August 1960	27 June 2020	59 years, 10 months	Incumbent	–
	4.	Seán Lemass	12 July 1899	23 June 1959	59 years, 11 months	10 November 1966	67 years, 3 months

Cabinet positions

Listed here are cabinet positions held either before or during holding the office of Taoiseach or President of the Executive Council.

No.		Name	Before or after position of Taoiseach	While Taoiseach
	1.	W. T. Cosgrave	Minister for Local Government (1919–1922) Minister for Finance (1922–1923) Chairman of the Provisional Government (1922) President of Dáil Éireann (1922)	Minister for Finance (1922–1923) Minister for Defence (1924)[lower-alpha 15] Minister for External Affairs (1927)[lower-alpha 15]
	2.	Éamon de Valera	President of Dáil Éireann (1919–1922)	Minister for External Affairs (1932–1948) Minister for Education (1939–1940)[lower-alpha 15] Minister for Local Government and Public Health (1941)[lower-alpha 15]
	3.	John A. Costello	Attorney General (1926–1932)	Minister for Health (1951)[lower-alpha 15]
	4.	Seán Lemass	Minister for Industry and Commerce (1932–1939, 1941–1948, 1951–1954, 1957–1959) Minister for Supplies (1939–1945) Tánaiste (1945–1948, 1951–1954, 1957–1959)	Minister for Justice (1964)[lower-alpha 15]
	5.	Jack Lynch	Minister for the Gaeltacht (1957) Minister for Education (1957–1959) Minister for Industry and Commerce (1959–1965) Minister for Finance 1965–1966)	Minister for Education (1968)
	6.	Liam Cosgrave	Minister for External Affairs (1954–1957)	Minister for Defence (1976)[lower-alpha 15]
	7.	Charles Haughey	Minister for Justice (1961–1964) Minister for Agriculture (1964–1966) Minister for Finance (1966–1970) Minister for Health (1977–1979) Minister for Social Welfare (1977–1979)	Minister for Education (1982)[lower-alpha 15] Minister for the Gaeltacht (1987–1992) Minister for Defence (1990–1991)[lower-alpha 15]
	8.	Garret FitzGerald	Minister for Foreign Affairs (1973–1977)	Minister for Trade, Commerce and Tourism (1983)[lower-alpha 15]
	9.	Albert Reynolds	Minister for Posts and Telegraphs (1979–1981) Minister for Transport 1980–1981) Minister for Industry and Energy (1982) Minister for Industry and Commerce (1987–1988) Minister for Finance (1988–1991)	Minister for Energy (1992–1993)[lower-alpha 15]
	10.	John Bruton	Minister for Finance (1981–1982, 1986–1987) Minister for Industry and Energy (1982–1983) Minister for Industry, Trade, Commerce and Tourism (1983–1986) Minister for the Public Service (1987)	Minister for Transport, Energy and Communications (1996)[lower-alpha 15]
	11.	Bertie Ahern	Minister for Labour (1987–1991) Minister for Finance (1991–1994) Minister for Industry and Commerce (1993)[lower-alpha 15] Tánaiste (1994) Minister for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht (1994)
	12.	Brian Cowen	Minister for Labour (1992–1993) Minister for Transport, Energy and Communications (1993–1994) Minister for Health and Children (1997–2000) Minister for Foreign Affairs (2000–2004) Minister for Finance (2004–2008) Tánaiste (2007–2008)	Minister for Foreign Affairs (2011)[lower-alpha 15]
	13.	Enda Kenny	Minister for Tourism and Trade (1994–1997)	Minister for Defence (2014)[lower-alpha 15] Minister for Defence (2016–2017)
	14.	Leo Varadkar	Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport (2011–2014) Minister for Health (2014–2016) Minister for Social Protection (2016–2017) Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment (2020–present)	Minister for Defence (2017–2020)
	15.	Micheál Martin	Minister for Education and Science (1997–2000) Minister for Health and Children (2000–2004) Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment (2004–2008) Minister for Foreign Affairs (2008–2011)	Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (July 2020)[lower-alpha 15]

Education

No.		Name	Second level	Third level
	1.	W. T. Cosgrave	St. Joseph's Secondary, Fairview	none
	2.	Éamon de Valera	C.B.S. Charleville; Blackrock College	Royal University of Ireland; Trinity College Dublin (did not graduate)
	3.	John A. Costello	St. Joseph's Secondary, Fairview; O'Connell School	University College Dublin
	4.	Seán Lemass	O'Connell School	University College Cork
	5.	Jack Lynch	North Monastery	University College Cork; King's Inns
	6.	Liam Cosgrave	Synge Street CBS; Castleknock College	King's Inns
	7.	Charles Haughey	St. Joseph's Secondary, Fairview	University College Dublin
	8.	Garret FitzGerald	Belvedere College	University College Dublin
	9.	Albert Reynolds	Summerhill College	none
	10.	John Bruton	Clongowes Wood College	University College Dublin; King's Inns
	11.	Bertie Ahern	St Aidan's C.B.S.	College of Commerce, Rathmines
	12.	Brian Cowen	Cistercian College, Roscrea	University College Dublin; Law Society of Ireland
	13.	Enda Kenny	St Gerald's College, Castlebar	St Patrick's College, Drumcondra; University College Galway
	14.	Leo Varadkar	The King's Hospital	Trinity College Dublin
	15.	Micheál Martin	Coláiste Chríost Rí	University College Cork

Living officeholders

There are currently five living former Taoisigh:

Taoiseach	Term of office	Date of birth
John Bruton	1994–1997	(1947-05-18) 18 May 1947
Bertie Ahern	1997–2008	(1951-09-12) 12 September 1951
Brian Cowen	2008–2011	(1960-01-10) 10 January 1960
Enda Kenny	2011–2017	(1951-04-24) 24 April 1951
Leo Varadkar	2017–2020	(1979-01-18) 18 January 1979

Timeline of living/deceased officeholders

Date	Living	Deceased	Notes
27 June 2020	6	9	Micheál Martin accedes
4 October 2017	5	9	Liam Cosgrave dies
14 June 2017	6	8	Leo Varadkar accedes
21 August 2014	5	8	Albert Reynolds dies
19 May 2011	6	7	Garrett FitzGerald dies
9 March 2011	7	6	Enda Kenny accedes
7 May 2008	6	6	Brian Cowen accedes
13 June 2006	5	6	Charles Haughey dies
20 October 1999	6	5	Jack Lynch dies
26 June 1997	7	4	Bertie Ahern accedes
15 December 1994	6	4	John Bruton accedes
11 February 1992	5	4	Albert Reynolds accedes
30 June 1981	4	4	Garret FitzGerald accedes
11 December 1979	3	4	Charles Haughey accedes
6 January 1976	2	4	John A. Costello dies
29 August 1975	3	3	Éamon de Valera dies
14 March 1973	4	2	Liam Cosgrave accedes
16 May 1971	3	2	Seán Lemass dies
10 November 1966	4	1	Jack Lynch accedes
11 May 1965	3	1	W. T. Cosgrave dies
23 June 1959	4	0	Seán Lemass accedes
18 February 1948	3	0	John A. Costello accedes
9 March 1932	2	0	Éamon de Valera accedes
6 December 1922	1	0	W. T. Cosgrave accedes

See also

• History of the Republic of Ireland
• Irish heads of government since 1919
• Politics of the Republic of Ireland
• Records of members of the Oireachtas

Notes

1. First elected to the British House of Commons in 1917 but did not take his seat.
2. First elected as member of Sinn Féin.
3. First elected as a Cumann na nGaedheal Teachta Dála.
4. Cosgrave also headed the Irish Government from 22 August 1922, during the transitional period before the state became officially independent on 6 December 1922 (See Irish heads of government since 1919).
5. De Valera became Taoiseach on 29 December 1937 under the Constitution of Ireland.
6. De Valera also headed the pre-independence revolutionary Irish Government from 1 April 1919 to 9 January 1922 (See Irish heads of government since 1919).
7. De Valera also served 3 terms as President of the Executive Council.
8. Days shown include five periods when a Taoiseach resigned but continued as Acting Taoiseach, as required by the Article 28.11.1 of the Constitution. These periods are 13 days for Charles Haughey (from 29 June to 12 July 1989), 57 days for Albert Reynolds (29 days from 14 December 1992 to 12 January 1993, and 28 days from 17 November to 15 December 1994), 57 days for Enda Kenny (from 10 March to 6 May 2016), and 128 days for Leo Varadkar from 20 February to 27 June 2020.[5]
9. De Valera served as Taoiseach for 5,613 days (15 years, 4 months).
10. De Valera also led the pre-independence revolutionary Ministry of Dáil Éireann from 1 April 1919 to 9 January 1922 (See Irish heads of government since 1919). Including these 1,015 extra days would raise his cumulative days served to 8,750 days (23 years, 11 months, 16 days).
11. Cosgrave also led the Provisional Government from 22 August 1922, during the transitional period before the state became independent on 6 December 1922 (See Irish heads of government since 1919). Including these 106 extra days would raise his cumulative days served to 3,487 days (9 years, 6 months, 19 days).
12. Three leaders entered office when younger than Varadkar, during or after the 1916 Easter Rising, but before British rule officially ended, and the Irish Free State came into existence on 6 December 1922. The youngest was Michael Collins, aged 31 years, 3 months when he became Chairman of the Provisional Government of the Irish Free State on 16 January 1922. Éamon de Valera was aged 36 years, 5 months when he became President of Dáil Éireann on 1 April 1919. Patrick Pearse was also aged 36 years, 5 months when he became President of the Irish Republic proclaimed on Easter Monday, 24 April 1916. (See Irish heads of government since 1919 and Easter Rising).
13. Cosgrave entered office as Chairman of the Provisional Government on 22 August 1922, when aged 42 years, 2 months. The age given in the table is his age when the Irish Free State was established on 6 December 1922 and he was appointed as President of the Executive Council. (See Irish heads of government since 1919).
14. De Valera also headed the pre-independence revolutionary Irish Government from 1 April 1919 to 9 January 1922, thus entering the office of President of Dáil Éireann when aged 36 years, 5 months (he was aged 38 years, 10 months when the office was renamed President of the Irish Republic on 26 August 1921). The table shows his age when he became President of the Executive Council of the Irish Free State on 9 March 1932. Under the new 1937 Constitution, his title changed to Taoiseach on 29 December 1937, when he was aged 55 years, 2 months. (See also Irish heads of government since 1919 and Éamon de Valera).
15. Held between the resignation or death of a member of the cabinet and the appointment of another member to the position.

References

1. "Coughlan new Tánaiste in Cowen Cabinet". The Irish Times. 7 May 2008. Retrieved 17 May 2008.
2. "Taoiseach reveals new front bench". RTÉ News. 7 May 2008. Retrieved 17 May 2008.
3. "Cowen confirmed as Taoiseach". BreakingNews.ie. 7 May 2008. Retrieved 17 May 2008.
4. "Former Taoisigh". Department of the Taoiseach. Archived from the original on 17 July 2011. Retrieved 11 May 2011.
5. Oireachtas Library and Research Service (28 June 2016). "Caretaker governments and caretaker conventions" (PDF). Houses of the Oireachtas. Retrieved 21 March 2017. (Page 2) … Article 28.11.1 … (Page 4) … Box 1. Irish Caretaker Governments … 2016 … 1994 … 1992 … 1989

External links

• Official website of the Taoiseach