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Irish heads of government since 1919

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Ireland

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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

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Head Deputy Cabinet State Constitution Date
President of Dáil Éireann /
President of the Irish Republic[a]
N/A Ministry Irish Republic Dáil Constitution 21 January 1919 – 6 December 1922 /
26 August 1921 – 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 officeholders

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No. Portrait Name
(Birth–Death)
Constituency
Term Political party Election Government
Took office Left office Duration
1 Cathal Brugha
(1874–1922)
MP for Waterford County
21 January 1919 1 April 1919 70 days Sinn Féin 1918 1st Ministry
2 Éamon de Valera
(1882–1975)
MP for Clare East and Mayo East until 1921
TD for Clare from 1921
1 April 1919 9 January 1922 2 years, 283 days Sinn Féin 1921 2nd Ministry
(1919–1921)
3rd Ministry
(1921–1922)
3 Arthur Griffith[b]
(1872–1922)
TD for Cavan
10 January 1922 12 August 1922 214 days Sinn Féin
(Pro-Treaty faction)
4th Ministry
4 Michael Collins[b]
(1890–1922)
TD for Cork Mid, North, South,
South East and West
16 January 1922 22 August 1922 218 days Sinn Féin
(Pro-Treaty faction)
1922 1st Provisional Government
5 W. T. Cosgrave
(1880–1965)
TD for Carlow–Kilkenny until 1927
TD for Cork Borough from 1927
22 August 1922 9 March 1932 9 years, 200 days Sinn Féin
(Pro-Treaty faction)
Cumann na nGaedheal
1923
1927 (Jun)
1927 (Sep)
1st Provisional Government
(1922)
2nd Provisional Government
(1922)
1st Executive Council
(1922–1923)
2nd Executive Council
(1923–1927)
3rd Executive Council
(1927)
4th Executive Council
(1927–1930)
5th Executive Council
(1930–1932)
(2) Éamon de Valera
(1882–1975)
TD for Clare
9 March 1932 18 February 1948 15 years, 346 days Fianna Fáil[c] 1932
1933
1937
1938
1943
1944
6th Executive Council
(1932–1933)
7th Executive Council
(1933–1937)
8th Executive Council
(1937)
1st Government
(1937–1938)
2nd Government
(1938–1943)
3rd Government
(1943–1944)
4th Government
(1944–1948)
6 John A. Costello
(1891–1976)
TD for Dublin South-East
18 February 1948 13 June 1951 3 years, 115 days Fine Gael[d] 1948 5th Government
(2) Éamon de Valera
(1882–1975)
TD for Clare
13 June 1951 2 June 1954 2 years, 354 days Fianna Fáil 1951 6th Government
(6) John A. Costello
(1891–1976)
TD for Dublin South-East
2 June 1954 20 March 1957 2 years, 291 days Fine Gael 1954 7th Government
(2) Éamon de Valera
(1882–1975)
TD for Clare
20 March 1957 23 June 1959 2 years, 95 days Fianna Fáil 1957 8th Government
7 Seán Lemass
(1899–1971)
TD for Dublin South-Central
23 June 1959 10 November 1966 7 years, 140 days Fianna Fáil 1961
1965
9th Government
(1959–1961)
10th Government
(1961–1965)
11th Government
(1965–1966)
8 Jack Lynch
(1917–1999)
TD for Cork Borough until 1969
TD for Cork City North-West from 1969
10 November 1966 14 March 1973 6 years, 124 days Fianna Fáil 1969 12th Government
(1966–1969)
13th Government
(1969–1973)
9 Liam Cosgrave
(1920–2017)
TD for Dún Laoghaire and Rathdown
14 March 1973 5 July 1977 4 years, 113 days Fine Gael 1973 14th Government
(8) Jack Lynch
(1917–1999)
TD for Cork City
5 July 1977 11 December 1979 2 years, 159 days Fianna Fáil 1977 15th Government
10 Charles Haughey
(1925–2006)
TD for Dublin Artane
11 December 1979 30 June 1981 1 year, 201 days Fianna Fáil 16th Government
11 Garret FitzGerald
(1926–2011)
TD for Dublin South-East
30 June 1981 9 March 1982 252 days Fine Gael 1981 17th Government
(10) Charles Haughey
(1925–2006)
TD for Dublin North-Central
9 March 1982 14 December 1982 280 days Fianna Fáil 1982 (Feb) 18th Government
(11) Garret FitzGerald
(1926–2011)
TD for Dublin South-East
14 December 1982 10 March 1987 4 years, 86 days Fine Gael 1982 (Nov) 19th Government
(10) Charles Haughey
(1925–2006)
TD for Dublin North-Central
10 March 1987 11 February 1992 4 years, 338 days Fianna Fáil 1987
1989
20th Government
(1987–1989)
21st Government
(1989–1992)
12 Albert Reynolds
(1932–2014)
TD for Longford–Roscommon
11 February 1992 15 December 1994 2 years, 307 days Fianna Fáil 1992 22nd Government
(1992–1993)
23rd Government
(1993–1994)
13 John Bruton
(1947–2024)
TD for Meath
15 December 1994 26 June 1997 2 years, 193 days Fine Gael 24th Government
(1994–1997)
14 Bertie Ahern
(born 1951)
TD for Dublin Central
26 June 1997 7 May 2008 10 years, 315 days Fianna Fáil 1997
2002
2007
25th Government
(1997–2002)
26th Government
(2002–2007)
27th Government
(2007–2008)
15 Brian Cowen
(born 1960)
TD for Laois–Offaly
7 May 2008 9 March 2011 2 years, 306 days Fianna Fáil 28th Government
16 Enda Kenny
(born 1951)
TD for Mayo
9 March 2011 14 June 2017 6 years, 97 days Fine Gael 2011
2016
29th Government
(2011–2016)
30th Government
(2016–2017)
17 Leo Varadkar
(born 1979)
TD for Dublin West
14 June 2017 27 June 2020 3 years, 13 days Fine Gael 31st Government
18 Micheál Martin
(born 1960)
TD for Cork South-Central
27 June 2020 17 December 2022 2 years, 173 days Fianna Fáil 2020 32nd Government
(17) Leo Varadkar
(born 1979)
TD for Dublin West
17 December 2022 9 April 2024 1 year, 114 days Fine Gael 33rd Government
19 Simon Harris
(born 1986)
TD for Wicklow
9 April 2024 Incumbent 240 days Fine Gael 34th Government

Northern Ireland

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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 had existed continuously since 2007, but after elections following a government collapsed on 16 January 2017, no Executive was formed until January 2020, when the parties came to an agreement and an Executive was subsequently established. 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

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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 officeholders

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No. Portrait Name
(Birth–Death)
Constituency
Term Political party Election Government
Took office Left office Duration
1 Sir James Craig[e]
(1871–1940)
MP for Down until 1929
MP for North Down from 1929
7 June 1921 24 November 1940 19 years, 170 days Ulster Unionist Party 1921
1925
1929
1933
1938
Craigavon ministry
2 John Miller Andrews
(1871–1956)
MP for Mid Down
25 November 1940 1 May 1943 2 years, 157 days Ulster Unionist Party Andrews ministry
3 Sir Basil Brooke[f]
(1888–1973)
MP for Lisnaskea
1 May 1943 25 March 1963 19 years, 328 days Ulster Unionist Party 1945
1949
1953
1958
1962
Brookeborough ministry
4 Terence O'Neill
(1914–1990)
MP for Bannside
25 March 1963 1 May 1969 6 years, 37 days Ulster Unionist Party 1965
1969
O'Neill ministry
5 James Chichester-Clark
(1923–2002)
MP for South Londonderry
1 May 1969 23 March 1971 1 year, 326 days Ulster Unionist Party Chichester-Clark ministry
6 Brian Faulkner
(1921–1977)
MP for East Down until 1972
MLA for South Down from 1973
23 March 1971 30 March 1972 1 year, 7 days Ulster Unionist Party Faulkner ministry
1 January 1974 28 May 1974 147 days 1973 1974 Executive
First Ministers
1 David Trimble
(1944–2022)
MLA for Upper Bann
1 July 1998 14 October 2002 4 years, 105 days Ulster Unionist Party 1998 First Executive
2 Ian Paisley
(1926–2014)
MLA for North Antrim
8 May 2007 5 June 2008 1 year, 28 days Democratic Unionist Party 2007 Second Executive
3 Peter Robinson
(born 1948)
MLA for Belfast East
5 June 2008 11 January 2016 7 years, 220 days Democratic Unionist Party 2011 Second Executive
(2008–2011)
Third Executive
(2011–2016)
4 Arlene Foster
(born 1970)
MLA for Fermanagh and South Tyrone
11 January 2016 9 January 2017 364 days Democratic Unionist Party 2016
2017
Fourth Executive
11 January 2020 14 June 2021 1 year, 154 days Fifth Executive
5 Paul Givan
(born 1981)
MLA for Lagan Valley
17 June 2021 3 February 2022 231 days Democratic Unionist Party
6 Michelle O'Neill
(born 1977)
MLA for Mid Ulster
3 February 2024 Incumbent 306 days Sinn Féin 2022 Sixth Executive
Deputy First Ministers
1 Seamus Mallon
(1936–2020)
MLA for Newry and Armagh
1 July 1998 6 November 2001 3 years, 128 days Social Democratic and Labour Party 1998 First Executive
2 Mark Durkan
(born 1960)
MLA for Foyle
6 November 2001 14 October 2002 342 days Social Democratic and Labour Party First Executive
3 Martin McGuinness
(1950–2017)
MLA for Mid Ulster until 2016
MLA for Foyle from 2016
8 May 2007 9 January 2017 9 years, 246 days Sinn Féin 2007
2011
2016
Second Executive
(2007–2011)
Third Executive
(2011–2016)
Fourth Executive
(2016–2017)
4 Michelle O'Neill
(born 1977)
MLA for Mid Ulster
11 January 2020 3 February 2022 2 years, 23 days Sinn Féin 2017 Fifth Executive
5 Emma Little-Pengelly
(born 1979)
MLA for Lagan Valley
3 February 2024 Incumbent 306 days Democratic Unionist Party 2022 Sixth Executive

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ 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.
  2. ^ a b From January to August 1922 there were two administrations operating in parallel, the Ministry of the self-declared independent Irish Republic and the Provisional Government accepted by the United Kingdom, and each cabinet had an overlapping membership. De Valera had filled both posts, but after his resignation 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. To add to the confusion, Collins was Griffith's Minister of Finance, while Griffith was Collins's Minister for Foreign Affairs. 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.
  3. ^ Successor of the Sinn Féin Anti-Treaty faction.
  4. ^ Successor of Cumann na nGaedheal and two more parties.
  5. ^ Created the Viscount Craigavon in 1927.
  6. ^ Created the Viscount Brookeborough in 1952.

References

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