The head of government of the Republic of Ireland has gone by several different titles since the formation of the country in 1919. Under the short-lived Irish Republic of 1919–1922, 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 1922–1937, 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. Since 1937, the Taoiseach heads a cabinet called the Government.
Offices
| Head | Deputy | Cabinet | State | Constitution | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| President of Dáil Éireann / President of the Irish Republic | 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 | Since 29 December 1937 |
List of officeholders
| 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 (1872–1922) TD for Cavan | 10 January 1922 | 12 August 1922 | 214 days | Sinn Féin (Pro-Treaty faction) | — | 4th Ministry | |
| 4 | Michael Collins (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 | 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 | 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 | 23 January 2025 | 289 days | Fine Gael | — | 34th Government | |
| (18) | Micheál Martin (born 1960) TD for Cork South-Central | 23 January 2025 | Incumbent | 330 days | Fianna Fáil | 2024 | 35th Government | |
Timeline
See also
- Irish head of state from 1922 to 1949
- President of Ireland
- Irish cabinets since 1919
- History of the Republic of Ireland
- Politics of the Republic of Ireland
- Records of Irish heads of government since 1922
- List of heads of government of Northern Ireland
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