Taoiseach

head of government and prime minister of Ireland

The Taoiseach (/ˈtʃəx/ (audio speaker iconlisten)),[2] also referred to as An Taoiseach ([ən t̪ˠiːʃʲəx]),[3] is the head of the government in Ireland. The term prime minister is not used by the Irish media.[4]

Prime Minister of Ireland - Taoiseach
Incumbent
Simon Harris

since 9 April 2024
Department of the Taoiseach
Style
Member of
Reports toOireachtas
ResidenceSteward's Lodge
SeatGovernment Buildings,
Merrion Street, Dublin, Ireland
NominatorDáil Éireann
AppointerPresident of Ireland
Term lengthWhile commanding the confidence of the majority of Dáil Éireann. No term limits are imposed on the office.
Inaugural holderÉamon de Valera[note 1]
Formation29 December 1937
DeputyTánaiste
Salary€207,590 annually[1]
Websitetaoiseach.gov.ie

Appointment

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When a new Dáil Éireann meets after an election it nominates one of its members to be Taoiseach. He then visits the President, and is appointed. He then presents a list of ministers to the Dáil and when this is approved they are also appointed by the President.

If the Taoiseach resigns all members of the government are said to have resigned as well. If a minister does not resign when asked by the Taoiseach, the Taoiseach can ask the President to sack the minister. The President cannot refuse to do this.[5]

Department of the Taoiseach

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The Department of the Taoiseach helps the Taoiseach to do his job. The main duty of the Taoiseach is to start policy and coordinate policy of the rest of government. Especially policies on Economic and Social Development, Northern Ireland, the European Union and Public Sector Change and Oireachtas Reform.

The Government Chief Whip, who has to make sure the government's policies and ideas are turned into law, is a part of the Taoiseach's department.

The current Taoiseach is Simon Harris since 9 April 2024.

President of the Executive Council

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No. Portrait Name
(Birth–Death)
Constituency
Term of office Party Exec. Council
Composition
Vice President Dáil
(elected)
1
W. T. Cosgrave
(1880–1965)
TD for Carlow–Kilkenny until 1927
TD for Cork Borough from 1927
6 December
1922[a]
9 March
1932
Sinn Féin
(Pro-Treaty)
1st SF (PT) (minority) Kevin O'Higgins 3 (1922)
Cumann na nGaedheal 2nd CnG (minority) 4 (1923)
3rd Ernest Blythe 5 (Jun.1927)
4th 6 (Sep.1927)
5th
2
Éamon de Valera
(1882–1975)
TD for Clare
9 March
1932[b]
29 December
1937
Fianna Fáil 6th FF (minority) Seán T. O'Kelly 7 (1932)
7th 8 (1933)
8th 9 (1937)

Taoiseach

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No. Portrait Name
(Birth–Death)
Constituency
Term of office Party Government
Composition
Tánaiste Dáil
(elected)
(2)
Éamon de Valera
(1882–1975)
TD for Clare
29 December
1937
18 February
1948
Fianna Fáil 1st FF (minority) Seán T. O'Kelly 9 ( ···· )
2nd FF 10 (1938)
3rd FF (minority) 11 (1943)
4th FF Seán Lemass 12 (1944)
3
John A. Costello
(1891–1976)
TD for Dublin South-East
18 February
1948
13 June
1951
Fine Gael 5th FGLabCnPCnTNLInd William Norton 13 (1948)
(2)
Éamon de Valera
(1882–1975)
TD for Clare
13 June
1951
2 June
1954
Fianna Fáil 6th FF (minority) Seán Lemass 14 (1951)
(3)
John A. Costello
(1891–1976)
TD for Dublin South-East
2 June
1954
20 March
1957
Fine Gael 7th FGLabCnT William Norton 15 (1954)
(2)
Éamon de Valera
(1882–1975)
TD for Clare
20 March
1957
23 June
1959
Fianna Fáil 8th FF Seán Lemass 16 (1957)
4
Seán Lemass
(1899–1971)
TD for Dublin South-Central
23 June
1959
10 November
1966
Fianna Fáil 9th FF Seán MacEntee
10th FF (minority) 17 (1961)
11th FF Frank Aiken 18 (1965)
5
Jack Lynch
(1917–1999)
TD for Cork Borough until 1969
TD for Cork City North-West from 1969
10 November
1966
14 March
1973
Fianna Fáil 12th FF
13th FF Erskine H. Childers 19 (1969)
6
Liam Cosgrave
(1920–2017)
TD for Dún Laoghaire and Rathdown
14 March
1973
5 July
1977
Fine Gael 14th FGLab Brendan Corish 20 (1973)
(5)
Jack Lynch
(1917–1999)
TD for Cork City
5 July
1977
11 December
1979
Fianna Fáil 15th FF George Colley 21 (1977)
7
Charles Haughey
(1925–2006)
TD for Dublin Artane
11 December
1979
30 June
1981
Fianna Fáil 16th FF
8
Garret FitzGerald
(1926–2011)
TD for Dublin South-East
30 June
1981
9 March
1982
Fine Gael 17th FGLab (minority) Michael O'Leary 22 (1981)
(7)
Charles Haughey
(1925–2006)
TD for Dublin North-Central
9 March
1982
14 December
1982
Fianna Fáil 18th FF (minority) Ray MacSharry 23 (Feb.1982)
(8)
Garret FitzGerald
(1926–2011)
TD for Dublin South-East
14 December
1982
10 March
1987
Fine Gael 19th FGLab
FG (minority) from Jan 1987
Dick Spring 24 (Nov.1982)
Peter Barry
(7)
Charles Haughey
(1925–2006)
TD for Dublin North-Central
10 March
1987
11 February
1992
Fianna Fáil 20th FF (minority) Brian Lenihan 25 (1987)
21st FFPD 26 (1989)
John Wilson
9
Albert Reynolds
(1932–2014)
TD for Longford–Roscommon
11 February
1992
15 December
1994
Fianna Fáil 22nd FFPD
FF (minority) from Nov 1992
23rd FFLab
FF (minority) from Nov 1994
Dick Spring 27 (1992)
Bertie Ahern
10
John Bruton
(1947–2024)
TD for Meath
15 December
1994
26 June
1997
Fine Gael 24th FGLabDL Dick Spring
11
Bertie Ahern
(b. 1951)
TD for Dublin Central
26 June
1997
7 May
2008
Fianna Fáil 25th FFPD (minority) Mary Harney 28 (1997)
26th FFPD 29 (2002)
Michael McDowell
27th FFGreenPD Brian Cowen 30 (2007)
12
Brian Cowen
(b. 1960)
TD for Laois–Offaly
7 May
2008
9 March
2011
Fianna Fáil 28th FFGreenPD
FFGreenInd from Nov 2009
FF (minority) from Jan 2011
Mary Coughlan
13
Enda Kenny
(b. 1951)
TD for Mayo
9 March
2011
14 June
2017[6]
Fine Gael 29th FGLab Eamon Gilmore 31 (2011)
Joan Burton
30th FGInd (minority) Frances Fitzgerald 32 (2016)
14
Leo Varadkar
(b. 1979)
TD for Dublin West
14 June
2017[7]
27 June
2020
Fine Gael 31st FGInd (minority)
Simon Coveney
15
Micheál Martin
(b. 1960)
TD for Cork South-Central
27 June
2020
17 December
2022
Fianna Fáil 32nd FFFGGreen Leo Varadkar 33 (2020)
(14)
Leo Varadkar
(b. 1979)
TD for Dublin West
17 December
2022
9 April
2024
Fine Gael 33rd FGFFGreen Micheál Martin
16
Simon Harris
(b. 1986)
TD for Wicklow
9 April
2024
Incumbent Fine Gael 34th FGFFGreen
  1. Before the enactment of the 1937 Constitution of Ireland, 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.
  1. Cosgrave was Chairman of the Provisional Government of the Irish Free State 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).
  2. De Valera was President of Dáil Éireann in the pre-independence revolutionary Irish Government from 1 April 1919 to 9 January 1922 (See Irish heads of government since 1919).

References

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  1. Oireachtas, Houses of the. "Salaries, Houses of the Oireachtas". oireachtas.ie. Retrieved 2 November 2019.
  2. "Taoiseach: definition of Taoiseach in Oxford dictionary (British & World English). Meaning, pronunciation and origin of the word". Oxford Language Dictionaries. Oxford University Press. 2013. Archived from the original on 25 December 2018. Retrieved 30 November 2013.
  3. Keeping the Irish definite article an /ən/ instead of English the.
  4. "BUNREACHT NA hÉIREANN". Article 28.5.1 The head of the Government, or Prime Minister, shall be called, and is in this Constitution referred to as, the Taoiseach.
  5. "BUNREACHT NA hÉIREANN". Article 28.9.4. The Taoiseach may at any time, for reasons which to him seem sufficient, request a member of the Government to resign; should the member concerned fail to comply with the request, his appointment shall be terminated by the President if the Taoiseach so advises.
  6. "Kenny's farewell: 'This has never been about me'". RTÉ News. 13 June 2017. Archived from the original on 13 June 2017. Retrieved 14 June 2017.
  7. Lord, Miriam (8 June 2017). "Taoiseach-in-waiting meets man waiting to be taoiseach". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 8 June 2017. Retrieved 10 June 2017.