Leader Of Fianna Fáil
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The leader of Fianna Fáil is the most senior politician within the
Fianna Fáil Fianna Fáil ( ; ; meaning "Soldiers of Destiny" or "Warriors of Fál"), officially Fianna Fáil â€“ The Republican Party (), is a centre to centre-right political party in Ireland. Founded as a republican party in 1926 by Éamon de ...
political party in Ireland. Since 26 January 2011, the office has been held by
Micheál Martin Micheál Martin (; born 16 August 1960) is an Irish Fianna Fáil politician serving as Taoiseach since January 2025, having previously held the position from 2020 to 2022. Martin served as Tánaiste, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Min ...
, following the resignation of
Brian Cowen Brian Bernard Cowen (born 10 January 1960) is an Irish former politician who served as Taoiseach and Leader of Fianna Fáil from 2008 to 2011. Cowen served as a TD for the constituency of Laois–Offaly from 1984 to 2011 and served in several ...
as leader of the party four days earlier.


Background

The post of leader of Fianna Fáil was officially created in 1926 when
Éamon de Valera Éamon de Valera (; ; first registered as George de Valero; changed some time before 1901 to Edward de Valera; 14 October 1882 – 29 August 1975) was an American-born Irish statesman and political leader. He served as the 3rd President of Ire ...
founded the party. De Valera had previously been leader of
Sinn Féin Sinn Féin ( ; ; ) is an Irish republican and democratic socialist political party active in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. The History of Sinn Féin, original Sinn Féin organisation was founded in 1905 by Arthur Griffit ...
and took the Anti-Treaty side during the
Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...
. The new party essentially absorbed most of Sinn Féin's parliamentary talent; most Sinn Féin TDs who had become disillusioned with the party's abstentionist policy from
Dáil Éireann Dáil Éireann ( ; , ) is the lower house and principal chamber of the Oireachtas, which also includes the president of Ireland and a senate called Seanad Éireann.Article 15.1.2° of the Constitution of Ireland reads: "The Oireachtas shall co ...
and wanted to republicanise the
Irish Free State The Irish Free State (6 December 192229 December 1937), also known by its Irish-language, Irish name ( , ), was a State (polity), state established in December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty of December 1921. The treaty ended the three-ye ...
from within. Like other Irish political parties, most notably
Fine Gael Fine Gael ( ; ; ) is a centre-right, liberal-conservative, Christian democratic political party in Ireland. Fine Gael is currently the third-largest party in the Republic of Ireland in terms of members of Dáil Éireann. The party had a member ...
, the leader of Fianna Fáil has the power to dismiss or appoint their deputy and to dismiss or appoint parliamentary party members to front bench positions. When Fianna Fáil is in opposition the leader usually acts as the
Leader of the Opposition The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the Opposition (parliamentary), largest political party not in government, typical in countries utilizing the parliamentary system form of government. The leader of the ...
, and chairs the opposition front bench. Concordantly, when the party is in government, the leader would usually become
Taoiseach The Taoiseach (, ) is the head of government or prime minister of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The office is appointed by the President of Ireland upon nomination by Dáil Éireann (the lower house of the Oireachtas, Ireland's national legisl ...
, as well as appointing the cabinet. All eight leaders of Fianna Fáil have served as head of government. Éamon de Valera became the first, when he was elected President of the Executive Council in 1932. He became Taoiseach with the adoption of the current Constitution in 1937. He remained as leader of Fianna Fáil until 1959, when he retired after serving 21 years as head of government over three separate stints and after leading the party to eight general election triumphs.
Seán Lemass Seán Francis Lemass (born John Francis Lemass; 15 July 1899 – 11 May 1971) was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who served as Taoiseach and Leader of Fianna Fáil from 1959 to 1966. He also served as Tánaiste from 1957 to 1959, 1951 to 1954 ...
was the unanimous choice to succeed de Valera as leader of Fianna Fáil and Taoiseach that year. He served seven years in both roles before handing over to
Jack Lynch John Mary Lynch (15 August 1917 – 20 October 1999) was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who served as Taoiseach from 1966 to 1973 and 1977 to 1979. He was Leader of Fianna Fáil from 1966 to 1979, Leader of the Opposition from 1973 to 1977, ...
in 1966, following the first contested leadership election in the history of the party. Lynch served as party leader for thirteen years until 1979, nine of which were spent as Taoiseach. His resignation sparked another leadership election, which saw
Charles Haughey Charles James Haughey (; 16 September 1925 – 13 June 2006) was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who led four governments as Taoiseach: December 1979 to June 1981, March to December 1982, March 1987 to June 1989, and June 1989 to February 1992 ...
emerge as Taoiseach and leader of a deeply divided party. His thirteen year period in charge saw many heaves against his leadership from within the party, with the final challenge hastening his resignation in 1992. That year, three candidates expressed an interest in seeking the leadership; however,
Albert Reynolds Albert Martin Reynolds (3 November 1932 – 21 August 2014) was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who served as Taoiseach and Leader of Fianna Fáil from 1992 to 1994. He held various cabinet positions between 1979 and 1991, including Ministe ...
was the overwhelming favourite in the subsequent leadership election and was elected Taoiseach and party leader. After just over two years in office, Reynolds was forced to resign in 1994. His successor was
Bertie Ahern Bartholomew Patrick "Bertie" Ahern (born 12 September 1951) is an Irish former Fianna Fáil politician who served as Taoiseach from 1997 to 2008, and as Leader of Fianna Fáil from 1994 to 2008. A Teachta Dála (TD) from 1977 to 2011, he served ...
who, after being the unopposed candidate for the position of leader, was forced into opposition. Ahern went on to become the most popular leader of Fianna Fáil in the modern era, guiding the party to three successive election wins and serving almost eleven consecutive years as Taoiseach. His resignation in 2008 saw
Brian Cowen Brian Bernard Cowen (born 10 January 1960) is an Irish former politician who served as Taoiseach and Leader of Fianna Fáil from 2008 to 2011. Cowen served as a TD for the constituency of Laois–Offaly from 1984 to 2011 and served in several ...
take on the dual roles of Taoiseach and party leader, following an unopposed election. Cowen's tenure was characterised by a downturn in the economy, and he was effectively forced to resign as party leader in 2011 while remaining as Taoiseach. Four candidates put their names forward in the subsequent leadership election, with former
Foreign Minister In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's foreign policy and relations, diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral r ...
Micheál Martin Micheál Martin (; born 16 August 1960) is an Irish Fianna Fáil politician serving as Taoiseach since January 2025, having previously held the position from 2020 to 2022. Martin served as Tánaiste, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Min ...
becoming the eighth leader of the party. Micheál Martin first served as Leader of the Opposition from 2011 until 2020. He led the party into two elections before being elected Taoiseach of a three party coalition government between Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Green Party following the 2020 general election where no party won an outright majority. He served as Taoiseach until 17 December 2022, where the positions of Taoiseach and Tánaiste rotated as part of an agreed cabinet reshuffle where he became Tánaiste while Leo Varadkar, leader of Fine Gael, succeeded him as Taoiseach. Martin again became Taoiseach on 23 January 2025 following the 2024 general election, and an agreement between Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and several independent TDs.


Leaders


Deputy leaders

The deputy leader of Fianna Fáil is usually a senior politician within Fianna Fáil. Like other political party leaders, the leader of Fianna Fáil has the power to appoint or dismiss their deputy. The position is not an elected one and is largely honorific. The office of
Tánaiste The Tánaiste ( , ) is the second-ranking member of the government of Ireland and the holder of its second-most senior office. It is the equivalent of the deputy prime minister in other parliamentary systems. The Tánaiste is appointed by the P ...
has been held by senior politicians in the main governing party. Previous Fianna Fáil deputy leaders, including
Brian Cowen Brian Bernard Cowen (born 10 January 1960) is an Irish former politician who served as Taoiseach and Leader of Fianna Fáil from 2008 to 2011. Cowen served as a TD for the constituency of Laois–Offaly from 1984 to 2011 and served in several ...
and Mary Coughlan, held this post from 2007 to 2011. However, the deputy leader is essentially a party official and there is no constitutional link between the two roles. Fianna Fáil did not have a deputy leader from the reshuffle in 2012 until the reshuffle in 2018. Following the resignation of Dara Calleary in August 2020, the position of deputy leader remained vacant until Jack Chambers was appointed in June 2024.


Rank by time in office


See also

* History of Fianna Fáil * Leader of Fine Gael *
Leader of the Labour Party (Ireland) The Leader of the Labour Party is the most senior politician within the Labour Party (Ireland), Labour Party in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Since 24 March 2022, the office has been held by Ivana Bacik, following the resignation of Alan Kelly (po ...
*
Leader of Sinn Féin Leadership, is defined as the ability of an individual, group, or organization to "", influence, or guide other individuals, teams, or organizations. "Leadership" is a contested term. Specialist literature debates various viewpoints on the co ...


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Leader Of Fianna Fail Fianna Fáil Fianna Fail Republic of Ireland politics-related lists