# Minister for Foreign Affairs (Ireland)

The Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade (Irish: An tAire Gnóthaí Eachtracha agus Trádála) is a senior minister in the Government of Ireland and leads the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
The Minister's office is located at Iveagh House, on St Stephen's Green in Dublin; "Iveagh House" is often used as a metonym for the department as a whole. From 1922 until 1971, the title of the office was Minister for External Affairs.
The current office holder is Simon Harris, TD. He is also Minister for Defence.
He is assisted by:
* Thomas Byrne, TD – Minister of State for European Affairs
* Neale Richmond, TD – Minister of State for International Development and Diaspora

## Overview

The department has the following divisions:
* Finance Unit – oversees the financial control of the department.
* Anglo-Irish Division – deals with Anglo-Irish relations and Northern Ireland.
* Cultural Division – administers the state's Cultural Relations Programme.
* European Union Division – coordinates the state's approach within the European Union (EU).
* Development Cooperation Division – responsible for the Irish Aid programme and for Irish international development policy.
* Passport and Consular Division – is responsible for the issuing of passports to Irish citizens.
* Political Division – is responsible for international political issues and manages the state's participation in the EU's Common Foreign and Security Policy.
* Protocol Division – is responsible for the organisation and management of visits of VIPs to the state and of visits abroad by the President of Ireland.
The minister has responsibility for the relations between Ireland and foreign states. The department defines its role as: "The Department of Foreign Affairs advises the Minister for Foreign Affairs, the Ministers of State and the Government on all aspects of foreign policy and coordinates Ireland's response to international developments.
It also provides advice and support on all issues relevant to the pursuit of peace, partnership and reconciliation in Northern Ireland, and between North and South of the island, and to deepening Ireland's relationship with Britain."

## List of officeholders

Minister for Foreign Affairs 1919–1922 :
| Name | Term of office | Term of office | Party | Party | Government(s) |
| George Noble Plunkett | 22 January 1919 | 26 August 1921 | | Sinn Féin | 1st DM • 2nd DM |
| Arthur Griffith (1st time) | 26 August 1921 | 9 January 1922 | | Sinn Féin | 3rd DM |
| George Gavan Duffy | 10 January 1922 | 25 July 1922 | | Sinn Féin (Pro-Treaty) | 4th DM • 1st PG |
| Arthur Griffith (2nd time) | 26 July 1922 | 12 August 1922 | | Sinn Féin (Pro-Treaty) | 4th DM • 1st PG |
| Michael Hayes (acting) | 21 August 1922 | 9 September 1922 | | Sinn Féin (Pro-Treaty) | 4th DM • 1st PG |
| Minister for External Affairs 1922–1971 ||||||||
| Name | Term of office | Term of office | Party | Party | Government(s) |
| Desmond FitzGerald | 30 August 1922 | 23 June 1927 | | Cumann na nGaedheal | 2nd PG • 5th DM • 1st EC • 2nd EC |
| Kevin O'Higgins | 23 June 1927 | 10 July 1927 | | Cumann na nGaedheal | 3rd EC |
| W. T. Cosgrave (acting) | 10 July 1927 | 11 October 1927 | | Cumann na nGaedheal | 3rd EC |
| Patrick McGilligan | 11 October 1927 | 9 March 1932 | | Cumann na nGaedheal | 4th EC • 5th EC |
| Éamon de Valera | 9 March 1932 | 18 February 1948 | | Fianna Fáil | 6th EC • 7th EC • 8th EC • 1st • 2nd • 3rd • 4th |
| Seán MacBride | 18 February 1948 | 13 June 1951 | | Clann na Poblachta | 5th |
| Frank Aiken (1st time) | 13 June 1951 | 2 June 1954 | | Fianna Fáil | 6th |
| Liam Cosgrave | 2 June 1954 | 20 March 1957 | | Fine Gael | 7th |
| Frank Aiken (2nd time) | 20 March 1957 | 2 July 1969 | | Fianna Fáil | 8th • 9th • 10th • 11th • 12th |
| Patrick Hillery | 2 July 1969 | 3 March 1971 | | Fianna Fáil | 13th |
| Minister for Foreign Affairs 1971–2011 ||||||||
| Name | Term of office | Term of office | Party | Party | Government(s) |
| Patrick Hillery | 3 March 1971 | 3 January 1973 | | Fianna Fáil | 13th |
| Brian Lenihan (1st time) | 3 January 1973 | 14 March 1973 | | Fianna Fáil | 13th |
| Garret FitzGerald | 14 March 1973 | 5 July 1977 | | Fine Gael | 14th |
| Michael O'Kennedy | 5 July 1977 | 11 December 1979 | | Fianna Fáil | 15th |
| Brian Lenihan (2nd time) | 12 December 1979 | 30 June 1981 | | Fianna Fáil | 16th |
| John Kelly (acting) | 30 June 1981 | 21 October 1981 | | Fine Gael | 17th |
| James Dooge | 21 October 1981 | 9 March 1982 | | Fine Gael | 17th |
| Gerry Collins (1st time) | 9 March 1982 | 14 December 1982 | | Fianna Fáil | 18th |
| Peter Barry | 14 December 1982 | 10 March 1987 | | Fine Gael | 19th |
| Brian Lenihan (3rd time) | 10 March 1987 | 12 July 1989 | | Fianna Fáil | 20th |
| Gerry Collins (2nd time) | 12 July 1989 | 11 February 1992 | | Fianna Fáil | 21st |
| David Andrews (1st time) | 11 February 1992 | 12 January 1993 | | Fianna Fáil | 22nd |
| Dick Spring (1st time) | 12 January 1993 | 17 November 1994 | | Labour | 23rd |
| Albert Reynolds (acting) | 18 November 1994 | 15 December 1994 | | Fianna Fáil | 23rd |
| Dick Spring (2nd time) | 15 December 1994 | 26 June 1997 | | Labour | 24th |
| Ray Burke | 26 June 1997 | 7 October 1997 | | Fianna Fáil | 25th |
| David Andrews (2nd time) | 8 October 1997 | 27 January 2000 | | Fianna Fáil | 25th |
| Brian Cowen | 27 January 2000 | 29 September 2004 | | Fianna Fáil | 25th • 26th |
| Dermot Ahern | 29 September 2004 | 7 May 2008 | | Fianna Fáil | 26th • 27th |
| Micheál Martin | 7 May 2008 | 19 January 2011 | | Fianna Fáil | 28th |
| Brian Cowen (2nd time) | 19 January 2011 | 9 March 2011 | | Fianna Fáil | 28th |
| Eamon Gilmore | 9 March 2011 | 2 June 2011 | | Labour | 29th |
| Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade 2011–2020 ||||||||
| Name | Term of office | Term of office | Party | Party | Government(s) |
| Eamon Gilmore | 2 June 2011 | 11 July 2014 | | Labour | 29th |
| Charles Flanagan | 11 July 2014 | 14 June 2017 | | Fine Gael | 29th • 30th |
| Simon Coveney | 14 June 2017 | 24 September 2020 | | Fine Gael | 31st • 32nd |
| Minister for Foreign Affairs 2020–2025 ||||||||
| Name | Term of office | Term of office | Party | Party | Government(s) |
| Simon Coveney | 24 September 2020 | 17 December 2022 | | Fine Gael | 32nd |
| Micheál Martin (2nd time) | 17 December 2022 | 23 January 2025 | | Fianna Fáil | 33rd • 34th |
| Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade 2025–present ||||||||
| Name | Term of office | Term of office | Party | Party | Government(s) |
| Simon Harris | 23 January 2025 | Incumbent | | Fine Gael | 35th |

### Notes

* ↑ Before 1937: DM – Dáil Ministry; PG – Provisional Government; EC – Executive Council.
* ↑ On the first occasion he held the foreign affairs portfolio, Arthur Griffith's title was Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.
* ↑ Éamon de Valera, who was head of government (President of the Executive Council until 1937, renamed Taoiseach in 1937) served as his own foreign minister.
* ↑ John Kelly, who was also Minister for Trade, Commerce and Tourism, was named as acting Minister for Foreign Affairs until Dooge was appointed to Seanad Éireann and later appointed as minister.
* 1 2 Also Minister for Defence from 27 June 2020.