# Tánaiste

The Tánaiste (/ˈtɔːnɪʃtə/ TAW-nish-tə, Irish: ) 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 President of Ireland on the advice of the Taoiseach. The current office holder is Simon Harris, TD, who was appointed on 23 January 2025.

## History

Under the Gaelic system of tanistry, the word tánaiste (plural tánaistí, pronounced, approximately /ˈtɔːnɪʃtiː/) had been used for the heir of the chief (taoiseach) or king (rí). The word was adopted in the 1937 Constitution of Ireland as the title for a member of the government nominated by the Taoiseach to act in their place as needed during periods of the Taoiseach's temporary absence. Tánaiste is the official title of the deputy head of government in both English and Irish, and is not used for other countries' deputy prime ministers, who are referred to in Irish by the generic term leas-phríomh-aire, pronounced, approximately /ˌlæsfriːˈvɛərə/ LASS-free-VAIR-ə. The longer Irish form, an Tánaiste, is sometimes used in English instead of "the Tánaiste".

## Overview

The office was created in 1937 under the new Constitution of Ireland and replaced the previous office of Vice-President of the Executive Council, which had existed under the Constitution of the Irish Free State, and which was first held by Kevin O'Higgins of Cumann na nGaedheal from 1922 to 1927.
The Taoiseach nominates one member of the Government to the office who is required to be a member of Dáil Éireann. The nominee then receives their seal of office from the President of Ireland in recognition of the appointment. The Tánaiste acts in the place of the Taoiseach during a temporary absence. In the event of the Taoiseach's death or permanent incapacitation, the Tánaiste acts as Taoiseach until another is appointed. The Tánaiste is, ex officio, a member of the Council of State. The Tánaiste chairs meetings of the government in the absence of the Taoiseach and may take questions on their behalf in the Dáil or Seanad.
Aside from those duties, the title is largely honorific as the Constitution does not confer any additional powers on the office holder over and above the other members of the Government. In theory, the Tánaiste could be a minister without portfolio, but every Tánaiste has in parallel held a ministerial portfolio as head of a Department of State. The Department of the Taoiseach is a Department of State, but there is no equivalent for the Tánaiste. Dick Spring in the Rainbow Coalition (1994–1997) had an official "Office of the Tánaiste", but other parties have not used that nomenclature. Under Spring, Eithne Fitzgerald was "Minister of State at the Office of the Tánaiste", with responsibility for co-ordinating Labour policy in the coalition.
Under a coalition government, the Tánaiste is typically the leader of the second-largest coalition partner, just as the Taoiseach is usually leader of the coalition's senior partner. However, during the coalition governments in 1989–1992 and 2007–2011, the position was held by Fianna Fáil's deputy leader, rather than the leader of a junior partner. As part of a rotating Taoiseach agreement since 2020, the role of Tánaiste gained increased prominence and responsibility in coordinating and Government policy as it was held by Leo Varadkar for the first half of the Government's term in office prior to his appointment as Taoiseach and Micheál Martin in the second half.
The office of Tánaiste is as yet the highest government rank attained by a woman Minister.
Four Tánaistí later held the office of Taoiseach: Seán Lemass, Bertie Ahern, Brian Cowen, and Leo Varadkar (his second term as Taoiseach). Varadkar is also one of three Tánaistí, with Micheál Martin and Simon Harris, to have previously held the office of Taoiseach before becoming Tánaiste. Two Tánaistí were later elected as President of Ireland: Seán T. O'Kelly and Erskine H. Childers.

## List of office-holders

Vice-President of the Executive Council :
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) Constituency | Term of office | Term of office | Party | Party | Exec. Council (President) | Ministries as Vice-President |
| 1 | | Kevin O'Higgins (1892–1927) TD for Leix–Offaly until 1923 TD for Dublin County from 1923 | 6 December 1922 | 10 July 1927 | | Cumann na nGaedheal | 1·2 (W.T.Cosgrave) | Justice (1922–1927) |
| 2 | | Ernest Blythe (1889–1975) TD for Monaghan | 14 July 1927 | 9 March 1932 | | Cumann na nGaedheal | 3·4·5 (W.T.Cosgrave) | Posts and Telegraphs (1927–1932) |
| 3 | | Seán T. O'Kelly (1882–1966) TD for Dublin North until 1937 TD for Dublin North-West from 1937 | 9 March 1932 | 29 December 1937 | | Fianna Fáil | 6·7·8 (de Valera) | Local Government and Public Health (1932–1937) |
| Tánaiste |||||||||
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) Constituency | Term of office | Term of office | Party | Party | Government (Taoiseach) | Ministries as Tánaiste Higher Offices Held |
| (3) | | Seán T. O'Kelly (1882–1966) TD for Dublin North-West | 29 December 1937 | 14 June 1945 | | Fianna Fáil | 1·2·3·4 (de Valera) | Local Government and Public Health (1937–1939) Education (1939) Finance (1939–1945) President of Ireland (1945–1959) |
| 4 | | Seán Lemass (1899–1971) TD for Dublin South | 14 June 1945 | 18 February 1948 | | Fianna Fáil | 4 (de Valera) | Supplies (1945) Industry and Commerce (1945–1948) |
| 5 | | William Norton (1900–1963) TD for Kildare | 18 February 1948 | 13 June 1951 | | Labour Party | 5 (Costello) | Social Welfare (1948–1951) |
| (4) | | Seán Lemass (1899–1971) TD for Dublin South-Central | 13 June 1951 | 2 June 1954 | | Fianna Fáil | 6 (de Valera) | Industry and Commerce (1951–1954) |
| (5) | | William Norton (1900–1963) TD for Kildare | 2 June 1954 | 20 March 1957 | | Labour Party | 7 (Costello) | Industry and Commerce (1954–1957) |
| (4) | | Seán Lemass (1899–1971) TD for Dublin South-Central | 20 March 1957 | 23 June 1959 | | Fianna Fáil | 8 (de Valera) | Industry and Commerce (1957–1959) Taoiseach (1959–1966) |
| 6 | | Seán MacEntee (1889–1984) TD for Dublin South-East | 23 June 1959 | 21 April 1965 | | Fianna Fáil | 9·10 (Lemass) | Health (1959–1965) |
| 7 | | Frank Aiken (1898–1983) TD for Louth | 21 April 1965 | 2 July 1969 | | Fianna Fáil | 11 (Lemass) 12 (Lynch) | External Affairs (1965–1969) |
| 8 | | Erskine H. Childers (1905–1974) TD for Monaghan | 2 July 1969 | 14 March 1973 | | Fianna Fáil | 13 (Lynch) | Health (1969–1973) President of Ireland (1973–1974) |
| 9 | | Brendan Corish (1918–1990) TD for Wexford | 14 March 1973 | 5 July 1977 | | Labour Party | 14 (L. Cosgrave) | Health (1973–1977) |
| 10 | | George Colley (1925–1983) TD for Dublin Clontarf | 5 July 1977 | 30 June 1981 | | Fianna Fáil | 15 (Lynch) 16 (Haughey) | Finance (1977–1979) Tourism and Transport (1979–1980) Energy (1980–1981) |
| 11 | | Michael O'Leary (1936–2006) TD for Dublin Central | 30 June 1981 | 9 March 1982 | | Labour Party | 17 (FitzGerald) | Energy (1981–1982) |
| 12 | | Ray MacSharry (born 1938) TD for Sligo–Leitrim | 9 March 1982 | 14 December 1982 | | Fianna Fáil | 18 (Haughey) | Finance (1982) |
| 13 | | Dick Spring (born 1950) TD for Kerry North | 14 December 1982 | 20 January 1987 | | Labour Party | 19 (FitzGerald) | Environment (1982–1983) Energy (1983–1987) |
| 14 | | Peter Barry (1928–2016) TD for Cork South-Central | 20 January 1987 | 10 March 1987 | | Fine Gael | 19 (FitzGerald) | Foreign Affairs (1987) |
| 15 | | Brian Lenihan (1930–1995) TD for Dublin West | 10 March 1987 | 31 October 1990 | | Fianna Fáil | 20·21 (Haughey) | Foreign Affairs (1987–1989) Defence (1989–1990) |
| 16 | | John Wilson (1923–2007) TD for Cavan–Monaghan | 13 November 1990 | 12 January 1993 | | Fianna Fáil | 21 (Haughey) | Marine (1990–1992) |
| 16 | | John Wilson (1923–2007) TD for Cavan–Monaghan | 13 November 1990 | 12 January 1993 | | Fianna Fáil | 22 (Reynolds) | Defence and Gaeltacht (1992–1993) |
| (13) | | Dick Spring (born 1950) TD for Kerry North | 12 January 1993 | 17 November 1994 | | Labour Party | 23 (Reynolds) | Foreign Affairs (1993–1994) |
| 17 | | Bertie Ahern (born 1951) TD for Dublin Central | 17 November 1994 | 15 December 1994 | | Fianna Fáil | 23 (Reynolds) | Finance (1994) Taoiseach (1997–2008) |
| (13) | | Dick Spring (born 1950) TD for Kerry North | 15 December 1994 | 26 June 1997 | | Labour Party | 24 (Bruton) | Foreign Affairs (1994–1997) |
| 18 | | Mary Harney (born 1953) TD for Dublin South-West until 2002 TD for Dublin Mid-West from 2002 | 26 June 1997 | 13 September 2006 | | Progressive Democrats | 25·26 (Ahern) | Enterprise, Trade and Employment (1997–2004) Health and Children (2004–2006) |
| 19 | | Michael McDowell (born 1951) TD for Dublin South-East | 13 September 2006 | 14 June 2007 | | Progressive Democrats | 26 (Ahern) | Justice, Equality and Law Reform (2002–2007) |
| 20 | | Brian Cowen (born 1960) TD for Laois–Offaly | 14 June 2007 | 7 May 2008 | | Fianna Fáil | 27 (Ahern) | Finance (2007–2008) Taoiseach (2008–2011) |
| 21 | | Mary Coughlan (born 1965) TD for Donegal South-West | 7 May 2008 | 9 March 2011 | | Fianna Fáil | 28 (Cowen) | Enterprise, Trade and Employment (2008–2010) Education and Skills (2010–2011) Health and Children (2011) |
| 22 | | Eamon Gilmore (born 1955) TD for Dún Laoghaire | 9 March 2011 | 4 July 2014 | | Labour Party | 29 (Kenny) | Foreign Affairs and Trade (2011–2014) |
| 23 | | Joan Burton (born 1949) TD for Dublin West | 4 July 2014 | 6 May 2016 | | Labour Party | 29 (Kenny) | Social Protection (2014–2016) |
| 24 | | Frances Fitzgerald (born 1950) TD for Dublin Mid-West | 6 May 2016 | 28 November 2017 | | Fine Gael | 30 (Kenny) | Justice and Equality (2016–2017) |
| 24 | | Frances Fitzgerald (born 1950) TD for Dublin Mid-West | 6 May 2016 | 28 November 2017 | | Fine Gael | 31 (Varadkar) | Business, Enterprise and Innovation (2017) |
| 25 | | Simon Coveney (born 1972) TD for Cork South Central | 30 November 2017 | 27 June 2020 | | Fine Gael | 31 (Varadkar) | Foreign Affairs and Trade (2017–2020) |
| 26 | | Leo Varadkar (born 1979) TD for Dublin West | 27 June 2020 | 17 December 2022 | | Fine Gael | 32 (Martin) | Enterprise, Trade and Employment (2020–2022) Taoiseach (2017−2020, 2022–2024) |
| 27 | | Micheál Martin (born 1960) TD for Cork South-Central | 17 December 2022 | 23 January 2025 | | Fianna Fáil | 33 (Varadkar) | Taoiseach (2020−2022, 2025−present) Foreign Affairs (2022–2025) Defence (2022–2025) |
| 27 | | Micheál Martin (born 1960) TD for Cork South-Central | 17 December 2022 | 23 January 2025 | | Fianna Fáil | 34 (Harris) | Taoiseach (2020−2022, 2025−present) Foreign Affairs (2022–2025) Defence (2022–2025) |
| 28 | | Simon Harris (born 1986) TD for Wicklow | 23 January 2025 | Incumbent | | Fine Gael | 35 (Martin) | Taoiseach (2024−2025) Foreign Affairs and Trade (2025–present) Defence (2025–present) |

## Timeline

This is a graphical lifespan timeline of Tánaistí. They are listed in order of office (Lemass, Norton, and Spring are shown in order of their first terms).