# Irish heads of government since 1919
## Ireland

The head of government, or prime minister, of Ireland is known as the Taoiseach and heads a cabinet called the Government. However, since 1919, heads of government in the Irish state have borne a number of titles. Under the short-lived Irish Republic of 1919–22 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 1922–37 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.

### 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 | 29 December 1937 – present |

### List of officeholders

| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) Constituency | Term | Term | Term | Political party | Election | Government |
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) Constituency | Took office | Left office | Duration | Political party | Election | Government |
| 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 | 34 days | Fianna Fáil | 2024 | 35th Government |

### Timeline
## Northern Ireland

The most recent devolved cabinet in Northern Ireland is the Northern Ireland Executive, established under the Good Friday Agreement. The Executive has been in operation, intermittently, since 1999; but had existed continuously since 2007, but after elections following a government collapsed on 16 January 2017, no Executive was formed until January 2020, when the parties came to an agreement and an Executive was subsequently established. Since 1921, there have been three different prime ministerial offices in Northern Ireland. The most recent structure, the Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister, represents a diarchy. As such, there is no longer a singular executive office, but rather a dual office.

### Offices

| Head | Cabinet | Date |
| Prime Minister | Government | 7 June 1921 – 30 March 1972 |
| Chief Executive | Executive (Sunningdale) | 1 January 1974 – 28 May 1974 |
| First Minister and deputy First Minister | Executive | 1 July 1998 – present |

### List of officeholders

| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) Constituency | Term | Term | Term | Political party | Election | Government |
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) Constituency | Took office | Left office | Duration | Political party | Election | Government |
| 1 | | Sir James Craig (1871–1940) MP for Down until 1929 MP for North Down from 1929 | 7 June 1921 | 24 November 1940 | 19 years, 170 days | Ulster Unionist Party | 1921 1925 1929 1933 1938 | Craigavon ministry |
| 2 | | John Miller Andrews (1871–1956) MP for Mid Down | 25 November 1940 | 1 May 1943 | 2 years, 157 days | Ulster Unionist Party | — | Andrews ministry |
| 3 | | Sir Basil Brooke (1888–1973) MP for Lisnaskea | 1 May 1943 | 25 March 1963 | 19 years, 328 days | Ulster Unionist Party | 1945 1949 1953 1958 1962 | Brookeborough ministry |
| 4 | | Terence O'Neill (1914–1990) MP for Bannside | 25 March 1963 | 1 May 1969 | 6 years, 37 days | Ulster Unionist Party | 1965 1969 | O'Neill ministry |
| 5 | | James Chichester-Clark (1923–2002) MP for South Londonderry | 1 May 1969 | 23 March 1971 | 1 year, 326 days | Ulster Unionist Party | — | Chichester-Clark ministry |
| 6 | | Brian Faulkner (1921–1977) MP for East Down until 1972 MLA for South Down from 1973 | 23 March 1971 | 30 March 1972 | 1 year, 7 days | Ulster Unionist Party | — | Faulkner ministry |
| 6 | | Brian Faulkner (1921–1977) MP for East Down until 1972 MLA for South Down from 1973 | 1 January 1974 | 28 May 1974 | 147 days | Ulster Unionist Party | 1973 | 1974 Executive |
| First Ministers |||||||||
| 1 | | David Trimble (1944–2022) MLA for Upper Bann | 1 July 1998 | 14 October 2002 | 4 years, 105 days | Ulster Unionist Party | 1998 | First Executive |
| 2 | | Ian Paisley (1926–2014) MLA for North Antrim | 8 May 2007 | 5 June 2008 | 1 year, 28 days | Democratic Unionist Party | 2007 | Second Executive |
| 3 | | Peter Robinson (born 1948) MLA for Belfast East | 5 June 2008 | 11 January 2016 | 7 years, 220 days | Democratic Unionist Party | 2011 | Second Executive (2008–2011) Third Executive (2011–2016) |
| 4 | | Arlene Foster (born 1970) MLA for Fermanagh and South Tyrone | 11 January 2016 | 9 January 2017 | 364 days | Democratic Unionist Party | 2016 2017 | Fourth Executive |
| 4 | | Arlene Foster (born 1970) MLA for Fermanagh and South Tyrone | 11 January 2020 | 14 June 2021 | 1 year, 154 days | Democratic Unionist Party | 2016 2017 | Fifth Executive |
| 5 | | Paul Givan (born 1981) MLA for Lagan Valley | 17 June 2021 | 3 February 2022 | 231 days | Democratic Unionist Party | — | Fifth Executive |
| 6 | | Michelle O'Neill (born 1977) MLA for Mid Ulster | 3 February 2024 | Incumbent | 1 year, 23 days | Sinn Féin | 2022 | Sixth Executive |
| Deputy First Ministers |||||||||
| 1 | | Seamus Mallon (1936–2020) MLA for Newry and Armagh | 1 July 1998 | 6 November 2001 | 3 years, 128 days | Social Democratic and Labour Party | 1998 | First Executive |
| 2 | | Mark Durkan (born 1960) MLA for Foyle | 6 November 2001 | 14 October 2002 | 342 days | Social Democratic and Labour Party | — | First Executive |
| 3 | | Martin McGuinness (1950–2017) MLA for Mid Ulster until 2016 MLA for Foyle from 2016 | 8 May 2007 | 9 January 2017 | 9 years, 246 days | Sinn Féin | 2007 2011 2016 | Second Executive (2007–2011) Third Executive (2011–2016) Fourth Executive (2016–2017) |
| 4 | | Michelle O'Neill (born 1977) MLA for Mid Ulster | 11 January 2020 | 3 February 2022 | 2 years, 23 days | Sinn Féin | 2017 | Fifth Executive |
| 5 | | Emma Little-Pengelly (born 1979) MLA for Lagan Valley | 3 February 2024 | Incumbent | 1 year, 23 days | Democratic Unionist Party | 2022 | Sixth Executive |