Leader of the Opposition (Ireland)

The Leader of the Opposition () in Ireland is the politician who, , leads the Parliamentary Opposition in the lower house of the Irish Parliament, Dáil Éireann. 

When in the Dáil, the Leader of the Opposition sits on the right-hand side of the Ceann Comhairle and directly opposite of the Taoiseach.

To date there have been 17 Opposition Leaders, 9 of whom have been Taoiseach. The current Leader of the Opposition is Mary Lou McDonald TD of the Sinn Féin party since June 2020.

Leader of the Opposition
 Leaders who later became Taoiseach are indicated in bold.
+List of leaders of the oppositionNo.NamePortraitConstituencyTerm of officePartyTaoiseachFromTo1.Éamon de Valera60pxClare9 January 19228 June 1922Sinn Féin (Anti-Treaty)Arthur Griffith (1922)2.Thomas Johnson60pxDublin County 9 September 192211 August 1927Labour PartyW. T. Cosgrave (1922–32)Éamon de Valera60pxClare11 August 19279 March 1932Fianna Fáil3.W. T. Cosgrave60pxCork Borough9 March 1932January 1944Cumann na nGaedhealÉamon de Valera (1932–48)Fine Gael4.Thomas F. O'Higgins60pxLeix–OffalyJanuary 19449 June 19445.Richard Mulcahy60pxTipperary9 June 194418 February 1948Éamon de Valera60pxClare18 February 194813 June 1951Fianna FáilJohn A. Costello (1948–51)6.John A. Costello60pxDublin South-East13 June 19512 June 1954Fine GaelÉamon de Valera (1951–54)Éamon de Valera60pxClare2 June 195420 March 1957Fianna FáilJohn A. Costello (1954–57)John A. Costello60pxDublin South-East20 March 195721 October 1959Fine GaelÉamon de Valera (1957–59)Seán Lemass (1959–66)7.James Dillon60pxMonaghan21 October 195921 April 19658.Liam Cosgrave60pxDún Laoghaire and Rathdown21 April 196514 March 1973Jack Lynch (1966–73)9.Jack Lynch60pxCork City North-West14 March 19735 July 1977Fianna FáilLiam Cosgrave (1973–77)10.Garret FitzGerald60pxDublin South-East5 July 197730 June 1981Fine GaelJack Lynch (1977–79)Charles Haughey (1979–81)11.Charles Haughey60pxDublin North-Central30 June 19819 March 1982Fianna FáilGarret FitzGerald (1981–82)Garret FitzGerald60pxDublin South-East9 March 198214 December 1982Fine GaelCharles Haughey (1982)Charles Haughey60pxDublin North-Central14 December 198210 March 1987Fianna FáilGarret FitzGerald (1982–87)12.Alan Dukes60pxKildare10 March 198720 November 1990Fine GaelCharles Haughey (1987–92)13.John Bruton60pxMeath20 November 199015 December 1994Albert Reynolds (1992–94)14.Bertie Ahern60pxDublin Central15 December 199426 June 1997Fianna FáilJohn Bruton (1994–97)John Bruton60pxMeath26 June 19979 February 2001Fine GaelBertie Ahern (1997–2008)15.Michael Noonan60pxLimerick East9 February 20016 June 200216.Enda Kenny60pxMayo6 June 20029 March 2011Brian Cowen (2008–11)17.Micheál Martin60pxCork South-Central9 March 201127 June 2020Fianna FáilEnda Kenny (2011–2017)Leo Varadkar (2017–2020)18.Mary Lou McDonald60pxDublin Central27 June 2020IncumbentSinn FéinMicheál Martin (2020–present)

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