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.
| 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 |
| Portrait | Name | Term | Political party | Election | Government | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Duration | |||||||
| Cathal Brugha | 21 January 1919 | 1 April 1919 | Sinn Féin | 1918 | 1st Ministry | ||||
| Éamon de Valera | 1 April 1919 | 9 January 1922 | Sinn Féin | 1921 | 2nd Ministry 3rd Ministry | ||||
| Arthur Griffith | 10 January 1922 | 12 August 1922 | Sinn Féin (Pro-Treaty faction) | — | 4th Ministry | ||||
| Michael Collins | 16 January 1922 | 22 August 1922 | Sinn Féin (Pro-Treaty faction) | 1922 | 1st Provisional Government | ||||
| W. T. Cosgrave | 22 August 1922 | 9 March 1932 | Cumann na nGaedheal | 1923 1927 (Jun) 1927 (Sep) | 1st Provisional Government 2nd Provisional Government 1st Executive Council 2nd Executive Council 3rd Executive Council 4th Executive Council 5th Executive Council | ||||
| Éamon de Valera | 9 March 1932 | 18 February 1948 | Fianna Fáil | 1932 1933 1937 1938 1943 1944 | 6th Executive Council 7th Executive Council 8th Executive Council 1st Government 2nd Government 3rd Government 4th Government | ||||
| John A. Costello | 18 February 1948 | 13 June 1951 | Fine Gael | 1948 | 5th Government | ||||
| Éamon de Valera | 13 June 1951 | 2 June 1954 | Fianna Fáil | 1951 | 6th Government | ||||
| John A. Costello | 2 June 1954 | 20 March 1957 | Fine Gael | 1954 | 7th Government | ||||
| Éamon de Valera | 20 March 1957 | 23 June 1959 | Fianna Fáil | 1957 | 8th Government | ||||
| Seán Lemass | 23 June 1959 | 10 November 1966 | Fianna Fáil | 1961 1965 | 9th Government 10th Government 11th Government | ||||
| Jack Lynch | 10 November 1966 | 14 March 1973 | Fianna Fáil | 1969 | 12th Government 13th Government | ||||
| Liam Cosgrave | 14 March 1973 | 5 July 1977 | Fine Gael | 1973 | 14th Government | ||||
| Jack Lynch | 5 July 1977 | 11 December 1979 | Fianna Fáil | 1977 | 15th Government | ||||
| Charles Haughey | 11 December 1979 | 30 June 1981 | Fianna Fáil | — | 16th Government | ||||
| Garret FitzGerald | 30 June 1981 | 9 March 1982 | Fine Gael | 1981 | 17th Government | ||||
| Charles Haughey | 9 March 1982 | 14 December 1982 | Fianna Fáil | 1982 (Feb) | 18th Government | ||||
| Garret FitzGerald | 14 December 1982 | 10 March 1987 | Fine Gael | 1982 (Nov) | 19th Government | ||||
| Charles Haughey | 10 March 1987 | 11 February 1992 | Fianna Fáil | 1987 1989 | 20th Government 21st Government | ||||
| Albert Reynolds | 11 February 1992 | 15 December 1994 | Fianna Fáil | 1992 | 22nd Government 23rd Government | ||||
| John Bruton | 15 December 1994 | 26 June 1997 | Fine Gael | — | 24th Government | ||||
| Bertie Ahern | 26 June 1997 | 7 May 2008 | Fianna Fáil | 1997 2002 2007 | 25th Government 26th Government 27th Government | ||||
| Brian Cowen | 7 May 2008 | 9 March 2011 | Fianna Fáil | — | 28th Government | ||||
| Enda Kenny | 9 March 2011 | 14 June 2017 | Fine Gael | 2011 2016 | 29th Government 30th Government | ||||
| Leo Varadkar | 14 June 2017 | 27 June 2020 | Fine Gael | — | 31st Government | ||||
| Micheál Martin | 27 June 2020 | 17 December 2022 | Fianna Fáil | 2020 | 32nd Government | ||||
| Leo Varadkar | 17 December 2022 | 9 April 2024 | Fine Gael | — | 33rd Government | ||||
| Simon Harris | 9 April 2024 | Incumbent | Fine Gael | — | 34th Government | ||||
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.
| 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 |