Leader of the Opposition (Ireland)
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The Leader of the Opposition (Template:Lang-ga) in the Republic of Ireland is the politician who, at least in theory, leads the Parliamentary Opposition in the lower house of the Irish Parliament, Dáil Éireann. The current incumbent is Micheál Martin TD of the Fianna Fáil party.
By convention, the Leader of the Opposition is the leader of the largest party not in government. Historically the two largest parties have nearly always been Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, and so the position of Leader of the Opposition has alternated between them. Immediately following the granting of independence in 1922, however, the leader of the Labour Party acted as Leader of the Opposition as Sinn Féin, and later Fianna Fáil, refused to recognise Dáil Éireann. After the 2011 General Election Fine Gael became the largest party in Dáil Éireann and the Labour Party for the first time became the second largest. However since Labour and Fine Gael entered a coalition government, the third largest party which is Fianna Fáil will lead the opposition in the 31st Dáil.
The Leader of the Opposition does not have a large official role, as most of the post's functions are honorific, ceremonial and nominal. He or she is invariably seen as the alternative Taoiseach to the present incumbent, and heads a rival alternative government known as the Front Bench, however, all the other non-government parties have their own front benches as well.
As of 2011[update] a Fine Gael/Labour Party coalition occupies the government benches of the Dáil chamber. The Opposition side of the house consists of Fianna Fáil (20 seats), Sinn Féin (14 seats), and Independent TDs and Others (19 seats).
Leaders of the Opposition
The bold print indicates politicians who went on to become Taoiseach.
| No. | Name | Entered Office | Left Office | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Thomas Johnson | 6 December 1922 | 11 August 1927 | style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (Ireland)/meta/color" | | Labour Party |
| 2. | Éamon de Valera (1st time) |
11 August 1927 | 9 March 1932 | style="background-color: Template:Fianna Fáil/meta/color" | | Fianna Fáil |
| 3. | W. T. Cosgrave | 9 March 1932 | January 1944 | style="background-color: Template:Fine Gael/meta/color" | | Cumann na nGaedheal/ Fine Gael |
| 4. | Thomas F. O'Higgins | January 1944 | 9 June 1944 | style="background-color: Template:Fine Gael/meta/color" | | Fine Gael |
| 5. | Richard Mulcahy | 9 June 1944 | 18 February 1948 | style="background-color: Template:Fine Gael/meta/color" | | Fine Gael |
| Éamon de Valera (2nd time) |
18 February 1948 | 13 June 1951 | style="background-color: Template:Fianna Fáil/meta/color" | | Fianna Fáil | |
| 6. | John A. Costello (1st time) |
13 June 1951 | 2 June 1954 | style="background-color: Template:Fine Gael/meta/color" | | Fine Gael |
| Éamon de Valera (3rd time) |
2 June 1954 | 20 March 1957 | style="background-color: Template:Fianna Fáil/meta/color" | | Fianna Fáil | |
| John A. Costello (2nd time) |
20 March 1957 | 21 October 1959 | style="background-color: Template:Fine Gael/meta/color" | | Fine Gael | |
| 7. | James Dillon | 21 October 1959 | 21 April 1965 | style="background-color: Template:Fine Gael/meta/color" | | Fine Gael |
| 8. | Liam Cosgrave | 21 April 1965 | 14 March 1973 | style="background-color: Template:Fine Gael/meta/color" | | Fine Gael |
| 9. | Jack Lynch | 14 March 1973 | 5 July 1977 | style="background-color: Template:Fianna Fáil/meta/color" | | Fianna Fáil |
| 10. | Garret FitzGerald (1st time) |
5 July 1977 | 30 June 1981 | style="background-color: Template:Fine Gael/meta/color" | | Fine Gael |
| 11. | Charles Haughey (1st time) |
30 June 1981 | 9 March 1982 | style="background-color: Template:Fianna Fáil/meta/color" | | Fianna Fáil |
| Garret FitzGerald (2nd time) |
9 March 1982 | 14 December 1982 | style="background-color: Template:Fine Gael/meta/color" | | Fine Gael | |
| Charles Haughey (2nd time) |
14 December 1982 | 10 March 1987 | style="background-color: Template:Fianna Fáil/meta/color" | | Fianna Fáil | |
| 12. | Alan Dukes | 10 March 1987 | 20 November 1990 | style="background-color: Template:Fine Gael/meta/color" | | Fine Gael |
| 13. | John Bruton (1st time) |
20 November 1990 | 15 December 1994 | style="background-color: Template:Fine Gael/meta/color" | | Fine Gael |
| 14. | Bertie Ahern | 15 December 1994 | 26 June 1997 | style="background-color: Template:Fianna Fáil/meta/color" | | Fianna Fáil |
| John Bruton (2nd time) |
26 June 1997 | 9 February 2001 | style="background-color: Template:Fine Gael/meta/color" | | Fine Gael | |
| 15. | Michael Noonan | 9 February 2001 | 6 June 2002 | style="background-color: Template:Fine Gael/meta/color" | | Fine Gael |
| 16. | Enda Kenny | 6 June 2002 | 9 March 2011 | style="background-color: Template:Fine Gael/meta/color" | | Fine Gael |
| 17. | Micheál Martin | 9 March 2011 | Incumbent | style="background-color: Template:Fianna Fáil/meta/color" | | Fianna Fáil |