Tánaiste
| Tánaiste | |
|---|---|
| Style | Tánaiste Irish: A Thánaiste |
| Member of | |
| Reports to | Taoiseach |
| Seat | Dublin, Ireland |
| Nominator | Taoiseach |
| Appointer | President of Ireland |
| Inaugural holder | Seán T. O'Kelly[1] |
| Formation | 29 December 1937[1] |
| Salary | €177,518[2] |
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The Tánaiste (Irish pronunciation: [ˈt̪ˠaːn̪ˠəʃtʲə] ) is the deputy head of government of Ireland and thus its second-most senior office.[3][4] The Tánaiste is appointed by the President of Ireland on the advice of the Taoiseach. The current office holder is Simon Coveney, TD, who was appointed on 30 November 2017.[5]
Origins
Tánaiste was the Irish word for the heir of the chief (taoiseach) or king (rí), under the Gaelic system of tanistry. Before independence, the British Lord Lieutenant of Ireland or Viceroy was sometimes referred to in the Irish language as An Tánaiste-Rí, literally 'the deputy king'.
Modern office
The office was created in 1937 under the new Constitution of Ireland, replacing the previous office of Vice-President of the Executive Council that had existed under the Free State constitution. This office was first held by Kevin O'Higgins of Cumann na nGaedheal from 1922 to 1927.
The Taoiseach nominates a member of Dáil Éireann,[6] who will also be a member of the government, to the office. The nominee then receives their seal of office from the President of Ireland in recognition of their appointment. The Tánaiste acts in the place of the Taoiseach during his or her temporary absence. In the event of the Taoiseach's death or permanent incapacitation, the Tánaiste acts in their stead until another Taoiseach is appointed.[7] 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 these duties, the title is largely honorific as the Constitution does not confer any additional powers on the office holder. While the Department of the Taoiseach is a Department of State, there is no equivalent for the Tánaiste. 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. Dick Spring in the 1994–97 "Rainbow Coalition" had an official "Office of the Tánaiste", though other parties have not used this nomenclature.[8] Under Spring, Eithne Fitzgerald was "Minister of State at the Office of the Tánaiste", with responsibility for coordinating Labour policy in the coalition.[9][10]
Under a coalition government, the Tánaiste is typically the leader of the second-largest government party, just as the Taoiseach is usually leader of the largest; however, during the 1989–92 and the 2007–11 governments, the position was held by a Fianna Fáil member, although they were in coalition.
Three Tánaistí later held the office of Taoiseach: Seán Lemass, Bertie Ahern, and Brian Cowen. 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 | Party | Exec. Council (President) |
Ministries as Vice-President | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| style="background:Template:Cumann na nGaedheal/meta/color; color:white;" | 1 | 
|
Kevin O'Higgins (1892–1927) TD for Leix–Offaly until 1923 TD for Dublin County from 1923 |
6 December 1922 |
10 July 1927 |
style="background-color: Template:Cumann na nGaedheal/meta/color" | | Cumann na nGaedheal | 1·2 (W.T.Cosgrave) |
Justice (1922–27) |
| style="background:Template:Cumann na nGaedheal/meta/color; color:white;" | 2 | 
|
Ernest Blythe (1889–1975) TD for Monaghan |
14 July 1927 |
9 March 1932 |
style="background-color: Template:Cumann na nGaedheal/meta/color" | | Cumann na nGaedheal | 3·4·5 (W.T.Cosgrave) |
Posts and Telegraphs (1927–32) |
| style="background:Template:Fianna Fáil/meta/color; color:white;" | 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 |
style="background-color: Template:Fianna Fáil/meta/color" | | Fianna Fáil | 6·7·8 (de Valera) |
Local Government and Public Health (1932–37) |
Tánaiste | ||||||||
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) Constituency |
Term of office | Party | Government (Taoiseach) |
Ministries as Tánaiste Subsequent higher offices | ||
| style="background:Template:Fianna Fáil/meta/color; color:white;" | (3) |
|
Seán T. O'Kelly (1882–1966) TD for Dublin North-West |
29 December 1937 |
14 June 1945 |
style="background-color: Template:Fianna Fáil/meta/color" | | Fianna Fáil | 1·2·3·4 (de Valera) |
Local Government and Public Health (1937–39) Education (1939) Finance (1939–45) President of Ireland (1945–59) |
| style="background:Template:Fianna Fáil/meta/color; color:white;" | 4 | .jpg)
|
Seán Lemass (1899–1971) TD for Dublin South |
14 June 1945 |
18 February 1948 |
style="background-color: Template:Fianna Fáil/meta/color" | | Fianna Fáil | 4 (de Valera) |
Supplies (1945) Industry and Commerce (1945–48) |
| style="background:Template:Labour Party (Ireland)/meta/color; color:white;" | 5 | William Norton (1900–1963) TD for Kildare |
18 February 1948 |
13 June 1951 |
style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (Ireland)/meta/color" | | Labour Party | 5 (Costello) |
Social Welfare (1948–51) | |
| style="background:Template:Fianna Fáil/meta/color; color:white;" | (4) |
|
Seán Lemass (1899–1971) TD for Dublin South-Central |
13 June 1951 |
2 June 1954 |
style="background-color: Template:Fianna Fáil/meta/color" | | Fianna Fáil | 6 (de Valera) |
Industry and Commerce (1951–54) |
| style="background:Template:Labour Party (Ireland)/meta/color; color:white;" | (5) | William Norton (1900–1963) TD for Kildare |
2 June 1954 |
20 March 1957 |
style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (Ireland)/meta/color" | | Labour Party | 7 (Costello) |
Industry and Commerce (1954–57) | |
| style="background:Template:Fianna Fáil/meta/color; color:white;" | (4) |
|
Seán Lemass (1899–1971) TD for Dublin South-Central |
20 March 1957 |
23 June 1959 |
style="background-color: Template:Fianna Fáil/meta/color" | | Fianna Fáil | 8 (de Valera) |
Industry and Commerce (1957–59) Taoiseach (1959–66) |
| style="background:Template:Fianna Fáil/meta/color; color:white;" | 6 | Seán MacEntee (1889–1984) TD for Dublin South-East |
23 June 1959 |
21 April 1965 |
style="background-color: Template:Fianna Fáil/meta/color" | | Fianna Fáil | 9·10 (Lemass) |
Health (1959–65) | |
| style="background:Template:Fianna Fáil/meta/color; color:white;" | 7 | Frank Aiken (1898–1983) TD for Louth |
21 April 1965 |
2 July 1969 |
style="background-color: Template:Fianna Fáil/meta/color" | | Fianna Fáil | 11 (Lemass) 12 (Lynch) |
External Affairs (1965–69) | |
| style="background:Template:Fianna Fáil/meta/color; color:white;" | 8 | Erskine H. Childers (1905–1974) TD for Monaghan |
2 July 1969 |
14 March 1973 |
style="background-color: Template:Fianna Fáil/meta/color" | | Fianna Fáil | 13 (Lynch) |
Health (1969–73) President of Ireland (1973–74) | |
| style="background:Template:Labour Party (Ireland)/meta/color; color:white;" | 9 | Brendan Corish (1918–1990) TD for Wexford |
14 March 1973 |
5 July 1977 |
style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (Ireland)/meta/color" | | Labour Party | 14 (L. Cosgrave) |
Health (1973–77) | |
| style="background:Template:Fianna Fáil/meta/color; color:white;" | 10 | George Colley (1925–1983) TD for Dublin Clontarf |
5 July 1977 |
30 June 1981 |
style="background-color: Template:Fianna Fáil/meta/color" | | Fianna Fáil | 15 (Lynch) 16 (Haughey) |
Finance (1977–79) Tourism and Transport (1979–80) Energy (1980–81) | |
| style="background:Template:Labour Party (Ireland)/meta/color; color:white;" | 11 | Michael O'Leary (1936–2006) TD for Dublin Central |
30 June 1981 |
9 March 1982 |
style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (Ireland)/meta/color" | | Labour Party | 17 (FitzGerald) |
Energy (1981–82) | |
| style="background:Template:Fianna Fáil/meta/color; color:white;" | 12 | Ray MacSharry (born 1938) TD for Sligo–Leitrim |
9 March 1982 |
14 December 1982 |
style="background-color: Template:Fianna Fáil/meta/color" | | Fianna Fáil | 18 (Haughey) |
Finance (1982) | |
| style="background:Template:Labour Party (Ireland)/meta/color; color:white;" | 13 | 
|
Dick Spring (born 1950) TD for Kerry North |
14 December 1982 |
20 January 1987 |
style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (Ireland)/meta/color" | | Labour Party | 19 (FitzGerald) |
Environment (1982–83) Energy (1983–87) |
| style="background:Template:Fine Gael/meta/color; color:white;" | 14 | Peter Barry (1928–2016) TD for Cork South-Central |
20 January 1987 |
10 March 1987 |
style="background-color: Template:Fine Gael/meta/color" | | Fine Gael | Foreign Affairs (1987) | ||
| style="background:Template:Fianna Fáil/meta/color; color:white;" | 15 | Brian Lenihan (1930–1995) TD for Dublin West |
10 March 1987 |
31 October 1990 |
style="background-color: Template:Fianna Fáil/meta/color" | | Fianna Fáil | 20·21 (Haughey) |
Foreign Affairs (1987–89) Defence (1989–90) | |
| rowspan=2 style="background:Template:Fianna Fáil/meta/color; color:white;" | 16 | John Wilson (1923–2007) TD for Cavan–Monaghan |
13 November 1990 |
12 January 1993 |
rowspan=2 style="background-color: Template:Fianna Fáil/meta/color" | | Fianna Fáil | 21 (Haughey) |
Marine (1990–92) | |
| 22 (Reynolds) |
Defence and Gaeltacht (1992–93) | |||||||
| style="background:Template:Labour Party (Ireland)/meta/color; color:white;" | (13) |
|
Dick Spring (born 1950) TD for Kerry North |
12 January 1993 |
17 November 1994 |
style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (Ireland)/meta/color" | | Labour Party | 23 (Reynolds) |
Foreign Affairs (1993–94) |
| style="background:Template:Fianna Fáil/meta/color; color:white;" | 17 | 
|
Bertie Ahern (born 1951) TD for Dublin Central |
17 November 1994 |
15 December 1994 |
style="background-color: Template:Fianna Fáil/meta/color" | | Fianna Fáil | Finance (1994) Taoiseach (1997–2008) | |
| style="background:Template:Labour Party (Ireland)/meta/color; color:white;" | (13) |
|
Dick Spring (born 1950) TD for Kerry North |
15 December 1994 |
26 June 1997 |
style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (Ireland)/meta/color" | | Labour Party | 24 (Bruton) |
Foreign Affairs (1994–97) |
| style="background:Template:Progressive Democrats/meta/color; color:white;" | 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 |
style="background-color: Template:Progressive Democrats/meta/color" | | Progressive Democrats | 25·26 (Ahern) |
Enterprise, Trade and Employment (1997–2004) Health and Children (2004–06) |
| style="background:Template:Progressive Democrats/meta/color; color:white;" | 19 | _(cropped).jpg)
|
Michael McDowell (born 1951) TD for Dublin South-East |
13 September 2006 |
14 June 2007 |
style="background-color: Template:Progressive Democrats/meta/color" | | Progressive Democrats | 26 (Ahern) |
Justice, Equality and Law Reform (2002–07) |
| style="background:Template:Fianna Fáil/meta/color; color:white;" | 20 | 
|
Brian Cowen (born 1960) TD for Laois–Offaly |
14 June 2007 |
7 May 2008 |
style="background-color: Template:Fianna Fáil/meta/color" | | Fianna Fáil | 27 (Ahern) |
Finance (2007–08) Taoiseach (2008–11) |
| style="background:Template:Fianna Fáil/meta/color; color:white;" | 21 | 
|
Mary Coughlan (born 1965) TD for Donegal South-West |
7 May 2008 |
9 March 2011 |
style="background-color: Template:Fianna Fáil/meta/color" | | Fianna Fáil | 28 (Cowen) |
Enterprise, Trade and Employment (2008–10) Education and Skills (2010–11) Health and Children (2011) |
| style="background:Template:Labour Party (Ireland)/meta/color; color:white;" | 22 | 
|
Eamon Gilmore (born 1955) TD for Dún Laoghaire |
9 March 2011 |
4 July 2014 |
style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (Ireland)/meta/color" | | Labour Party | 29 (Kenny) |
Foreign Affairs and Trade (2011–14) |
| style="background:Template:Labour Party (Ireland)/meta/color; color:white;" | 23 | .jpg)
|
Joan Burton (born 1949) TD for Dublin West |
4 July 2014 |
6 May 2016 |
style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (Ireland)/meta/color" | | Labour Party | Social Protection (2014–2016) | |
| style="background:Template:Fine Gael/meta/color; color:white;" rowspan=2| 24 | 
|
Frances Fitzgerald (born 1950) TD for Dublin Mid-West |
6 May 2016 |
28 November 2017 |
rowspan=2 style="background-color: Template:Fine Gael/meta/color" | | Fine Gael | 30 (Kenny) |
Justice and Equality (2014–17) |
| 31 (Varadkar) |
Business, Enterprise and Innovation (2017) | |||||||
| style="background:Template:Fine Gael/meta/color; color:white;" rowspan=2| 25 | .jpg)
|
Simon Coveney (born 1972) TD for Cork South Central |
30 November 2017 |
Incumbent | style="background-color: Template:Fine Gael/meta/color" | | Fine Gael | Foreign Affairs and Trade (2017–) | |
See also
References
Sources
- Connolly, Eileen (2005). "The government and the governmental system". In Coakley, John; Gallagher, Michael (eds.). Politics in the Republic of Ireland. Psychology Press. ISBN 9780415280662. Retrieved 20 April 2016.
Citations
- ^ a b Before the enactment of the 1937 Constitution of Ireland, the deputy head of government was referred to as the Vice-President of the Executive Council.
- ^ "TDs and Senators salaries". Houses of the Oireachtas. 1 January 2018. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
- ^ "Tánaiste: definition of Tánaiste in Oxford dictionary (British & World English). Meaning, pronunciation and origin of the word". Oxford Language Dictionaries. Oxford University Press. 2013. Retrieved 30 November 2013.
- ^ "Role of the Taoiseach". Department of the Taoiseach. Retrieved 18 May 2012.
- ^ "Taoiseach names Coveney as new Tánaiste". RTÉ.ie. 30 November 2017. Retrieved 30 November 2017.
- ^ Article 28.7.1° of the Constitution of Ireland.
- ^ Article 28.6.2° and 28.6.3° of the Constitution of Ireland. [1]
- ^ Connolly 2005, pp.339–340
- ^ "Eithne Fitzgerald". Directory of Members. Oireachtas. Retrieved 20 April 2016.
- ^ Müller, Wolfgang C.; Strom, Kaare (2003). Coalition Governments in Western Europe. Oxford University Press. p. 149. ISBN 9780198297611. Retrieved 20 April 2016.