Records of Irish heads of government since 1922
No Name Entered office Left office Elected Period Party
1 W. T. Cosgrave 6 December 1922 9 March 1932 5 terms - Cumann na nGaedheal
2 Éamon de Valera 9 March 1932 18 February 1948 6 terms 1st time Fianna Fáil
3 John A. Costello 18 February 1948 13 June 1951 1 term 1st time Fine Gael
Éamon de Valera 13 June 1951 2 June 1954 1 term 2nd time Fianna Fáil
John A. Costello 2 June 1954 20 March 1957 1 term 2nd time Fine Gael
Éamon de Valera 20 March 1957 23 June 1959 1 term 3rd time Fianna Fáil
4 Seán Lemass 23 June 1959 10 November 1966 3 terms - Fianna Fáil
5 Jack Lynch 10 November 1966 14 March 1973 2 terms 1st time Fianna Fáil
6 Liam Cosgrave 14 March 1973 5 July 1977 1 term - Fine Gael
Jack Lynch 5 July 1977 11 December 1979 1 term 2nd time Fianna Fáil
7 Charles Haughey 11 December 1979 30 June 1981 1 term 1st time Fianna Fáil
8 Garret FitzGerald 30 June 1981 9 March 1982 1 term 1st time Fine Gael
Charles Haughey 9 March 1982 14 December 1982 1 term 2nd time Fianna Fáil
Garret FitzGerald 14 December 1982 10 March 1987 1 term 2nd time Fine Gael
Charles Haughey 10 March 1987 11 February 1992 2 terms 3rd time Fianna Fáil
9 Albert Reynolds 11 February 1992 15 December 1994 1 term - Fianna Fáil
10 John Bruton 15 December 1994 26 June 1997 1 term - Fine Gael
11 Bertie Ahern 26 June 1997 7 May 2008 3 terms - Fianna Fáil
12 Brian Cowen 7 May 2008 9 March 2011 1 term - Fianna Fáil
13 Enda Kenny 9 March 2011 14 June 2017 2 terms - Fine Gael
Periods in office
The Taoiseach (plural: Taoisigh) is the head of government (or prime minister) of Ireland. Prior to the enactment of the Constitution of Ireland in 1937, the head of government was referred to as the President of the Executive Council. This office was first held by W. T. Cosgrave from 1922 to 1932, and then by Éamon de Valera from 1932 to 1937. By convention Taoisigh are numbered to include Cosgrave, for example Leo Varadkar is considered the 14th Taoiseach not the 13th. The first list is of all heads of Irish governments since 1922 by electoral history. The second list is by periods in office. The third list gives the total number of days served in office by each and the fourth is a list of individual terms served in order of length. The fifth list is by longevity and the sixth list is by age on entering and leaving office. The seventh is a list of officeholders still living and the eighth list shows a timeline of living/deceased officeholders.