Other offices


Minister for Foreign Affairs
Acting 19 January 2011 – 9 March 2011
Taoiseach	Himself
Preceded by	Micheál Martin
Succeeded by	Eamon Gilmore
In office 27 January 2000 – 29 September 2004
Taoiseach	Bertie Ahern
Preceded by	David Andrews
Succeeded by	Dermot Ahern
Tánaiste
In office 14 June 2007 – 7 May 2008
Taoiseach	Bertie Ahern
Preceded by	Michael McDowell
Succeeded by	Mary Coughlan
Deputy leader of Fianna Fáil
In office 28 July 2002 – 7 May 2008
Leader	Bertie Ahern
Preceded by	Mary O'Rourke
Succeeded by	Mary Coughlan
Minister for Finance
In office 29 September 2004 – 7 May 2008
Taoiseach	Bertie Ahern
Preceded by	Charlie McCreevy
Succeeded by	Brian Lenihan
Minister for Health and Children
In office 26 June 1997 – 27 January 2000
Taoiseach	Bertie Ahern
Preceded by	Michael Noonan
Succeeded by	Micheál Martin
Minister for Transport, Energy and Communications
In office 22 January 1993 – 15 December 1994
Taoiseach	Albert Reynolds
Preceded by	Charlie McCreevy
Succeeded by	Michael Lowry
Minister for Energy
In office 12 January 1993 – 22 January 1993
Taoiseach	Albert Reynolds
Preceded by	Albert Reynolds
Succeeded by	Charlie McCreevy
Minister for Labour
In office 11 February 1992 – 12 January 1993
Taoiseach	Albert Reynolds
Preceded by	Michael O'Kennedy
Succeeded by	Mervyn Taylor

Teachta Dála

In office
June 1984 – February 2011

Constituency

Laois–Offaly

Personal details

Born

10 January 1960 (age 65)
Tullamore, County Offaly, Ireland

Political party

Fianna Fáil

Spouse

Mary Molloy

(m. 1994)

Children

Parent

Bernard Cowen (father)

Relatives

Barry Cowen (brother)

Education

Cistercian College, Roscrea

Alma mater

University College Dublin

Signature

n.b.

Brian Bernard Cowen (born 10 January 1960) is an Irish former politician. He was the Taoiseach (Prime Minister) of Ireland and the leader of the Fianna Fáil political party from 2008 to 2011. Before becoming Taoiseach, he served as a TD (a member of the Irish Parliament, called Dáil Éireann) for the Laois–Offaly area from 1984 to 2011. He also held several important government jobs, including Minister for Finance and Tánaiste (Deputy Prime Minister).

Brian Cowen became the leader of Fianna Fáil in May 2008, after Bertie Ahern stepped down. Soon after he became Taoiseach, Ireland faced a big economic crisis and banking crisis. His government had to ask for financial help from the European Union and the International Monetary Fund. This was a very difficult time for Ireland.

During his time as leader, public support for his party dropped a lot. In January 2011, Brian Cowen resigned as the leader of Fianna Fáil. He stayed on as Taoiseach until after the general election that February. After the election, he left politics.

Early Life and Education
Starting His Political Journey
- Working with Other Parties
Key Roles in Government (1997–2008)
Becoming Leader of Fianna Fáil
Leading Ireland as Taoiseach (2008–2011)
Leaving Office
- Resignation and Retirement
Life After Politics
Images for kids
See also

Early Life and Education

Brian Cowen was born in Tullamore, County Offaly, Ireland, on 10 January 1960. He grew up in Clara. His parents were May and Bernard Cowen. His father was also a politician, serving as a TD and a Senator.

His family owned a pub, a butcher shop, and an undertaking business in Clara. Brian often helped out in his father's pub. He has two brothers, Christopher and Barry. Barry Cowen also became a TD for Laois–Offaly in 2011.

Brian went to Clara National School and Árd Scoil Naomh Chiaráin in Clara. He then attended the Cistercian College of Mount St. Joseph in Roscrea, County Tipperary, as a boarding student. After school, he studied law at University College Dublin and became a solicitor.

He enjoys sports and is a member of the Gaelic Athletic Association. He is still the president of the Clara club. He even played Gaelic football for the Offaly team in the early 1980s. In 2003, he sang a song called "The Town I Loved So Well" for a charity CD.

Brian Cowen is married to Mary Molloy, and they have two daughters. In 2017, he received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from the National University of Ireland.

Starting His Political Journey

Brian Cowen first became a TD in Dáil Éireann in June 1984. This happened after his father passed away, and a special election was held. At 24 years old, Brian was the youngest member of the Dáil at that time. He also joined the Offaly County Council that same year and served there until 1992.

For the next seven years, Brian Cowen was a backbench TD for the Fianna Fáil party. In 1989, Fianna Fáil formed a government with another party, the Progressive Democrats. Brian Cowen was not happy about this, as he felt Fianna Fáil should govern alone.

In 1991, Albert Reynolds challenged Charles Haughey for the leadership of Fianna Fáil. Brian Cowen strongly supported Reynolds. Reynolds became leader in 1992, and he appointed Brian Cowen, then 32, to his first government job as Minister for Labour.

Working with Other Parties

After the 1992 election, no single party won enough seats to form a government alone. Brian Cowen helped negotiate a deal for Fianna Fáil to form a government with the Labour Party. He was then made Minister for Transport, Energy and Communications. In this role, he made a decision to allow more direct flights from Dublin Airport to the US, which was a bit controversial at the time.

In 1994, Albert Reynolds resigned as Taoiseach. Bertie Ahern became the new leader of Fianna Fáil. However, the Labour Party decided to form a new government with other parties, so Fianna Fáil went into opposition. Brian Cowen became a spokesperson for the party, first for Agriculture and then for Health.

Key Roles in Government (1997–2008)

Minister for Health and Children

When Fianna Fáil returned to power after the 1997 election, Brian Cowen became Minister for Health and Children. This was a challenging job, as he had to deal with hospital overcrowding and a nurses' strike. He was glad to move to a different role in January 2000.

Minister for Foreign Affairs

As Minister for Foreign Affairs, Brian Cowen was involved in important talks about the Northern Ireland peace process. He also played a big part when Ireland had a seat on the United Nations Security Council. In 2004, he was key during Ireland's time as President of the European Council, which was when the European Union expanded to include more countries.

Minister for Finance

In September 2004, Brian Cowen became Minister for Finance. This is a very important job, as it involves managing the country's money. He announced his first budget in December 2004, which increased government spending.

His budgets as Finance Minister included new plans for childcare and changes to tax rules. In 2007, his third budget was one of the largest spending plans in Ireland's history, with increases in pensions and social welfare, and a small reduction in income tax.

Becoming Leader of Fianna Fáil

Throughout his career, many people thought Brian Cowen would become the next leader of Fianna Fáil. His position became stronger when he became the party's deputy leader in 2002 and then Minister for Finance in 2004. After the 2007 election, he became Tánaiste (Deputy Prime Minister) in a government with Fianna Fáil, the Progressive Democrats, and the Green Party.

On 4 April 2008, after Bertie Ahern announced he would resign, Brian Cowen was nominated to be the next leader. He was the only person nominated, so he officially became the seventh leader of Fianna Fáil on 9 April 2008.

The next day, on 7 May 2008, the Dáil Éireann voted for him to become Taoiseach. He was then officially appointed by President of Ireland Mary McAleese.

On 22 January 2011, Brian Cowen announced he was stepping down as leader of Fianna Fáil. He said this was to help the party before the upcoming election.

Leading Ireland as Taoiseach (2008–2011)

When Brian Cowen became Taoiseach, he formed a government with Fianna Fáil, the Greens, and the Progressive Democrats.

Treaty of Lisbon Vote

In June 2008, Irish voters rejected a vote on the Treaty of Lisbon. This was seen by some as a protest against Brian Cowen's new government. However, the treaty was later approved by Irish voters in a second vote in October 2009.

Dealing with the Economy

Brian Cowen delivered the government's budget for 2009 in October 2008. This budget was very tough because of the global financial crisis. It included new taxes and cuts to some services.

Many people were upset about some of the changes, like those to medical cards and university fees. There were protests by teachers, farmers, and thousands of pensioners and students in Dublin. Some government members also disagreed with the budget, and a few left the Fianna Fáil party.

Ireland's budget deficit (when the government spends more than it earns) also became too high for European Union rules. This meant the government had to make more changes, which showed how difficult the situation was.

Banking Challenges

Irish banks, especially Anglo Irish Bank, had lent a lot of money for property development. When the property market went down in 2008, these banks faced big problems. In January 2009, the government decided to take over Anglo Irish Bank to try and save it.

In April 2009, Brian Cowen's government announced a second emergency budget. This budget included more tax increases and plans to deal with bad loans from Irish banks. These measures were necessary to try and fix the economy.

No Confidence Votes

After his party did not do well in the June 2009 elections, the main opposition party, Fine Gael, called for a vote of no confidence in Brian Cowen. He survived this vote. However, public support for his government continued to drop.

In June 2010, Brian Cowen faced another no-confidence vote, again called by Fine Gael. This happened after reports criticized government policies that led to the banking crisis. He survived this vote as well.

Seeking International Help

On 21 November 2010, Brian Cowen confirmed that Ireland had officially asked for financial help from the European Union and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). This was a big step, as Ireland had tried to avoid it for a long time. On 28 November 2010, a rescue deal of €85 billion was agreed upon. This financial support was seen by many in Ireland as a very difficult moment for the country.

On 24 November 2010, Brian Cowen announced a four-year plan to fix the economy. This plan included unpopular measures like cuts to social welfare and an increase in taxes. He said that a general election would happen in early 2011 after the budget was finished.

Leaving Office

In January 2011, there was a lot of pressure on Brian Cowen to step down as leader of Fianna Fáil. He decided to hold a vote of confidence within his party, which he won. However, his Minister for Foreign Affairs, Micheál Martin, resigned because he voted against Cowen.

The next day, Brian Cowen tried to change some of his government ministers. However, the Green Party, who were part of his government, were very upset because they were not consulted. They refused to support his new choices, and this caused more problems for the government. The Green Party then said they would leave the government unless Brian Cowen set a firm date for the general election. He then announced the election would be on 11 March 2011.

Resignation and Retirement

Facing many challenges, Brian Cowen announced his resignation as leader of Fianna Fáil on 22 January 2011. He said he would stay on as Taoiseach until the election to finish important financial laws.

However, the Green Party then left the government completely, leaving Brian Cowen leading a minority government. Other parties also planned no-confidence votes against him. To avoid more political chaos, a deal was made. The Dáil would finish the finance bill quickly, and then Brian Cowen would ask the President to dissolve the Dáil, leading to an early election.

The Dáil passed the finance bill on 27 January 2011. On 1 February 2011, Brian Cowen asked President McAleese to dissolve the Dáil, and the general election was set for 25 February 2011. Brian Cowen also announced that he would not run for his Dáil seat again and would retire from politics after 27 years.

In the election, Fianna Fáil suffered a very big defeat, losing many seats. Brian Cowen was succeeded by Enda Kenny as Taoiseach on 9 March 2011.

Life After Politics

Brian Cowen became leader of Fianna Fáil and Taoiseach without ever having to win an election for those roles. His time as Taoiseach was during a very difficult economic period for Ireland.

Many people felt that he was not a very good communicator. Historian Diarmaid Ferriter said that Cowen's communication style caused a lot of damage to Fianna Fáil. After the election defeat, Brian Cowen accepted responsibility for the decisions made by his government.

In March 2012, Brian Cowen gave a speech in Washington, D.C. He defended his government's decision to guarantee the banks in 2008 but admitted that they should have increased taxes and cut spending earlier. He compared the start of the 2008 economic crisis to many plane crashes happening at the same time, each for different reasons.

Images for kids

Brian Cowen presenting President Barack Obama with a bowl of shamrock for Saint Patrick's Day at the White House.
Cowen arriving at the 2010 National Day of Commemoration

Brian Cowen facts for kids

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