Taoiseach facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Taoiseach
Incumbent Micheál Martin since 23 January 2025
Executive branch of the Irish Government Department of the Taoiseach
Style	Irish: A Thaoisigh
Member of	Dáil Éireann Cabinet Council of State British–Irish Council European Council
Reports to	Oireachtas
Residence	None
Seat	Government Buildings, Merrion Street, Dublin, Ireland
Nominator	Dáil Éireann
Appointer	President of Ireland
Term length	While commanding the confidence of the majority of Dáil Éireann. No term limits are imposed on the office.
Constituting instrument	Article 13, Constitution of Ireland
Precursor	President of the Executive Council
Formation	29 December 1937
First holder	Éamon de Valera
Deputy	Tánaiste
Salary	€248,773 annually (2025) (including €115,953 TD salary)
Website	Department of the Taoiseach

The Taoiseach (pronounced TEE-shukh) is the leader of the government in Ireland. You can think of the Taoiseach as Ireland's prime minister. The President of Ireland officially appoints the Taoiseach. However, the Taoiseach is first chosen by Dáil Éireann, which is the main part of Ireland's parliament, called the Oireachtas. To stay in the job, the Taoiseach must always have the support of most members in the Dáil.

The word taoiseach comes from the Irish language. It means "chief" or "leader." This title was chosen for Ireland's head of government in the 1937 Constitution of Ireland. It is the official title in both English and Irish. For leaders of other countries, the Irish word príomh-aire (pronounced preev-AIR-uh) is used instead. Sometimes, you might hear "an Taoiseach" in English, which means "the Taoiseach."

The current Taoiseach is Micheál Martin. He is a TD, which means a member of the Dáil. He is also the leader of the Fianna Fáil political party. He became Taoiseach on 23 January 2025. This happened after the 2024 Irish general election and an agreement between Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael, and some independent politicians.

How the Taoiseach is Chosen

The Constitution of Ireland explains how the Taoiseach is picked. First, the Dáil Éireann votes. The person who gets more than half of the votes from the members of the Dáil is nominated. Then, the President of Ireland formally appoints this person. The President must appoint whoever the Dáil chooses. Because of this, people sometimes say the Taoiseach is "elected" by the Dáil.

If the Taoiseach loses the support of most members in the Dáil, they don't automatically leave office. Instead, they must either resign or ask the President to dissolve the Dáil. If the Dáil is dissolved, it means new elections will be held. If the President refuses to dissolve the Dáil, the Taoiseach must resign. So far, no President has ever refused this request.

The Taoiseach also chooses the other members of the Government, who are like ministers. The Dáil must agree to these choices, and then the President appoints them. The Taoiseach can also ask the President to remove ministers from their jobs. The President must follow this advice. The Taoiseach also helps choose eleven members of the Seanad, which is the upper house of parliament.

The Department of the Taoiseach is a special government office. It helps and advises the Taoiseach with all their duties. The Taoiseach also has help from other ministers who work in this department.

Salary and Home

As of 1 March 2025, the Taoiseach's salary is €248,773 per year. This amount includes their salary as a TD. In the past, the Taoiseach's salary has changed. For example, it was cut in 2011 and again in 2013.

There is no official home for the Taoiseach. Sometimes, people thought that Steward's Lodge at Farmleigh might become the official residence. This house was renovated in 2005. Some past Taoisigh, like Brian Cowen, Enda Kenny, and Leo Varadkar, used it sometimes. They paid a small fee to use the house.

Musical Salute

When the Taoiseach arrives at official state events, army bands play a special musical salute. This tune is called "Mór Chluana" (which means "More of Cloyne"). It is a traditional Irish air. Sometimes, people mistakenly call it "Amhrán Dóchais" ("Song of Hope").

History of the Title

Origins and Meaning

The words Taoiseach and Tánaiste (which means deputy prime minister) are both very old Irish words. The Constitution says the Taoiseach is "the head of the Government or Prime Minister." The word literally means "chieftain" or "leader." When Éamon de Valera introduced the title in 1937, some people noted that the meaning "leader" was similar to titles used by other leaders around the world at that time. The word Tánaiste comes from an old Gaelic system called tanistry. In this system, a leader would choose their successor while they were still alive.

The word tòiseach in Scottish Gaelic also means 'clan chief.' Both words have similar meanings in the Gaelic languages of Scotland and Ireland. The Welsh word tywysog (meaning 'prince') also has a similar origin. Experts believe all these words come from an even older language, meaning 'chieftain' or 'leader.'

The plural of taoiseach is taoisigh.

Debate About the Title

In 1937, when the new Constitution was being discussed, some politicians debated the title "Taoiseach." Frank MacDermot, an opposition politician, suggested using "Prime Minister" in the English version of the Constitution. He wanted to keep "Taoiseach" only in the Irish text. He felt that most people would mispronounce "Taoiseach" in English. He also thought using an Irish word might make people in Northern Ireland feel less connected.

However, Éamon de Valera, who was leading the government at the time, did not agree. He said the word "Taoiseach" meant "chieftain" or "Captain" and did not need to be changed. The idea to change the title was voted down. So, "Taoiseach" became the official title after the people voted to approve the Constitution.

The Modern Role

Department of the Taoiseach at Government Buildings, Merrion Street, Dublin

The job of Taoiseach, as we know it today, was created by the 1937 Constitution of Ireland. It is the most powerful political role in Ireland. Before 1937, the leader of the government was called the President of the Executive Council. This was during the time of the Irish Free State (1922–1937).

The Taoiseach's role is much stronger than the old President of the Executive Council. For example, the old leader could not fire a minister on their own. The whole government had to be dissolved and reformed. Also, the old leader could not ask the Governor-General to dissolve the Dáil by themselves.

In contrast, the Taoiseach can advise the President to dismiss ministers. They can also ask the President to dissolve Parliament. The President almost always has to follow this advice. This means the Taoiseach has a lot of power. In Ireland, the Constitution clearly states that the government, led by the Taoiseach, holds the main executive power.

Usually, when there are governments made up of several parties (coalitions), the Taoiseach is the leader of the biggest party in that group. One time this was different was with John A. Costello. He was not the leader of his party, but other parties agreed he should lead the government.

After the 2020 Irish general election, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael formed a government together for the first time. They decided to share the role of Taoiseach. Micheál Martin was Taoiseach first, and then he became Tánaiste (deputy prime minister) under Leo Varadkar of Fine Gael. This rotation continued after the 2024 Irish general election.

List of Taoisigh

Before the 1937 Constitution, the head of government was the President of the Executive Council. W. T. Cosgrave held this job from 1922 to 1932. Éamon de Valera held it from 1932 to 1937. When we count the Taoisigh, we usually include Cosgrave. So, Micheál Martin is considered the 15th Taoiseach.

President of the Executive Council
No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death) Constituency	Term of office		Party	Exec. Council Composition		Vice President		Dáil (elected)
1		W. T. Cosgrave (1880–1965) TD for Carlow–Kilkenny until 1927 TD for Cork Borough from 1927	6 December 1922	9 March 1932	Sinn Féin (Pro-Treaty)	1st	SF (PT) (minority)		Kevin O'Higgins	3 (1922)
					Cumann na nGaedheal	2nd	CnG (minority)			4 (1923)
						3rd			Ernest Blythe	5 (Jun.1927)
						4th				6 (Sep.1927)
						5th
2		Éamon de Valera (1882–1975) TD for Clare	9 March 1932	29 December 1937	Fianna Fáil	6th	FF (minority)		Seán T. O'Kelly	7 (1932)
						7th				8 (1933)
						8th				9 (1937)
Taoiseach
No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death) Constituency	Term of office		Party	Government Composition		Tánaiste		Dáil (elected)
(2)		Éamon de Valera (1882–1975) TD for Clare	29 December 1937	18 February 1948	Fianna Fáil	1st	FF (minority)		Seán T. O'Kelly	9 ( ···· )
						2nd	FF			10 (1938)
						3rd	FF (minority)			11 (1943)
						4th	FF		Seán Lemass	12 (1944)
3		John A. Costello (1891–1976) TD for Dublin South-East	18 February 1948	13 June 1951	Fine Gael	5th	FG–Lab–CnP–CnT–NL–Ind		William Norton	13 (1948)
(2)		Éamon de Valera (1882–1975) TD for Clare	13 June 1951	2 June 1954	Fianna Fáil	6th	FF (minority)		Seán Lemass	14 (1951)
(3)		John A. Costello (1891–1976) TD for Dublin South-East	2 June 1954	20 March 1957	Fine Gael	7th	FG–Lab–CnT		William Norton	15 (1954)
(2)		Éamon de Valera (1882–1975) TD for Clare	20 March 1957	23 June 1959	Fianna Fáil	8th	FF		Seán Lemass	16 (1957)
4		Seán Lemass (1899–1971) TD for Dublin South-Central	23 June 1959	10 November 1966	Fianna Fáil	9th	FF		Seán MacEntee
						10th	FF (minority)			17 (1961)
						11th	FF		Frank Aiken	18 (1965)
5		Jack Lynch (1917–1999) TD for Cork Borough until 1969 TD for Cork City North-West from 1969	10 November 1966	14 March 1973	Fianna Fáil	12th	FF
						13th	FF		Erskine H. Childers	19 (1969)
6		Liam Cosgrave (1920–2017) TD for Dún Laoghaire and Rathdown	14 March 1973	5 July 1977	Fine Gael	14th	FG–Lab		Brendan Corish	20 (1973)
(5)		Jack Lynch (1917–1999) TD for Cork City	5 July 1977	11 December 1979	Fianna Fáil	15th	FF		George Colley	21 (1977)
7		Charles Haughey (1925–2006) TD for Dublin Artane	11 December 1979	30 June 1981	Fianna Fáil	16th	FF
8		Garret FitzGerald (1926–2011) TD for Dublin South-East	30 June 1981	9 March 1982	Fine Gael	17th	FG–Lab (minority)		Michael O'Leary	22 (1981)
(7)		Charles Haughey (1925–2006) TD for Dublin North-Central	9 March 1982	14 December 1982	Fianna Fáil	18th	FF (minority)		Ray MacSharry	23 (Feb.1982)
(8)		Garret FitzGerald (1926–2011) TD for Dublin South-East	14 December 1982	10 March 1987	Fine Gael	19th	FG–Lab FG (minority) from Jan 1987		Dick Spring	24 (Nov.1982)
									Peter Barry
(7)		Charles Haughey (1925–2006) TD for Dublin North-Central	10 March 1987	11 February 1992	Fianna Fáil	20th	FF (minority)		Brian Lenihan	25 (1987)
						21st	FF–PD			26 (1989)
									John Wilson
9		Albert Reynolds (1932–2014) TD for Longford–Roscommon	11 February 1992	15 December 1994	Fianna Fáil	22nd	FF–PD FF (minority) from Nov 1992
						23rd	FF–Lab FF (minority) from Nov 1994		Dick Spring	27 (1992)
									Bertie Ahern
10		John Bruton (1947–2024) TD for Meath	15 December 1994	26 June 1997	Fine Gael	24th	FG–Lab–DL		Dick Spring
11		Bertie Ahern (b. 1951) TD for Dublin Central	26 June 1997	7 May 2008	Fianna Fáil	25th	FF–PD (minority)		Mary Harney	28 (1997)
						26th	FF–PD			29 (2002)
									Michael McDowell
						27th	FF–Green–PD		Brian Cowen	30 (2007)
12		Brian Cowen (b. 1960) TD for Laois–Offaly	7 May 2008	9 March 2011	Fianna Fáil	28th	FF–Green–PD FF–Green–Ind from Nov 2009 FF (minority) from Jan 2011		Mary Coughlan
13		Enda Kenny (b. 1951) TD for Mayo	9 March 2011	14 June 2017	Fine Gael	29th	FG–Lab		Eamon Gilmore	31 (2011)
									Joan Burton
						30th	FG–Ind (minority)		Frances Fitzgerald	32 (2016)
14		Leo Varadkar (b. 1979) TD for Dublin West	14 June 2017	27 June 2020	Fine Gael	31st	FG–Ind (minority)
									Simon Coveney
15		Micheál Martin (b. 1960) TD for Cork South-Central	27 June 2020	17 December 2022	Fianna Fáil	32th	FF–FG–Green		Leo Varadkar	33 (2020)
(14)		Leo Varadkar (b. 1979) TD for Dublin West	17 December 2022	9 April 2024	Fine Gael	33rd	FG–FF–Green		Micheál Martin
16		Simon Harris (b. 1986) TD for Wicklow	9 April 2024	23 January 2025	Fine Gael	34th	FG–FF–Green
(15)		Micheál Martin (b. 1960) TD for Cork South-Central	23 January 2025	Incumbent	Fianna Fáil	35th	FF–FG–Ind		Simon Harris	34 (2024)

Timeline of Taoisigh

See also

In Spanish: Taoiseach para niños

• Politics of the Republic of Ireland
• Records of Irish heads of government since 1922
• Irish heads of government since 1919