List of ministerial resignations and terminations of appointment in the Republic of Ireland
The lists below indicate members of the government of Ireland (government ministers) or ministers of state (junior ministers) who left office during the term of a government.
In many instances, a resignation was requested by the Taoiseach, including during a reshuffle. This is distinct from circumstances where a minister's appointment was terminated by the Taoiseach, in some instances where the minister refused to comply with a request to resign. Ministers may become disqualified if they cease to be members of the Oireachtas (other than at a general election) or where there is a statutory disqualification on them remaining in office.
Prior to 1937, the head of government was the President of the Executive Council of the Irish Free State, rather than the Taoiseach.
Government ministers
Members of the government are appointed by the president on the nomination of the Taoiseach and approval of the Dáil. The president accepts the resignation or terminates the appointment of a minister on the advice of the Taoiseach. This is governed by Articles 13 and 28 of the Constitution of Ireland.
Resignations
Government | Date | Minister | Position | Party | Taoiseach | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2nd EC | 7 March 1924 | Joseph McGrath | Minister for Industry and Commerce | Cumann na nGaedheal | W. T. Cosgrave | Irish Army Mutiny: opposition to approach of Executive Council | |
19 March 1924 | Richard Mulcahy | Minister for Defence | Cumann na nGaedheal | Irish Army Mutiny | |||
24 November 1925 | Eoin MacNeill | Minister for Education | Cumann na nGaedheal | Failure of Irish Boundary Commission to secure substantial territory | |||
5th Gov | 11 April 1951 | Noël Browne | Minister for Health | Clann na Poblachta | John A. Costello | Disagreement over Mother and Child Scheme | |
10th Gov | 8 October 1964[1] | Paddy Smith | Minister for Agriculture | Fianna Fáil | Seán Lemass | Disagreement over farming policy | |
13th Gov | 4 May 1970[2] | Mícheál Ó Móráin | Minister for Justice | Fianna Fáil | Jack Lynch | Requested due to medical absence | |
7 May 1970 | Kevin Boland | Minister for Local Government Minister for Social Welfare | Fianna Fáil | In protest at the sacking of Blaney and Haughey | |||
3 January 1973 | Patrick Hillery | Minister for Foreign Affairs | Fianna Fáil | Nominated as European Commissioner | |||
14th Gov | 2 December 1976[3] | Richard Burke | Minister for Education | Fine Gael | Liam Cosgrave | Nominated as European Commissioner | |
16th Gov | 15 October 1980[4] | Pádraig Faulkner | Minister for Defence | Fianna Fáil | Charles Haughey | Nominated as Ceann Comhairle | |
16th Gov | 16 December 1980[5] | Michael O'Kennedy | Minister for Finance | Fianna Fáil | Nominated as European Commissioner | ||
18th Gov | 6 October 1982[6] | Martin O'Donoghue | Minister for Education | Fianna Fáil | Charles Haughey | Supported challenge to leadership | |
Desmond O'Malley | Minister for Trade, Commerce and Tourism | ||||||
19th Gov | 8 December 1983[7] | Frank Cluskey | Minister for Trade, Commerce and Tourism | Labour | Garret FitzGerald | Disagreement on Dublin Gas Policy | |
20 January 1987[8] | Dick Spring | Minister for Energy and Tánaiste | Labour | Left government in opposition to budget | |||
Barry Desmond | Minister for Health | ||||||
Liam Kavanagh | Minister for Tourism, Fisheries and Forestry | ||||||
Ruairi Quinn | Minister for Labour Minister for the Public Service | ||||||
20th Gov | 24 November 1988[9] | Ray MacSharry | Minister for Finance | Fianna Fáil | Charles Haughey | Nominated as European Commissioner | |
22nd Gov | 4 November 1992[10] | Desmond O'Malley | Minister for Industry and Commerce | Progressive Democrats | Albert Reynolds | Party left government (Beef Tribunal) | |
Bobby Molloy | Minister for Energy | ||||||
4 January 1993[11] | Pádraig Flynn | Minister for Justice | Fianna Fáil | Nominated as European Commissioner | |||
23rd Gov | 17 November 1994[12] | Dick Spring | Minister for Foreign Affairs and Tánaiste | Labour | Albert Reynolds | Party left government | |
Ruairi Quinn | Minister for Enterprise and Employment | ||||||
Mervyn Taylor | Minister for Equality and Law Reform | ||||||
Michael D. Higgins | Minister for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht | ||||||
Brendan Howlin | Minister for Health | ||||||
Niamh Bhreathnach | Minister for Education | ||||||
24th Gov | 23 May 1995[13] | Hugh Coveney | Minister for Defence Minister for the Marine | Fine Gael | John Bruton | Demoted to Minister of State | |
3 December 1996[14] | Michael Lowry | Minister for Transport, Energy and Communications | Reports of receipt of improper payments | ||||
25th Gov | 8 October 1997[15] | Ray Burke | Minister for Foreign Affairs | Fianna Fáil | Bertie Ahern | Reports of corrupt payments | |
27 January 2000[16] | David Andrews | Minister for Foreign Affairs | Retirement after implementation of Good Friday Agreement | ||||
26th Gov | 29 September 2004[17] | Charlie McCreevy | Minister for Finance | Fianna Fáil | Bertie Ahern | Nominated as European Commissioner | |
Michael Smith | Minister for Defence | ||||||
Joe Walsh | Minister for Agriculture and Food | ||||||
28th Gov | 18 February 2010[18] | Willie O'Dea | Minister for Defence | Fianna Fáil | Brian Cowen | ||
23 March 2010[19] | Martin Cullen | Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism | Ill health[20] | ||||
19 January 2011[21] | Micheál Martin | Minister for Foreign Affairs | Challenge to leadership | ||||
20 January 2011[22] | Mary Harney | Minister for Health | Independent | Ahead of retirement at forthcoming general election | |||
Dermot Ahern | Minister for Justice and Law Reform | Fianna Fáil | |||||
Noel Dempsey | Minister for Transport | ||||||
Batt O'Keeffe | Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Innovation | ||||||
Tony Killeen | Minister for Defence | ||||||
23 January 2011[23] | John Gormley | Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government | Green | Party left government | |||
Eamon Ryan | Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources | ||||||
29th Gov | 7 May 2014[24] | Alan Shatter | Minister for Justice and Equality Minister for Defence | Fine Gael | Enda Kenny | Publication of Guerin Report | |
11 July 2014[25] | Eamonn Gilmore | Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade and Tánaiste | Labour | Following Labour leadership election | |||
Ruairi Quinn | Minister for Education and Skills | ||||||
Pat Rabbitte | Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources | ||||||
Phil Hogan | Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government | Fine Gael | Nominated as European Commissioner | ||||
Jimmy Deenihan | Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht | Demoted to Minister of State | |||||
31st Gov | 28 November 2017[26] | Frances Fitzgerald | Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation and Tánaiste | Fine Gael | Leo Varadkar | Threat of motion of no confidence surrounding Garda whistleblower scandal | |
11 October 2018[27] | Denis Naughten | Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment | Independent | Broadband procurement process | |||
32nd Gov | 21 August 2020[28] | Dara Calleary | Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine | Fianna Fáil | Mícheál Martin | Golfgate |
Terminations of appointment
Government | Date | Minister | Position | Party | Taoiseach | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
13th Gov | 7 May 1970 | Neil Blaney | Minister for Agriculture | Fianna Fáil | Jack Lynch | Arms Crisis | |
Charles Haughey | Minister for Finance | ||||||
21st Gov | 31 October 1990[29] | Brian Lenihan | Minister for Defence and Tánaiste | Fianna Fáil | Charles Haughey | ||
7 November 1991[30] | Albert Reynolds | Minister for Finance | Challenge to leader | ||||
Pádraig Flynn | Minister for the Environment | ||||||
32nd Gov | 14 July 2020[31] | Barry Cowen | Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine | Fianna Fáil | Mícheál Martin | Non-disclosure of driving offences |
Disqualification
Government | Date | Minister | Position | Party | Taoiseach | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
7th EC | 29 May 1936 | Joseph Connolly | Minister for Lands | Fianna Fáil | Éamon de Valera | Abolition of Seanad Éireann | |
4th Gov | 18 June 1945 | Seán T. O'Kelly | Minister for Finance Tánaiste | Fianna Fáil | Éamon de Valera | Election as president of Ireland |
Nomination withdrawn
On 13 November 1991, Jim McDaid was proposed as Minister for Defence, but his name was withdrawn later that day.[32][33]
Ministers of State
Ministers of State are appointed by the government on the nomination of the Taoiseach. Prior to 1978, the equivalent position was Parliamentary Secretary.
Resignations
- ^ Cowen requested the resignation of all 20 Ministers of State. The remaining 13 were re-appointed on the same day, with two new appointments to junior ministerial office.
Terminations of appointment
Government | Date | Minister | Department | Party | Taoiseach | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
19th Gov | 18 February 1986[53] | Donal Creed | Education | Fine Gael | Garret FitzGerald | Refused to resign in the reshuffle | |
Michael D'Arcy | Fisheries and Forestry | ||||||
23 September 1986[54] | Edward Collins | Energy Industry and Commerce | Failure to disclose conflict of interest | ||||
21st Gov | 15 November 1991[55] | Máire Geoghegan-Quinn | Taoiseach | Fianna Fáil | Charles Haughey | Supported challenge to leader | |
Noel Treacy | Health | ||||||
Michael Smith | Industry and Commerce |
Disqualification
Government | Date | Minister | Department | Party | Taoiseach | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
23rd Gov | 9 June 1994 | Liam Hyland | Agriculture, Food and Forestry | Fianna Fáil | Albert Reynolds | Election as MEP[56] | |
26th Gov | 11 June 2004 | Liam Aylward | Agriculture and Food | Fianna Fáil | Bertie Ahern | Election as MEP[57] | |
29th Gov | 23 May 2014 | Brian Hayes | Finance Public Expenditure and Reform | Fine Gael | Enda Kenny | Election as MEP[58] |
References
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I wish to request leave of the House to withdraw the motion concerning nomination of Members of the Government which I moved today.
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