Minister for Defence (Ireland)
| Minister for Defence | |
|---|---|
| Appointer | President of Ireland on the nomination of the Taoiseach |
| Inaugural holder | Richard Mulcahy |
| Formation | 22 January 1919 |
| Website |
www |
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Enda Kenny greets Irish peacekeepers in Lebanon
The Minister for Defence (Irish: An tAire Cosanta) is the senior minister at the Department of Defence in the Government of Ireland. The current Minister for Defence is Enda Kenny, TD.[1]
The Department is responsible for the Irish Defence Forces. The Ministers and Secretaries Act 1924 assigned the minister the additional title of Commander-in-Chief as the Chairman of the Council of Defence. The Defence Act, 1954 removed this title as a result of the reconstitution of the Council of Defence. The President of Ireland, a largely ceremonial role, is considered the Supreme Commander of the Defence Forces.[2]
The Minister for Defence is assisted by the junior Minister of State at the Department of Defence.
Ministers for Defence since 1919
| No. | Name | Term of office | Party | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Richard Mulcahy[3] (1st term) | 22 January 1919 | 1 April 1919 | Sinn Féin | |
| 2. | Cathal Brugha[4] | 1 April 1919 | 9 January 1922 | Sinn Féin | |
| Richard Mulcahy (2nd term) | 10 January 1922 | 19 March 1924 | Pro-Treaty Sinn Féin | ||
| 3. | W. T. Cosgrave (Acting) | 20 March 1924 | 21 November 1924 | Pro-Treaty Sinn Féin | |
| 4. | Peter Hughes | 21 November 1924 | 23 June 1927 | Cumann na nGaedheal | |
| 5. | Desmond FitzGerald | 23 June 1927 | 9 March 1932 | Cumann na nGaedheal | |
| 6. | Frank Aiken | 9 March 1932 | 8 September 1939 | Fianna Fáil | |
| 7. | Oscar Traynor (1st term) | 8 September 1939 | 18 February 1948 | Fianna Fáil | |
| 8. | Thomas F. O'Higgins | 18 February 1948 | 7 March 1951 | Fine Gael | |
| 9. | Seán Mac Eoin (1st term) | 7 March 1951 | 13 June 1951 | Fine Gael | |
| Oscar Traynor (2nd term) | 13 June 1951 | 2 June 1954 | Fianna Fáil | ||
| Seán Mac Eoin (2nd term) | 2 June 1954 | 20 March 1957 | Fine Gael | ||
| 10. | Kevin Boland | 20 March 1957 | 11 October 1961 | Fianna Fáil | |
| 11. | Gerald Bartley | 11 October 1961 | 21 April 1965 | Fianna Fáil | |
| 12. | Michael Hilliard | 21 April 1965 | 2 July 1969 | Fianna Fáil | |
| 13. | Jim Gibbons | 2 July 1969 | 9 May 1970 | Fianna Fáil | |
| 14. | Jerry Cronin | 9 May 1970 | 14 March 1973 | Fianna Fáil | |
| 15. | Paddy Donegan | 14 March 1973 | 2 December 1976 | Fine Gael | |
| 16. | Liam Cosgrave (Acting) | 2 December 1976 | 16 December 1976 | Fine Gael | |
| 17. | Oliver J. Flanagan | 16 December 1976 | 5 July 1977 | Fine Gael | |
| 18. | Bobby Molloy | 5 July 1977 | 11 December 1979 | Fianna Fáil | |
| 19. | Pádraig Faulkner | 12 December 1979 | 15 October 1980 | Fianna Fáil | |
| 20. | Sylvester Barrett | 15 October 1979 | 30 June 1981 | Fianna Fáil | |
| 21. | James Tully | 30 June 1981 | 9 March 1982 | Labour Party | |
| 22. | Paddy Power | 9 March 1982 | 14 December 1982 | Fianna Fáil | |
| 23. | Patrick Cooney | 14 December 1982 | 14 February 1986 | Fine Gael | |
| 24. | Paddy O'Toole | 14 February 1982 | 10 March 1987 | Fine Gael | |
| 25. | Michael J. Noonan | 10 March 1987 | 12 July 1989 | Fianna Fáil | |
| 26. | Brian Lenihan | 12 July 1989 | 31 October 1990 | Fianna Fáil | |
| 27. | Charles Haughey (Acting) | 1 November 1990 | 5 February 1991 | Fianna Fáil | |
| 28. | Brendan Daly | 5 February 1991 | 14 November 1991 | Fianna Fáil | |
| 29. | Vincent Brady | 14 November 1991 | 11 February 1992 | Fianna Fáil | |
| 30. | John Wilson | 11 February 1992 | 12 January 1993 | Fianna Fáil | |
| 31. | David Andrews[5] (1st term) | 12 January 1993 | 15 December 1994 | Fianna Fáil | |
| 32. | Hugh Coveney[5] | 15 December 1994 | 23 May 1995 | Fine Gael | |
| 33. | Seán Barrett[5] | 23 May 1995 | 26 June 1997 | Fine Gael | |
| David Andrews (2nd term) | 26 June 1997 | 8 October 1997 | Fianna Fáil | ||
| 34. | Michael Smith | 8 October 1997 | 29 September 2004 | Fianna Fáil | |
| 35. | Willie O'Dea | 29 September 2004 | 18 February 2010 | Fianna Fáil | |
| 36. | Brian Cowen (Acting) | 18 February 2010 | 23 March 2010 | Fianna Fáil | |
| 37. | Tony Killeen | 23 March 2010 | 19 January 2011 | Fianna Fáil | |
| 38. | Éamon Ó Cuív | 20 January 2011 | 9 March 2011 | Fianna Fáil | |
| 39. | Alan Shatter | 9 March 2011 | 7 May 2014 | Fine Gael | |
| 40. | Enda Kenny (Acting) | 7 May 2014 | 11 July 2014 | Fine Gael | |
| 41. | Simon Coveney | 11 July 2014 | 6 May 2016 | Fine Gael | |
| 42. | Enda Kenny | 6 May 2016 | Incumbent | Fine Gael | |
See also
- Irish cabinets since 1919
- Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces (Ireland)
- Minister of State at the Department of Defence
- Director of Military Intelligence (Ireland)
References
- ↑ "Who's in? Who's out? These are your new ministers". The Journal. Retrieved 6 May 2016.
- ↑ Defence Act, 1954
- ↑ On the first occasion he served as minister Mulcahy bore the title Minister for National Defence.
- ↑ Brugha bore the title Secretary of State for Defence.
- 1 2 3 as Minister for Defence and the Marine.
External links
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