Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs
The Minister for Foreign Affairs is the senior minister at the Department of Foreign Affairs (An Roinn Gnóthaí Eachtracha) in the Irish Government. The current Minister for Foreign Affairs is Dermot Ahern, TD. He is assisted by: Conor Lenihan, TD - Minister of State with special responsibility for Overseas Development and Human Rights;Noel Treacy, TD - Minister of State with special reponsibility for European Affairs. The Minister is one of the most important members of the Irish cabinet, with responsibility for the relations between the Republic of Ireland and foreign states. From 1922 until 1971 the title of the office was "Minister for External Affairs".
Overview Within the department there are a number of divisions: - Anglo-Irish Division - deals with Anglo-Irish relations and Northern Ireland.
- Cultural Division - administers the state's Cultural Relations Programme.
- European Union Division - coordinates the state's approach within the European Union (EU).
- Passport and Consular Division - is responsible for the issuing of passports to Irish citizens.
- Political Division - is responsible for international political issues and manages the state's participation in the EU's Common Foreign and Security Policy.
- Protocol Division - is responsible for the organisation and management of visits of VIPs to the state and of visits abroad by the Irish President.
List of office-holders
Ministers for Foreign Affairs (1919-1922)
#
| Name
| Took Office
| Left Office
| Party |
|---|
| 1. | Count Plunkett | January 22, 1919 | August 26, 1921 | Sinn Féin | | 2. | Arthur Griffith1 (1st time) | August 22, 1921 | January 9, 1922 | Sinn Féin | | 3. | George Gavan Duffy | January 10, 1922 | July 25, 1922 | Pro-Treaty Sinn Féin | | Arthur Griffith (2nd time) | July 26, 1922 | August 12, 1922 | Pro-Treaty Sinn Féin | | 4. | Michael Hayes | August 21, 1922 | September 9, 1922 | Pro-Treaty Sinn Féin |
Ministers for External Affairs (1922-1971) #
| Name
| Took Office
| Left Office
| Party |
|---|
| 5. | Desmond FitzGerald | August 30, 1922 | June 23, 1927 | Cumann na nGaedhael | | 6. | Kevin O'Higgins | June 23, 1927 | July 10, 1927 | Cumann na nGaedhael | | 7. | W.T. Cosgrave (acting) | July 10, 1927 | October 11, 1927 | Cumann na nGaedhael | | 8. | Patrick McGilligan | October 11, 1927 | March 9, 1932 | Cumann na nGaedhael | | 9. | Eamon de Valera2 | March 9, 1932 | February 18, 1948 | Fianna Fáil | | 10. | Seán MacBride | February 18, 1948 | June 13, 1951 | Clann na Poblachta | | 11. | Frank Aiken (1st time) | June 13, 1951 | June 2, 1954 | Fianna Fáil | | 10. | Liam Cosgrave | June 2, 1954 | March 20, 1957 | Fine Gael | | Frank Aiken (2nd time) | March 20, 1957 | July 2, 1969 | Fianna Fáil | | 12. | Patrick Hillery | July 2, 1969 | March 3, 1971 | Fianna Fáil |
Ministers for Foreign Affairs (1971-present) #
| Name
| Took Office
| Left Office
| Party |
|---|
| Patrick Hillery | March 3, 1971 | January 3, 1973 | Fianna Fáil | | 13. | Brian Lenihan (1st time) | January 3, 1973 | March 14, 1973 | Fianna Fáil | | 14. | Garret FitzGerald | March 14, 1973 | July 5, 1977 | Fine Gael | | 15. | Michael O'Kennedy | July 5, 1977 | December 11, 1979 | Fianna Fáil | | Brian Lenihan (2nd time) | December 12, 1979 | June 30, 1981 | Fianna Fáil | | 16. | John Kelly3 | June 30, 1981 | October 21, 1981 | Fine Gael | | 17. | James Dooge | October 21, 1981 | March 9, 1982 | Fine Gael | | 18. | Gerard Collins (1st time) | March 9, 1982 | December 14, 1982 | Fianna Fáil | | 19. | Peter Barry4 | December 14, 1982 | March 10, 1987 | Fine Gael | | Brian Lenihan (3rd time) | March 10, 1987 | July 12, 1989 | Fianna Fáil | | Gerard Collins (2nd time) | July 12, 1989 | February 11, 1992 | Fianna Fáil | | 20. | David Andrews (1st time) | February 11, 1992 | January 12, 1993 | Fianna Fáil | | 21. | Dick Spring (1st time) | January 12, 1993 | November 17, 1994 | Labour | | 22. | Albert Reynolds (acting) | November 18, 1994 | December 15, 1994 | Fianna Fáil | | . | Dick Spring (2nd time) | December 15, 1994 | June 26, 1997 | Labour | | 23. | Ray Burke | June 26, 1997 | October 7, 1997 | Fianna Fáil | | David Andrews (2nd time) | October 8, 1997 | January 27, 2000 | Fianna Fáil | | 24. | Brian Cowen | January 27, 2000 | September 29, 2004 | Fianna Fáil | | 25. | Dermot Ahern | September 29, 2004 | (Current Incumbent) | Fianna Fáil |
Footnotes - On the first occasion he held the foreign affairs portfolio, Arthur Griffith's official title was Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.
- Eamon de Valera, who was head of government (President of the Executive Council until 1937, renamed Taoiseach in 1937) served as his own foreign minister.
- When Garret FitzGerald formed a government in mid 1981 he announced that he would be appointing James Dooge to be a senator and once in office would make him minister. However as the appointment could not be made until Seanad Éireann's general election had taken place (which would be a few weeks), in the interim the Minister for Trade, Commerce and Tourism, John M. Kelly, would act as minister.
- When Labour withdrew from cabinet in early 1987, a new interim cabinet, made up simply of the outgoing Fine Gael ministers, was formed. Peter Barry continued on as Foreign Minister in that shortlived Fine Gael cabinet.
See also - Irish cabinets since 1919
External link - Department of Foreign Affairs
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