How Many Prime Ministers Has Ireland Had?

Ireland does not really have a "prime minister" — it has a Taoiseach (pronounced "TEE-shokh"), an Irish word meaning "chief" or "leader", created by the 1937 constitution. Fifteen people have held the office since then, from Éamon de Valera to Micheál Martin. Martin, back in the job since January 2025, is the 14th person to first take it; Simon Harris, the 15th, now serves under him.

15people have served as Taoiseach since 1937

Correct as of June 2026.

Counting the Taoisigh

A small political world: two parties, fifteen leaders, no women yet.

15People since 1937

Fifteen individuals have served as Taoiseach since the office was created by the 1937 constitution, from de Valera to Harris.

Not a prime minister — a Taoiseach

Ireland deliberately does not use the British term. When Éamon de Valera\u2019s 1937 constitution created the office, it named it Taoiseach, an Irish word meaning "chief" or "leader". The head of state is separate and ceremonial: the President of Ireland, elected directly by the people. The Taoiseach runs the government; the President signs the laws.

Fifteen people have held the office since 1937. Counted by when they first took it, Micheál Martin is the 14th and Simon Harris the 15th — but Martin is currently serving his second spell, having first been Taoiseach from 2020 to 2022. Seven of the fifteen have returned for more than one separate term, de Valera and Charles Haughey each managing three.

A two-party world that finally merged

For almost its entire history, Irish government has been a contest between just two parties: Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael. Their rivalry is not about left and right but about the 1920s civil war, which split the independence movement into those who accepted the 1921 treaty with Britain and those who rejected it. For decades they would govern with smaller partners, but never with each other.

That changed in 2020. Faced with the rise of Sinn Féin, the two old rivals formed a coalition for the first time — and even agreed to rotate the office of Taoiseach between their leaders mid-term. Micheál Martin and Leo Varadkar swapped the job in 2022; after the 2024 election, Martin took it back. It is one of the more unusual power-sharing arrangements in any democracy.

The full list, in order

All 15 holders of the office since 1937, from de Valera to Harris. The number is each one\u2019s place by when they first took office; several, including Martin, have served more than once.

Every Taoiseach, in order

Tap a name for the detail. In nearly 90 years, only two parties have ever produced a Taoiseach.

Showing 15 holders

Firsts, and one absence

The recent holders have rewritten the profile of the job. Leo Varadkar, who first took office in 2017, was Ireland\u2019s first openly gay Taoiseach, the youngest at the time, and the first of Indian heritage. Simon Harris went one further on age in 2024, becoming the youngest Taoiseach ever at 37.

One first remains conspicuously unclaimed. In nearly 90 years, Ireland has never had a woman as Taoiseach — even though it has twice elected a woman as President, Mary Robinson and Mary McAleese, who between them held the head-of-state role for 21 straight years. The top of the government has stayed stubbornly closed in a way the presidency did not.

How much power is in the job?

An Irish Taoiseach almost never governs alone. Proportional representation makes coalitions the norm — and lately the partners even take turns holding the top job.

How much power does the Taoiseach actually have?

The title is the easy part. The real measure is how hard the holder is to remove.

Head of state too?

No. The President of Ireland is the ceremonial head of state; the Taoiseach heads the government.

How they get the job

Not directly elected. The Taoiseach is nominated by the Dáil (parliament) and appointed by the President.

Length of term

No fixed term; general elections are held at least every five years.

Can be sacked mid-term?

Yes — by losing the confidence of the Dáil. Coalitions have also agreed to rotate the office mid-term.

Control of parliament

Almost always governs in coalition — Ireland\u2019s proportional voting rarely hands one party a majority.

A coalition leader by necessity. Ireland\u2019s proportional system means the Taoiseach is usually the head of a multi-party deal — and, recently, even agrees to hand the job over halfway through a term.

In office now: Micheál Martin (Fianna Fáil)

Taoiseach since 23 January 2025 — his second, non-consecutive term — leading a coalition of the historic rivals Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, with Simon Harris as Tánaiste (deputy).

Office-holder correct as of June 2026.

See how this compares

Ireland now rotates its Taoiseach mid-term between coalition partners — something no other country on this map does. See all twelve leaders side by side and compare how each office works.

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Think you know them? Prove it

A quick quiz. The counting questions catch most people.

Question 1 of 8Score: 0

How many people have served as Taoiseach since 1937?

Sources

Department of the Taoiseach (gov.ie) — current and former Taoisigh; Micheál Martin in office since 23 January 2025
Britannica — taoiseach, head of government of Ireland (office created 1937)
Bunreacht na hÉireann (Constitution of Ireland, 1937), Articles 13 and 28 — the Taoiseach
Wikipedia — list of holders of the office of Taoiseach
Natural Earth public-domain country data (via world-atlas), used on the Leaders of the World map

Fifteen Taoisigh, two parties, and a job the holders now hand back and forth mid-term — Ireland runs its highest office in a way that is entirely, distinctly its own.