Profile:Born in Ballinasloe in 1953, Mary Harney began her political career when she was appointed to the Senate by Taoiseach Jack Lynch in 1977.
At 24 years of age, she became the youngest person ever to serve in the Seanad and went on to become one of the country's most popular political leaders.
She was elected to Dáil Éireann on a Fianna Fáil ticket in 1981 representing the constituency of Dublin West.
In 1985, she was expelled from the Fianna Fáil party over her support for the Anglo-Irish Agreement and became one of the founding members of the Progressive Democrats (PDs) - along with former Fianna Fail colleague Dessie O'Malley.
Four years later, in 1989, the PDs, which was founded on principles of low taxes and free market reform, entered coalition with Fianna Fáil and Ms Harney was appointed Minister of State with responsibility for Environmental Protection.
During her tenure as minister she introduced a ban on the sale of bituminous coal in Dublin and established the Environmental Protection Agency.
She became the first ever woman to head an Irish political party when she was elected leader of the Progressive Democrats in October 1993.
In June 1997 the PDs formed a minority Government with Fianna Fáil, and she made history again by becoming the first woman in the history of the State to become Tánaiste
Over the next five years the Fianna Fáil/PD government presided over unprecedented economic growth.
In the 2002 general election Ms Harney led the Progressive Democrats back into Government after doubling her party's representation in the Dáil.
She has been Minister for Health since September 2004. Ms Harney lives in Clonskeagh, Dublin 6, and is married to Brian Geoghegan.