Profiles by DEAGLáN DE BRéADúN, HARRY MCGEE, MARY MINIHAN, PAUL CULLEN and MICHAEL O'REGAN
Taoiseach
Enda Kenny
Age
59
Party
Fine Gael
Constituency
Mayo
THE LONGEST-serving deputy in the House, Enda Kenny entered the Dáil in 1975 after winning a byelection caused by the death of his father, Mayo football star, Henry Kenny.
He was minister for tourism and trade from 1994-97 and took over the leadership of Fine Gael at its lowest ebb in 2002. He has brought the party from 31 seats in the Dáil to 76, in line with his promise to “electrify” the party.
He survived a major party heave against his leadership last June.
A primary schoolteacher by profession, he is married to Fionnuala O’Kelly, a former press officer with Fianna Fáil. A keep-fit enthusiast, he climbed Mount Kiliminjaro for charity. Amiable but tough, his road to the highest office has been a long one.
Tánaiste, Foreign Affairs and Trade
Eamon Gilmore
Age
55
Party
Labour
Constituency
Dún Laoghaire
EAMON GILMORE was first elected to the Dáil for the Workers’ Party in 1989 but he split away with others to form Democratic Left just three years later. Gilmore went on to serve as a junior minister at the department of the marine in the rainbow coalition of 1994-97.
Democratic Left merged into Labour in 1999. He was elected unopposed as Labour leader in September 2007. The Labour Party’s “Gilmore for taoiseach” campaign failed to bear fruit but he has now entered Government with an unprecedented 37 Labour TDs.
Gilmore will also be happy to have secured five seats at Cabinet, a “super junior” position for the party and a Labour Attorney General.
Finance
Michael Noonan
Age
67
Party
Fine Gael
Constituency
Limerick City
THE MINISTER for Finance is a former leader of Fine Gael who stood down after only 18 months after the party’s disastrous performance in the 2002 general election.
A TD for 30 years, he is the party’s most experienced Minister, having held the justice, industry and commerce, energy, and health, portfolios. He returned to the party’s front bench after the failed leadership heave last summer. His performance as health spokesman was seen as a significant factor behind the increased support for FG. Over three different periods since 1987, he has been Fine Gael’s finance spokesman for 11 years.
Public Expenditure and Reform
Brendan Howlin
Age
54
Party
Labour
Constituency
Wexford
BRENDAN HOWLIN is a former deputy leader of the Labour Party. A trained primary schoolteacher, he was active in the INTO before he entered national politics.
He was elected to the Dáil in 1987 and became Labour chief whip. Howlin held this position until 1993 when he became minister for health. He later served as minister for the environment until 1997.
When Dick Spring resigned as Labour leader, he contested the leadership but lost out to Ruairí Quinn. Since 2007, he has served as leas-cheann comhairle and was also a member of the party’s negotiating team for the programme for government.
Environment, Community and Local Government
Phil Hogan
Age
51
Party
Fine Gael
Constituency
Carlow-Kilkenny
PHIL HOGAN has taken over a portfolio he held as a member of the FG front bench and
it may fall to him to introduce water
charges during the Government's lifetime.
An effective political strategist, he was the party's highly successful national director of elections in the general election and masterminded Enda Kenny's defeat of the challenge to his leadership from Richard Bruton.
He served briefly as minister of state for finance in the rainbow coalition of the 1990s before resigning over the premature issuing of budget details from his office.
Social Protection
Joan Burton
Age
62
Party
Labour
Constituency
Dublin West
SHE SERVED as a junior minister in social welfare between 1992 and 1994. Later she had responsibility for overseas aid, when she was appointed minister of state for foreign affairs.
An accountant by profession, and a former lecturer, she was first elected to the Dáil in 1992.
She lost her seat five years later but regained it in 2002 and became Labour’s deputy leader and finance spokesman when Eamon Gilmore became party leader. Last month she topped the poll in her constituency for the first time and became the first TD elected to the 31st Dáil.
Enterprise, Jobs and Innovation
Richard Bruton
Age
57
Party
Fine Gael
Constituency
Dublin North Central
A NATIVE of Co Meath, he has built up a solid constituency base in Dublin North Central since he was first elected to the Dáil in 1982.
He lost his positions as deputy leader and finance spokesman after the abortive leadership heave against Enda Kenny, who later restored him to the front bench with the public sector reform portfolio.
An able Dáil performer, who is not afraid to be outspoken and risk electoral unpopularity, Bruton was a certainty for the Cabinet. He was minister for enterprise and employment from 1994-97 and minister of state for industry and commerce from 1986-87. He is a brother of former taoiseach John Bruton.
Arts, Heritage and Gaeltacht Affairs
Jimmy Deenihan
Age
58
Party
Fine Gael
Constituency
Kerry North-Limerick West
JIMMY DEENIHAN won five all-Ireland football medals for Kerry between 1975 and 1981. He was first elected to the Dáil in 1987, having spent a term in the Seanad. He served as minister of state for agriculture in the rainbow government of the 1990s, having supported John Bruton in a leadership heave before that. Deenihan was strong in his support for Enda Kenny during last summer’s unsuccessful leadership challenge and was promoted from defence to sport and tourism on the party’s front bench.
He topped the poll in his constituency with 12,304 first-preference votes.
Health
James Reilly
Age
55
Party
Fine Gael
Constituency
Dublin North
A GP by profession, he was first elected to the Dáil in 2007. A critic of former minister for health Mary Harney, he has promised radical reform of the health services.
He strongly supported Enda Kenny in the unsuccessful heave against him last summer. Following that, Reilly replaced Mr Bruton as deputy leader.
Before entering national politics, he served as president of the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO) and led the IMO negotiating team which secured a lucrative deal for GPs following the extension of the medical card scheme.
Communications, Energy and Natural Resources
Pat Rabbitte
Age
61
Party
Labour
Constituency
Dublin South West
MAYO-BORN like Enda Kenny, Pat Rabbitte was a student activist at UCG, became president of Union of Students in Ireland (1972-74) and was later an official with the Irish Transport and General Workers Union, now part of Siptu.
Elected Workers Party TD in 1989, he
joined the nascent Democratic Left (DL) in 1992 and served as junior minister at Department of Enterprise in the rainbow coalition of 1994-97. After DL's merger with Labour in 1999, Rabbitte became Labour leader in 2002 before stepping down after the 2007 general election. He is regarded as one of the Dáil's best speakers.
Justice Equality and Defence
Alan Shatter
Age
60
Party
Fine Gael
Constituency
Dublin South
ALAN SHATTER was first elected to the Dáil 30 years ago. He was re-elected at each subsequent election until he lost his seat in 2002. The qualified solicitor and expert in divorce legislation regained his seat in 2007 and was appointed frontbench spokesman on children. He has published more legislation in the form of private member’s Bills from the Opposition side of the Dáil than any other deputy in the history of the State.
A member of Fine Gael’s negotiating team in the discussion on the programme for government, he was the party’s spokesman on justice and law reform.
Agriculture, Marine and Food
Simon Coveney
Age
38
Party
Fine Gael
Constituency
Cork South Central
HE WAS first elected to the Dáil in October 1998 in a byelection brought about by the death of his father, former minister Hugh Coveney.
He was elected to the European Parliament in 2004 but returned to domestic politics to contest the general election in 2007.
He has been a prominent member of the Fine Gael front bench, surviving the reshuffle which followed the abortive heave against Enda Kenny, despite having backed Richard Bruton. Coveney was a member of Cork County Council from 1999 until 2003 and was formerly a sailing instructor and farmer.
Children
Frances Fitzgerald
Age
60
Party
Fine Gael
Constituency
Dublin Mid West
A LOYAL supporter of Enda Kenny, Frances Fitzgerald is Fine Gael's only woman Minister. She was Fine Gael leader in the last Seanad and was re-elected to the Dáil last month after a 10-year absence. She had been a TD in Dublin South East from 1992 until 2002. She was unsuccessful in her first election attempt to the Seanad in 2002. She also ran for the Dáil in Dublin Mid West in 2007, but failed to get elected.
A former social worker, she got involved in politics following a four-year stint as chairwoman of the Council for the Status of Women.
Education and Skills
Ruairí Quinn
Age
64
Party
Labour
Constituency
Dublin South East
RUAIRÍ QUINN was leader of the Labour Party from 1997 until 2002 and was first elected to the Dáil in 1977. His was minister for finance during the rainbow coalition of 1994 to 1997 and has served in a number of other departments, including enterprise and employment.
An architect and town planner by profession, Quinn was appointed his party’s spokesman on education and science in 2007. He secured 5,407 first-preference votes in his Dublin South East constituency, where running mate Kevin Humphreys was also successful.
Transport, Sport Tourism
Leo Varadkar
Age
32
Party
Fine Gael
Constituency
Dublin West
ONE OF Fine Gael’s leading lights, Varadkar is based in Castleknock, Dublin. He was his party’s spokesman on enterprise, trade and employment in the last Dáil until the failed heave against Enda Kenny, in which he sided with unsuccessful challenger Richard Bruton.
However, Varadkar was welcomed back to the front bench shortly afterwards and assigned the communications and natural resources brief.
He has argued for the privatisation of certain State assets. Varadkar previously worked at Connolly Hospital, Blanchardstown.
Seats at Cabinet table: Ministers of State
Willie Penrose
Age54
PartyLabour
Constituency
Longford Westmeath
Title: Minister of State with special responsibility for Housing and Planning.
WILLIE PENROSE has built an impregnable local base in the Mullingar area and is a major vote getter for the party. A barrister, he was a poll-topping member of Westmeath County Council from 1984 until 2003. Labour’s 12 councillors have a majority on the 23-seat council. He was first elected to the Dáil in 1992. It was the first Labour seat in the constituency since 1927. Outspoken on issues around social welfare and rural life, he was party spokesman for enterprise, trade and employment. He is married with three daughters.
Paul Kehoe
Age38
PartyFine Gael
Constituency
Wexford
Title Minister of State at Department of Taoiseach and Chief Whip.
A FARMER from Bree, Enniscorthy, Paul Kehoe will have some idea of what to expect as Government Chief Whip, having served as Fine Gael’s chief whip since 2004.
First elected to the Dáil in 2002, he has been a loyal supporter of Enda Kenny and was by his side throughout the attempted heave in June last year.
As Government Chief Whip, he will enjoy the perk of a full State car and driver until Fine Gael implements its promised reform to introduce a car pool for Ministers.
He is married and became a father for the first time last year.