Minister for Foreign Affairs (Ireland)

The Minister for Foreign Affairs (Irish: An tAire Gnóthaí Eachtracha) is a senior minister in the Government of Ireland and leads the Department of Foreign Affairs.

Minister for Foreign Affairs
Incumbent Micheál Martin since 17 December 2022
Department of Foreign Affairs
Member of	Government of Ireland Council of the European Union Dáil Éireann
Reports to	Taoiseach
Seat	Iveagh House, Dublin, Ireland
Appointer	President of Ireland on the nomination of the Taoiseach
Inaugural holder	George Noble Plunkett
Formation	22 January 1919
Website	Official website

The Minister's office is located at Iveagh House, on St Stephen's Green in Dublin; "Iveagh House" is often used as a metonym for the department as a whole. From 1922 until 1971 the title of the office was "Minister for External Affairs".

The current office holder is Micheál Martin, TD. He is also Minister for Defence.

He is assisted by:

• Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, TD – Minister of State for European Affairs
• Seán Fleming, TD – Minister of State for International Development and Diaspora^[1][2]

Overview

Iveagh House, Department of Foreign Affairs, Ireland

The department has the following divisions:

• Finance Unit – oversees the financial control of the department.
• 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).
• Development Cooperation Division – responsible for the Irish Aid programme and for Irish international development policy.
• 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 President of Ireland.

The minister has responsibility for the relations between Ireland and foreign states. The department defines its role as: "The Department of Foreign Affairs advises the Minister for Foreign Affairs, the Ministers of State and the Government on all aspects of foreign policy and coordinates Ireland's response to international developments.

It also provides advice and support on all issues relevant to the pursuit of peace, partnership and reconciliation in Northern Ireland, and between North and South of the island, and to deepening Ireland's relationship with Britain."^[3]

List of office-holders

  Denotes acting Minister

Minister for Foreign Affairs 1919–1922
Name	Term of office		Party		Government(s)[a]
George Noble Plunkett	22 January 1919	26 August 1921		Sinn Féin	1st DM • 2nd DM
Arthur Griffith[b] (1st time)	26 August 1921	9 January 1922		Sinn Féin	3rd DM
George Gavan Duffy	10 January 1922	25 July 1922		Sinn Féin (Pro-Treaty)	4th DM • 1st PG
Arthur Griffith (2nd time)	26 July 1922	12 August 1922		Sinn Féin (Pro-Treaty)	4th DM • 1st PG
Michael Hayes (acting)	21 August 1922	9 September 1922		Sinn Féin (Pro-Treaty)	4th DM • 1st PG
Minister for External Affairs 1922–1971
Name	Term of office		Party		Government(s)
Desmond FitzGerald	30 August 1922	23 June 1927		Cumann na nGaedheal	2nd PG • 5th DM • 1st EC • 2nd EC
Kevin O'Higgins	23 June 1927	10 July 1927		Cumann na nGaedheal	3rd EC
W. T. Cosgrave (acting)	10 July 1927	11 October 1927		Cumann na nGaedheal	3rd EC
Patrick McGilligan	11 October 1927	9 March 1932		Cumann na nGaedheal	4th EC • 5th EC
Éamon de Valera[c]	9 March 1932	18 February 1948		Fianna Fáil	6th EC • 7th EC • 8th EC • 1st • 2nd • 3rd • 4th
Seán MacBride	18 February 1948	13 June 1951		Clann na Poblachta	5th
Frank Aiken (1st time)	13 June 1951	2 June 1954		Fianna Fáil	6th
Liam Cosgrave	2 June 1954	20 March 1957		Fine Gael	7th
Frank Aiken (2nd time)	20 March 1957	2 July 1969		Fianna Fáil	8th • 9th • 10th • 11th • 12th
Patrick Hillery	2 July 1969	3 March 1971		Fianna Fáil	13th
Minister for Foreign Affairs 1971–2011
Name	Term of office		Party		Government(s)
Patrick Hillery	3 March 1971	3 January 1973		Fianna Fáil	13th
Brian Lenihan (1st time)	3 January 1973	14 March 1973		Fianna Fáil	13th
Garret FitzGerald	14 March 1973	5 July 1977		Fine Gael	14th
Michael O'Kennedy	5 July 1977	11 December 1979		Fianna Fáil	15th
Brian Lenihan (2nd time)	12 December 1979	30 June 1981		Fianna Fáil	16th
John Kelly (acting)[d]	30 June 1981	21 October 1981		Fine Gael	17th
James Dooge	21 October 1981	9 March 1982		Fine Gael	17th
Gerry Collins (1st time)	9 March 1982	14 December 1982		Fianna Fáil	18th
Peter Barry	14 December 1982	10 March 1987		Fine Gael	19th
Brian Lenihan (3rd time)	10 March 1987	12 July 1989		Fianna Fáil	20th
Gerry Collins (2nd time)	12 July 1989	11 February 1992		Fianna Fáil	21st
David Andrews (1st time)	11 February 1992	12 January 1993		Fianna Fáil	22nd
Dick Spring (1st time)	12 January 1993	17 November 1994		Labour	23rd
Albert Reynolds (acting)	18 November 1994	15 December 1994		Fianna Fáil	23rd
Dick Spring (2nd time)	15 December 1994	26 June 1997		Labour	24th
Ray Burke	26 June 1997	7 October 1997		Fianna Fáil	25th
David Andrews (2nd time)	8 October 1997	27 January 2000		Fianna Fáil	25th
Brian Cowen	27 January 2000	29 September 2004		Fianna Fáil	25th • 26th
Dermot Ahern	29 September 2004	7 May 2008		Fianna Fáil	26th • 27th
Micheál Martin	7 May 2008	19 January 2011		Fianna Fáil	28th
Brian Cowen (2nd time)	19 January 2011	9 March 2011		Fianna Fáil	28th
Eamon Gilmore	9 March 2011	2 June 2011		Labour	29th
Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade 2011–2020
Name	Term of office		Party		Government(s)
Eamon Gilmore	2 June 2011	11 July 2014		Labour	29th
Charles Flanagan	11 July 2014	14 June 2017		Fine Gael	29th • 30th
Simon Coveney[e]	14 June 2017	24 September 2020		Fine Gael	31st • 32nd
Minister for Foreign Affairs 2020–present
Name	Term of office		Party		Government(s)
Simon Coveney[e]	24 September 2020	17 December 2022		Fine Gael	32nd
Micheál Martin (2nd time)	17 December 2022	Incumbent		Fianna Fáil	33rd • 34th

Notes

1. Before 1937: DM – Dáil Ministry; PG – Provisional Government; EC – Executive Council.
2. On the first occasion he held the foreign affairs portfolio, Arthur Griffith's title was Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.
3. Éamon de Valera, who was head of government (President of the Executive Council until 1937, renamed Taoiseach in 1937) served as his own foreign minister.
4. John Kelly, who was also Minister for Trade, Commerce and Tourism, was named as acting Minister for Foreign Affairs until Dooge was appointed to Seanad Éireann and later appointed as minister.
5. Also Minister for Defence from 27 June 2020.

References

1. "List of Ministers and Ministers of State", Government of Ireland, archived from the original on 7 August 2020, retrieved 31 July 2020
2. "Our Ministers". Department of Foreign Affairs. Archived from the original on 18 September 2020. Retrieved 25 August 2020.
3. "Department of Foreign Affairs: The Role of the Department". Archived from the original on 17 January 2010. Retrieved 15 April 2012.

External links

• Official website