Prime Minister of Ireland (Taoiseach)

Micheál Martin, Taoiseach of Ireland

Micheál Martin has served as Taoiseach — Prime Minister of Ireland — since 23 January 2025, his second stint in the office. He previously held the role from 27 June 2020 to 17 December 2022 under the 2020 rotation agreement that saw him and Leo Varadkar (Fine Gael) swap positions. Martin is leader of Fianna Fáil, Ireland’s traditional centre-right party of de Valera lineage, a post he has held continuously since 26 January 2011. His current coalition combines Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael (led by Simon Harris) and a group of independent TDs who hold ranks of minister of state. Following the 29 November 2024 general election, this was the first Irish government to include Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael without the Greens, who lost 11 of their 12 seats.

Martin was born on 1 August 1960 in Cork. He graduated from University College Cork and worked as a secondary-school teacher before being elected to Cork City Council in 1985 and to Dáil Éireann for Cork South-Central in 1989, a seat he has held for more than 36 years. He served as Minister for Education (1997–2000), Health and Children (2000–2004), Enterprise, Trade and Employment (2004–2008), and — most notably — Minister for Foreign Affairs (2008–2011), during which period he signed the 2010 EU–IMF bailout agreement in the teeth of the Irish banking crisis.

The 2024 General Election and Coalition

The November 2024 Dáil election returned Fianna Fáil 48 seats, Sinn Féin 39, Fine Gael 38, the Social Democrats 11, and Labour 11 — with a fragmented independent grouping, a reduced Green Party, and new parties (including Independent Ireland, 4 seats). No party came close to the 88 seats needed for a majority in the 174-seat Dáil. Seven weeks of talks produced a programme for government signed on 15 January 2025 by FF, FG and regional independents. Unlike the 2020 rotation, Martin is scheduled to serve the full five-year term as Taoiseach, with Simon Harris (FG) as Tánaiste and a rotating ceremonial chair of cabinet committees.

Economy and Housing

Ireland continues to run substantial fiscal surpluses — €14.3 billion in 2025 — driven by corporation tax receipts from multinational headquarters. The government has sequestered much of this into the Future Ireland Fund and Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund, established in 2024, which combined are projected to hold €100 billion by 2035. The 2026 budget launched a €3 billion housing acceleration package, bringing annual housing completions to a target of 41,000 units, and expanded the Help-to-Buy and First Home schemes. Housing remains the dominant political issue, with the Central Bank warning of sustained affordability pressures.

Foreign Policy and the International Protection Bill

Martin’s government has maintained Ireland’s traditional military neutrality while incrementally increasing defence spending to 0.35% of GDP by 2026, with further increases pledged. Ireland formally recognised the State of Palestine on 28 May 2024 jointly with Spain and Norway. The International Protection Bill 2026 — the government’s centrepiece reform of Ireland’s asylum system under the EU Migration Pact — was signed by President Catherine Connolly but referred to the Council of State in April 2026, delaying its enactment pending Supreme Court constitutionality review.

Northern Ireland and UK Relations

Relations with Keir Starmer’s UK government have warmed notably since the June 2024 British election. The Windsor Framework on Northern Ireland protocol implementation has held; the Stormont Executive, restored in February 2024, continues to function under First Minister Michelle O’Neill (Sinn Féin) and deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly (DUP). The March 2025 Anglo-Irish inter-governmental conference in Dublin launched a joint Shared Island and Good Friday commemorative programme running to the agreement’s 30th anniversary in April 2028.