Fine Gael
Leader	Enda Kenny
Founded	3 September 1933
Headquarters	51 Upper Mount Street, Dublin 2
Political Ideology	Christian democracy, Centrism
International Affiliation	Centrist Democrat International
European Affiliation	European People's Party
European Parliament Group	European People's Party–European Democrats
Colours	Blue
Website	www.finegael.ie
See also	Politics of Ireland Political parties Elections in Ireland

Fine Gael – The United Ireland Party, shortened to Fine Gael (pronounced [ˌfʲɪnʲə ˈgeːɫ], meaning Family or Tribe of the Irish,^[1]) is the second largest political party in the Republic of Ireland. For the Australian singer see Enda Kenny (singer Enda Kenny (Éanna Ó Cionnaith born 24 April 1951 an Irish politician Events 36 BC - In the Battle of Naulochus, Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa, Admiral of Octavian, defeats Sextus Pompeius Year 1933 ( MCMXXXIII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Dublin (ˈdʌblɨn/ /ˈdʊblɨn or /ˈdʊbəlɪn/, bˠalʲə aːha klʲiəh or cliə(ɸ is both the largest city and capital of Ireland. Christian democracy is a political ideology that seeks to apply Christian (and often specifically Catholic) principles to public policy In Politics, centrism usually refers to the political ideal of promoting Moderate policies which land in the middle ground between different political extremes The Centrist Democrat International was until 2001 the Christian Democrat International (CDI and before that the Christian Democrat and People's Parties International The European People's Party (EPP is a Christian democratic and Liberal conservative European political party. This article is about the current European Parliament Group and its predecessors dating back to 1952 Blue is a Colour, the Perception of which is evoked by The Republic of Ireland is a parliamentary representative democratic Republic. There are a number of political parties in the Republic of Ireland, and Coalition governments are common The Republic of Ireland elects on national level a Head of state — the President — and a Legislature. A political party is a Political organization that seeks to attain and maintain political power within Government, usually by participating in electoral Ireland ( Irish: Éire, ˈeːrʲə is a country in north-western Europe. It claims a membership of 30,000,^[2] and is the largest opposition party in the Oireachtas, the Irish parliament. Parliamentary opposition is a form of political opposition to a designated government particularly in a Westminster -based Parliamentary system The Oireachtas (ɛrʲaxt̪ˠasˠ is the "national parliament" or Legislature of Ireland, sometimes referred to as Oireachtas Éireann.

Fine Gael was founded in 1933 following the merger of its parent party Cumann na nGaedhael, the Centre Party and the Army Comrades Association, popularly known as the "Blueshirts". Cumann na nGaedhael (ˈkʊmən nə ˈŋɰeːɫ "Society of the Gaels" sometimes spelt Cumann na nGaedheal, was an Irish language name given The National Centre Party, initially know as the National Farmers and Ratepayers League was a short-lived political party in the Irish Free State. The Army Comrades Association (ACA later named National Guard and better known by their nickname The Blueshirts (Na Léinte Gorma were an ^[3] Its origins lie in the struggle for Irish independence and the pro-Treaty side in the Irish Civil War, identifying in particular Michael Collins as the founder of the movement. The Irish War of Independence (or Tan War, or Anglo-Irish War, Irish: Cogadh na Saoirse) from January 1919 to July 1921 was a guerrilla The Anglo-Irish Treaty (An Conradh Angla-Éireannach officially called the Articles of Agreement for a Treaty Between Great Britain and Ireland, was a Treaty The Irish Civil War ( June 28 1922 &ndash May 24 1923) pitted supporters of the Anglo-Irish Treaty against its opponents Michael John ("Mick" Collins (Mícheál Seán Ó Coileáin 16 October 1890 &ndash 22 August 1922 was an Irish revolutionary leader, Minister for ^[4]

Modern Fine Gael describes itself as the party of the "progressive centre"^[5], with core values focussed on fiscal rectitude, free enterprise and reward, individual rights and responsibilities. ^[6] They are strongly pro-EU integration and opposed to violent Irish republicanism. Irish republicanism (Poblachtánachas is an ideology based on the Irish nationalist belief that all of Ireland should be a single independent Republic Fine Gael is Ireland's only party in the European People's Party (EPP); its MEPs sit in the EPP-ED group. The European People's Party (EPP is a Christian democratic and Liberal conservative European political party. A Member of the European Parliament ( English abbreviation MEP) is a member of the European Union 's legislative body the European Parliament. This article is about the current European Parliament Group and its predecessors dating back to 1952 The party's youth wing, Young Fine Gael, was formed in 1977 and has approximately four thousand members. Young Fine Gael ( YFG) is the autonomous youth wing of the major Irish Political party Fine Gael. ^[7]

The current party leader is Enda Kenny. For the Australian singer see Enda Kenny (singer Enda Kenny (Éanna Ó Cionnaith born 24 April 1951 an Irish politician He was elected by a secret ballot of the parliamentary party on 5 June 2002. Events 70 - Titus and his Roman Legions breach the middle wall of Jerusalem in the Siege of Jerusalem See also 2002 (disambiguation Year 2002 ( MMII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ^[8]

History

Main article: History of Fine Gael

General Richard Mulcahy as chief of staff of the National Army

Following the rise in support for Éamon de Valera's anti-Treaty Fianna Fáil party in the mid-1920s, a new strategy was felt necessary to bolster the pro-Treaty factions which found themselves in opposition. This article chronicles the history of the Fine Gael political party from its inception to the present day Richard James Mulcahy (Risteárd Séamus Ó Maolchatha (10 May 1886 &ndash 16 December 1971 was an Irish politician, Army general and Commander in The Irish Army ( Arm na hÉireann) is the main branch of the Irish Defence Forces ( Óglaigh na hÉireann) Éamon de Valera (ˈeɪmən dɛvəˈlɛrə (born Edward George de Valera) (14 October 1882 &ndash 29 August 1975 was one of the dominant political figures in 20th century Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party (Fianna Fáil – An Páirtí Poblachtánach shortened to Fianna Fáil ( is currently the largest Political party in the As a result of the Army Comrades Association's defence of Cumann na nGaedhael from republican intimidation Fine Gael was formed through a merger of the ACA, Cumann na nGaedhael and the Centre Party on 3 September 1933. The Army Comrades Association (ACA later named National Guard and better known by their nickname The Blueshirts (Na Léinte Gorma were an Cumann na nGaedhael (ˈkʊmən nə ˈŋɰeːɫ "Society of the Gaels" sometimes spelt Cumann na nGaedheal, was an Irish language name given Events 36 BC - In the Battle of Naulochus, Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa, Admiral of Octavian, defeats Sextus Pompeius Year 1933 ( MCMXXXIII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. ^[9] Fine Gael candidates were elected to only thirty-one seats in the 1948 general election, however Fianna Fáil's failure to achieve an overall majority led to the creation of the first Inter-Party Government, made up of an alliance of anti-Fianna Fáil parties, which served between 1948 and 1951. The Irish general election of 1948 was held on 4 February 1948 Origins Fianna Fáil had ruled uninterrupted since 1932 with Éamon de Valera as Prime minister (titled as President of the Executive Council of the Irish Fine Gael's leader at the time, Richard Mulcahy, was considered too controversial among members of Clann na Poblachta to be Taoiseach due to his role as Chief-of-Staff to the Irish Army in the execution of republicans during the Irish Civil War. Richard James Mulcahy (Risteárd Séamus Ó Maolchatha (10 May 1886 &ndash 16 December 1971 was an Irish politician, Army general and Commander in Clann na Poblachta n̪ˠə pʷɔbʷłəxt̪ˠə (Family of the Republic was an Irish republican political party founded by former Irish Republican Army Chief of The Taoiseach (ˈtiːʃəx in English t̪ˠiːʃʲəx (plural Taoisigh ( or) in Irish) also referred to as An Taoiseach ( t̪ˠiːʃʲəx is the the The Irish Army ( Arm na hÉireann) is the main branch of the Irish Defence Forces ( Óglaigh na hÉireann) ^[10] Instead, John A. Costello, a compromise candidate, served as head of the government. For other persons named John Costello see John Costello John Aloysius Costello (Seán A Costello also headed the second Inter-Party Government which served between 1954 and 1957. 7th Government of Ireland John A Costello --> The 7th Government of Ireland (2 June 1954 &ndash 20 March 1957 &ndash or more commonly Liam Cosgrave, Minister for External Affairs in the coalition negotiated Ireland's entry into the United Nations in 1955. Liam Cosgrave ( Irish name: Liam Mac Cosgair; born 13 April 1920 served as the Taoiseach of Ireland between 1973 and 1977 and is the son of The United Nations ( UN) is an International organization whose stated aims are to facilitate cooperation in International law, International security ^[11] In 1957, de Valera and Fianna Fáil were returned to power and Fine Gael returned to opposition. During its period in opposition, the party's Just Society policy statement came into being. These policies came from an emerging social-democratic wing of the party. Social democracy is a Political ideology of the left and centre-left ^[12] In 1966, Fine Gael candidate Tom O'Higgins came within one percent of defeating incumbent Éamon de Valera in the presidential election. Tom Francis O'Higgins, Jnr (Tomás Ó hUiginn 23 July 1916 &ndash 25 February 2003 was an Irish Fine Gael politician a Barrister, and a Judge The Irish presidential election of 1966 was held on 1 June 1966 As events in Northern Ireland spiralled out of control in the late 1960s, new party leader Liam Cosgrave sought to focus the party's view on its role as protector of the state's institutions, and to neutralise feuding between the party leadership and the centre-left branch of the party. Northern Ireland (Tuaisceart Éireann Ulster Scots: Norlin Airlann) is a Country within the United Kingdom, lying in the northeast of

Fine Gael was returned to government in a National Coalition with the Labour Party in 1973. The Labour Party (Páirtí an Lucht Oibre is a Democratic socialist and Social democratic Political party in the Republic of Ireland. The coalition was beset by problems from the start, including the oil crisis and escalating violence in Northern Ireland. The 1973 oil crisis began on October 17 1973 when the members of Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC consisting of the Arab members of ^[13] The resignation of President Cearbhall Ó Dálaigh in 1976 after a confrontation with Minister for Defence Paddy Donegan was also a blow to the credibility of the coalition. Cearbhall Ó Dálaigh (12 February 1911 &ndash 21 March 1978 'caɾˠwaɫ̪ o 'dˠaɫ̪i served as fifth President of Ireland, from 1974 to 1976 Patrick Sarsfield (Paddy Donegan (29 October 1923 &ndash 26 November 2000 was an Irish Fine Gael Party politician In 1977, Fianna Fáil under Jack Lynch won an unprecedented twenty-seat majority in the Dáil, and returned to government. John Mary "Jack" Lynch ( Irish: Seán Ó Loinsigh; 15 August 1917 &ndash 20 October 1999 was the fourth Taoiseach of Ireland, ga '''Dáil Éireann''' ( English House of Representatives of Ireland) is the principal chamber of the Oireachtas (Irish parliament Cosgrave resigned the leadership and was replaced by Garret FitzGerald. Garret FitzGerald (Gearóid Mac Gearailt born 9 February 1926 was the seventh Taoiseach of Ireland, serving two terms in office (July 1981 to February 1982 December FitzGerald became Fine Gael's third Taoiseach, again in a short-lived coalition with Labour between 1981 and February 1982. FitzGerald revived Fine Gael's fortunes to the point where they were five seats behind Fianna Fáil following the November 1982 general election. The Irish general election of November 1982 was held on 24 November 1982 three weeks after the dissolution of the Dáil on 4 November The party returned to government with Labour. FitzGerald negotiated the Anglo-Irish Agreement with British prime minister Margaret Thatcher in 1985. The Anglo-Irish Agreement was an agreement between the United Kingdom and Ireland which aimed to bring an end to The Troubles in Northern Ireland The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the political leader of the United Kingdom Margaret Hilda Thatcher Baroness Thatcher LG, OM, PC, FRS (born 13 October 1925 However, the government struggled to control high unemployment and emigration, and was heavily defeated by Fianna Fáil under Charles Haughey in 1987. The Irish general election of 1987 was held on 17 February 1987 four weeks after the dissolution of the Dáil on 20 January

John Bruton

FitzGerald was replaced as leader by Alan Dukes, who spearheaded the Tallaght Strategy, under which Fine Gael would not oppose economic measures put forward by the minority Fianna Fáil government in the national interest. Alan Dukes (born 20 April 1945 is an Irish politician a former leader of the Fine Gael Political party and former Teachta Dála (TD for In Irish politics the Tallaght Strategy was a policy followed by the Fine Gael party starting in 1987 ^[14] The strategy was an electoral disappointment, and the party gained four seats in the 1989 general election. The Irish general election of 1989 was held on Friday 15 June 1989 three weeks after the dissolution of the Dáil on 25 May Dukes resigned the leadership after Fine Gael's Austin Currie finished a distant third behind Mary Robinson and Brian Lenihan in the 1990 presidential election. Austin Currie (born 11 October 1939 is a former Irish politician having been elected to the parliaments of both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland Mary Therese Winifred Robinson (Máire Mhic Róibín born 21 May 1944 was the first female President of Ireland, serving from 1990 to 1997 and the United Nations Brian Patrick Lenihan (Brian Ó Luineacháin 17 November 1930 – 1 November 1995 was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician The Irish presidential election of 1990 was held on 7 November 1990 ^[15] He was replaced by John Bruton. John Gerard Bruton (Seán de Briotún born 18 May 1947 served as the ninth Taoiseach of Ireland. As Fianna Fáil had abandoned its core policy of not going into coalition following the 1989 election, Fine Gael found itself in opposition to a Fianna Fáil-Labour government following the general election in 1992. The government collapsed in 1994, allowing Bruton to become Taoiseach in a Fine Gael-Labour-Democratic Left Rainbow Coalition. The three government parties ran on a united platform in the 1997 election, and Fine Gael gained nine seats. The Irish general election of 1997 was held on Friday 6 June 1997 Labour lost heavily however, and Fianna Fáil led by Bertie Ahern came to power in a coalition with the Progressive Democrats. Patrick Bartholomew "Bertie" Ahern ( Irish: Pádraig Parthalán Ó hEachthairn, born 12 September 1951 is an Irish politician who served The Progressive Democrats (An Páirtí Daonlathach lit The Democratic Party) commonly called The PDs, are a Free market liberal party in ^[16] Bruton was replaced as leader in 2001 by Michael Noonan, who led the party into its worst-ever general election in 2002; the party lost twenty-three seats, including those of deputy-leader Jim Mitchell and former leader Alan Dukes. Michael Noonan (Micheál Ó Nuanáin born 21 May 1943 is an Irish politician and was Leader of the Opposition and Leader of Fine Gael from February 2001 The Irish general election of 2002 was held on Friday 17 May 2002 just over three weeks after the dissolution of the 28th Dáil on Thursday 25 April by President Jim Mitchell (19 October 1946 &ndash 2 December 2002 was a senior Irish Politician who served in the cabinets of Taoiseach Garret FitzGerald ^[17] Noonan resigned as leader as the results of the election were being tallied, and was replaced in a subsequent leadership election by Enda Kenny. The 2002 Fine Gael leadership election began in May 2002 when Michael Noonan resigned as party leader due to the party's poor performance in the 2002 general election For the Australian singer see Enda Kenny (singer Enda Kenny (Éanna Ó Cionnaith born 24 April 1951 an Irish politician

Following the unveiling of the Mullingar Accord, an election pact agreed after the local and European elections in 2004, Fine Gael and the Labour Party increasingly co-operated in the build-up to the 2007 general election, agreeing a vote-transfer pact and plan to go into government together provided the parties had the required number of seats. The Labour Party (Páirtí an Lucht Oibre is a Democratic socialist and Social democratic Political party in the Republic of Ireland. ^[18] The pact was overwhelming endorsed by Labour members at the party's conference in Tralee in May 2005. Tralee (Trá Lí (or Tráigh Lí is the county town of County Kerry, in the southwest corner of Ireland. ^[19] Fine Gael director of elections Frank Flannery claimed that the agreement, coupled with the party's strong performance in pre-election opinion polls, could lead to a gain of twenty-eight seats in the election. ^[20] The party gained a total of twenty seats in the election on 24 May 2007, giving the "Alliance for Change" a total of seventy-one seats (seventy six including the Green Party as a potential partner), putting the coalition six seats behind Fianna Fáil. Events 1218 - The Fifth Crusade leaves Acre for Egypt. 1276 - Magnus Ladulås is crowned Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. The Green Party (Comhaontas Glas lit Green Alliance) is a green Political party in Ireland. Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party (Fianna Fáil – An Páirtí Poblachtánach shortened to Fianna Fáil ( is currently the largest Political party in the On the first day of the new Dáil, on 14 June 2007, Enda Kenny was nominated for Taoiseach by Fine Gael deputy-leader Richard Bruton and then-Labour leader Pat Rabbitte. Events 1276 - While taking exile in Fuzhou in southern China, away from the advancing Mongol invaders, the remnants of the Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. The Taoiseach (ˈtiːʃəx in English t̪ˠiːʃʲəx (plural Taoisigh ( or) in Irish) also referred to as An Taoiseach ( t̪ˠiːʃʲəx is the the Richard Bruton (Risteárd De Briotún born 15 March 1953 is an Irish politician and has been a TD for Dublin North Central since 1982 Pat Rabbitte (born 18 May 1949 is a senior Irish politician He was leader of the Labour Party from October 2002 until 23 August 2007 He was defeated by incumbent Bertie Ahern and a coalition of Fianna Fáil, the Green Party, the Progressive Democrats and a group of Independents by eighty-nine votes to seventy-six. Patrick Bartholomew "Bertie" Ahern ( Irish: Pádraig Parthalán Ó hEachthairn, born 12 September 1951 is an Irish politician who served Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party (Fianna Fáil – An Páirtí Poblachtánach shortened to Fianna Fáil ( is currently the largest Political party in the The Green Party (Comhaontas Glas lit Green Alliance) is a green Political party in Ireland. The Progressive Democrats (An Páirtí Daonlathach lit The Democratic Party) commonly called The PDs, are a Free market liberal party in ^[21]

Ideology and policies

Michael Collins, founding father of the pro-Treaty movement, that would become Fine Gael. Michael John ("Mick" Collins (Mícheál Seán Ó Coileáin 16 October 1890 &ndash 22 August 1922 was an Irish revolutionary leader, Minister for

Although Ireland's political spectrum is divided along Civil War lines, rather than the traditional European left-right spectrum, Fine Gael describes itself as a Christian-democratic party, with a focus on law and order. The Irish Civil War ( June 28 1922 &ndash May 24 1923) pitted supporters of the Anglo-Irish Treaty against its opponents Left-right politics or the Left-right political spectrum is a common way of classifying political positions political ideologies, or political parties Christian democracy is a political ideology that seeks to apply Christian (and often specifically Catholic) principles to public policy In Politics, law and order refers to a political platform which supports a strict Criminal justice system especially in relation to Violent crime ^[6] As the descendent of the pro-Treaty factions in the Irish Civil War, Fine Gael has a strong affinity with Michael Collins. Michael John ("Mick" Collins (Mícheál Seán Ó Coileáin 16 October 1890 &ndash 22 August 1922 was an Irish revolutionary leader, Minister for He remains a symbol for the party, and the anniversary of his death is celebrated each year on 22 August. Events 392 - Arbogast has Eugenius elected Western Roman Emperor. ^[22] Fine Gael has, since its inception, been a party of fiscal rectitude, advocating pro-enterprise policies. The party is a member of the Centrist Democrat International and sits with the EPP-ED group in the European Parliament. The Centrist Democrat International was until 2001 the Christian Democrat International (CDI and before that the Christian Democrat and People's Parties International This article is about the current European Parliament Group and its predecessors dating back to 1952 The European Parliament ( Europarl or EP) is the only directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union (EU

Fine Gael is among the most pro-European integration parties in the Republic of Ireland, having supported the failed European Constitution^[23] and advocating participation in European common defence. The Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe (TCE commonly referred to as the European Constitution, was an unimplemented international Treaty intended ^[24] Under Enda Kenny the party has opposed Irish neutrality, with Kenny claiming that "the truth is, Ireland is not neutral. We are merely unaligned. "^[23] Under Kenny the party has also strongly opposed the perceived "rip-off" society that has developed in Ireland, advocating reform of stealth taxes and stamp duty. Stamp duty is a form of Tax that is levied on documents Historically a physical stamp (a Tax stamp) had to be attached to or impressed upon the document to denote ^[25]

The party has refused to move to either social democracy^[26][27][28] or explicitly to the centre-right, as currently the majority of members from both the Christian-democratic and social-democratic factions^[29] in the party are happy with the definition of the party as being of "the progressive centre". Social democracy is a Political ideology of the left and centre-left The centre-right is a political term commonly used to describe or denote individuals political parties or organizations (such as Think tanks whose views Christian democracy is a political ideology that seeks to apply Christian (and often specifically Catholic) principles to public policy

Leadership

Mayo TD Enda Kenny was elected leader of Fine Gael in a secret ballot of the parliamentary party on 5 June 2002. Mayo is a Constituency represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Dublin parliament or Oireachtas. A Teachta Dála (ˈtʲaxtə ˈdɑːlə is a member of Dáil Éireann, the lower chamber of the Oireachtas (Parliament of the Republic of Ireland. For the Australian singer see Enda Kenny (singer Enda Kenny (Éanna Ó Cionnaith born 24 April 1951 an Irish politician Events 70 - Titus and his Roman Legions breach the middle wall of Jerusalem in the Siege of Jerusalem See also 2002 (disambiguation Year 2002 ( MMII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. Kenny defeated Richard Bruton, Phil Hogan and Gay Mitchell in the leadership election, which was triggered by the resignation of Michael Noonan following the 2002 general election. Richard Bruton (Risteárd De Briotún born 15 March 1953 is an Irish politician and has been a TD for Dublin North Central since 1982 Philip (Phil Hogan (born 4 July 1960 is an Irish Fine Gael politician Gabriel "Gay" Mitchell ( Irish: Gabriel Ó Maoilmhíchil) (born 30 December 1951 in Dublin) is an Irish politician and Member of Michael Noonan (Micheál Ó Nuanáin born 21 May 1943 is an Irish politician and was Leader of the Opposition and Leader of Fine Gael from February 2001 The Irish general election of 2002 was held on Friday 17 May 2002 just over three weeks after the dissolution of the 28th Dáil on Thursday 25 April by President The current deputy-leader of the party is Dublin North Central TD and party Finance spokesperson Richard Bruton. Dublin North Central is a Constituency represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas, located in the capital city He was preceded as deputy leader by Jim Mitchell. Jim Mitchell (19 October 1946 &ndash 2 December 2002 was a senior Irish Politician who served in the cabinets of Taoiseach Garret FitzGerald

List of party leaders

Electoral performance

In the 2007 general election, Fine Gael gained twenty seats bringing them to a total of fifty-one. Eoin O'Duffy (Eoin Ó Dubhthaigh 20 October 1892 – 30 November 1944 was in succession a Teachta Dála (TD the Chief of Staff of the Irish Republican Army William Thomas Cosgrave (Liam Tomás Mac Cosgair 6 June 1880 &ndash 16 November 1965 known generally as W Carlow-Kilkenny is a Constituency represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas. Richard James Mulcahy (Risteárd Séamus Ó Maolchatha (10 May 1886 &ndash 16 December 1971 was an Irish politician, Army general and Commander in James Matthew Dillon (16 September 1902 – 10 February 1986 was an Irish politician and leader of Fine Gael from 1959 to 1965 Monaghan is a former parliamentary Constituency in Ireland, which was represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas Liam Cosgrave ( Irish name: Liam Mac Cosgair; born 13 April 1920 served as the Taoiseach of Ireland between 1973 and 1977 and is the son of Dún Laoghaire is a Constituency represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas. Garret FitzGerald (Gearóid Mac Gearailt born 9 February 1926 was the seventh Taoiseach of Ireland, serving two terms in office (July 1981 to February 1982 December Dublin South East is a Constituency represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas. Alan Dukes (born 20 April 1945 is an Irish politician a former leader of the Fine Gael Political party and former Teachta Dála (TD for Kildare South is a Constituency represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas. John Gerard Bruton (Seán de Briotún born 18 May 1947 served as the ninth Taoiseach of Ireland. Recent results The by-election of 2005 was won by Fine Gael 's candidate Shane McEntee (see Meath by-election 2005) Michael Noonan (Micheál Ó Nuanáin born 21 May 1943 is an Irish politician and was Leader of the Opposition and Leader of Fine Gael from February 2001 Limerick East is a Constituency represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas. For the Australian singer see Enda Kenny (singer Enda Kenny (Éanna Ó Cionnaith born 24 April 1951 an Irish politician Mayo is a Constituency represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Dublin parliament or Oireachtas. The Irish general election of 2007 took place on 24 May 2007 after the dissolution of the 29th Dáil by the President on 29 April 2007 at the request of The party ran candidates in all forty-three constituencies, and had candidates elected in every constituency except Dublin Central, Dublin Mid West, Dublin North West and Kildare South. Dublin Central (Baile Atha Cliath Lár is a parliamentary Constituency represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas Dublin Mid West is a Constituency represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas, located in County Dublin Dublin North West is a Constituency represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas. Kildare South is a Constituency represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas. In local elections held on 11 June 2004, Fine Gael won 293 seats, an increase of sixteen on 1999, bringing the party within nine seats of Fianna Fáil nationally. The 2004 Irish local elections were held in all the counties cities and towns of Ireland on 11 June 2004, on the same day as the European elections Events 1184 BC - Trojan War: Troy is sacked and burned according to the calculations of Eratosthenes. "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " ^[33] In European elections held on the same day, the party won five seats, becoming the most represented Irish party in the European Parliament. The European Parliament election 2004 was the Ireland component of the European Parliament election 2004. The European Parliament ( Europarl or EP) is the only directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union (EU Fine Gael won fourteen seats in Seanad Éireann following elections in 2007, a loss of one from the previous election in 2002. Composition of the 23rd Seanad There are a total of 60 seats in the Seanad With the exception of Douglas Hyde (nominated by Fine Gael), a Fine Gael candidate has never been elected to the office of President of Ireland. Douglas Hyde (Dubhghlas de hÍde Pseudonym An Craoibhín Aoibhinn) (17 January 1860 &ndash 12 July 1949 was an Anglo-Irish scholar of the Irish language The President of Ireland (Uachtarán na hÉireann n̪ˠə ˈheːɾʲən̪ˠ is the Head of state of Ireland. The most recent Fine Gael presidential candidate, Mary Banotti, finished second in the 1997 election. Mary Elizabeth Banotti (born 29 May 1939 is a former Irish Fine Gael politician The Irish presidential election of 1997 was held on 30 October 1997 In 2004, Fine Gael supported the re-election of President Mary McAleese. WikipediaManual of Style (biographies#Academic titles --> Mary Patricia McAleese (Máire Pádraigín

General election results

Front bench

Young Fine Gael

Young Fine Gael Logo

Young Fine Gael or YFG is the youth movement of Fine Gael. The Leader of the Opposition (Ceannaire an Fhreasúra in the Republic of Ireland is the politician who at least in theory leads the Parliamentary Opposition bloc Northern Ireland (Tuaisceart Éireann Ulster Scots: Norlin Airlann) is a Country within the United Kingdom, lying in the northeast of For the Australian singer see Enda Kenny (singer Enda Kenny (Éanna Ó Cionnaith born 24 April 1951 an Irish politician The Opposition Spokesperson on Finance in the Republic of Ireland 's parliamentary system is the member of the 'official' Opposition Front Bench who is primarily Richard Bruton (Risteárd De Briotún born 15 March 1953 is an Irish politician and has been a TD for Dublin North Central since 1982 The Minister for Justice Equality and Law Reform (Aire Dlí agus Cirt Comhionannais agus Athchóirithe Dlí is the senior minister at the Department of Justice Equality Charles Flanagan (born 1 November 1956 is an Irish Fine Gael politician The Minister for Foreign Affairs (Aire Gnóthaí Eachtracha is the senior minister at the Department of Foreign Affairs in the Government of Ireland. Billy Timmins (born 1959 is an Irish Fine Gael TD. He is currently the opposition spokesperson on Defence. The Minister for Enterprise Trade and Employment (Aire Fiontar Trádála agus Fostaíochta is the senior minister at the Department of Enterprise Trade and Employment Leo Varadkar (born 18 January 1979 is an Irish Fine Gael politician The Minister for Health and Children (Aire Sláinte agus Leanaí is the senior minister at the Department of Health and Children in the Government of Ireland James Reilly (born 16 August 1955 is an Irish Fine Gael politician and medical doctor The Minister for the Environment Heritage and Local Government (Aire Comhshaoil Oidhreacht agus Rialtais Áitiúil is the senior minister at the Department of the Environment Philip (Phil Hogan (born 4 July 1960 is an Irish Fine Gael politician The Minister for Arts Sport and Tourism (Aire Ealaíon Spóirt agus Turasóireachta is the senior minister at the Department of Arts Sport and Tourism in the Olivia Mitchell (born 31 July 1947 is an Irish Fine Gael politician The Minister for Social and Family Affairs (Aire Gnothaí Sóisialacha agus Teaghlaigh is the senior minister at the Department of Social and Family Affairs in the Olwyn Enright (born 1 July 1974 is an Irish Fine Gael politician The Minister for Transport (Aire Iompair is the senior minister at the Department of Transport in the Government of Ireland. Fergus O'Dowd (born September 1948 is an Irish Fine Gael politician The Minister for Community Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs (Aire Gnóthaí Pobail Tuaithe agus Gaeltachta is the senior minister at the Department of Community Rural and Michael Ring (born 24 December 1953 is an Irish politician serving as one of three Fine Gael Teachtaí Dála (TDs for Mayo. The Minister for Agriculture Fisheries and Food (Aire Talmhaíochta Iascach agus Bia is the senior minister at the Department of Agriculture Fisheries and Food Michael Creed (born 1 June 1963 is an Irish Fine Gael politician The Minister for Education and Science (An Aire Oideachais agus Eolaíochta is the senior minister at the Department of Education and Science in the Government Brian Hayes (born 23 August 1969 is an Irish Fine Gael politician The Minister for Defence (Aire Cosanta is the senior minister at the Department of Defence in the Government of Ireland. (James Jimmy Deenihan (born 11 September 1952 is an Irish Fine Gael politician Denis Naughten (born 23 June 1973 is an Irish Fine Gael politician Alan Joseph Shatter (born 14 February 1951 is an Irish Fine Gael Politician. The Minister for Communications Energy and Natural Resources (Aire Cumarsáide Fuinnimh agus Achmhainní Nádúrtha is the senior minister at the Department of Communications Simon Coveney (born 16 June 1972 in Cork) is an Irish politician The Chief Whip is a political office in some Legislatures assigned to an elected member whose task is to administer the whipping system that ensures that members of Paul Kehoe (born 11 January 1973 is an Irish Fine Gael politician Young Fine Gael ( YFG) is the autonomous youth wing of the major Irish Political party Fine Gael. Young Fine Gael ( YFG) is the autonomous youth wing of the major Irish Political party Fine Gael. It was founded in 1976 by the then leader Dr. Garret Fitzgerald. It caters for young people under 30 with an interest in Fine Gael and politics, in cities, towns, parishes and third level colleges throughout Ireland. YFG claims the largest membership of Irish youth political parties, with 4000 members. ^[7]

YFG is lead by its national executive consisting of eleven members elected on a regional basis, and on a national panel. Barry Walsh is its current president.

In the coming period it has been suggested by members of its national executive, that it will also be extending associate membership to interested parties, particularly Irish students living outside of the state, primarily in Northern Ireland and the UK mainland.

YFG has run campaigns on European referenda, social issues, health care and housing. It is currently campaigning for a 'yes' vote to the Lisbon Reform Treaty Referendum, to be held on June 12.

See also

• List of political parties in the Republic of Ireland

Notes and references

Bibliography

External links

• Official website
• Young Fine Gael