Garret FitzGerald
Taoiseach
In office 30 June 1981 – 9 March 1982
Tánaiste	Michael O'Leary
Preceded by	Charles Haughey
Succeeded by	Charles Haughey
In office 14 December 1982 – 10 March 1987
Tánaiste	Dick Spring
Preceded by	Charles Haughey
Succeeded by	Charles Haughey
Minister for Foreign Affairs
In office 14 March 1973 – 5 July 1977
Preceded by	Brian Lenihan
Succeeded by	Michael O'Kennedy
Teachta Dála for Dublin South East
In office 18 June 1969 – 25 November 1992
Born	February 9, 1926 (1926-02-09) (age 82) Dublin, Ireland
Political party	Fine Gael
Spouse	Joan O'Farrell
Religion	Roman Catholic

Garret FitzGerald (Irish: Gearóid Mac Gearailt; born 9 February 1926) was the seventh Taoiseach of Ireland, serving two terms in office (July 1981 to February 1982; December 1982 to March 1987). The Taoiseach (ˈtiːʃəx in English t̪ˠiːʃʲəx (plural Taoisigh ( or) in Irish) also referred to as An Taoiseach ( t̪ˠiːʃʲəx is the the Events 350 - Roman usurper Nepotianus, of the Constantinian dynasty, is defeated and killed by troops of the Usurper Year 1981 ( MCMLXXXI) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link displays the 1981 Events 590 - Bahram Chobin is crowned as king Barham VI of Persia. Year 1982 ( MCMLXXXII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link displays the 1982 Gregorian calendar) The Tánaiste (ˈtɑːnəʃtʲə plural Tánaistí) or more formally An Tánaiste, is the deputy prime minister of Ireland. Michael O'Leary (Micheál Ó Laoire 8 May 1936 &ndash 11 May 2006 was an Irish senior Politician and Barrister. Events 1287 - St Lucia's flood: The Zuider Zee sea wall in the Netherlands collapses killing over 50000 people Year 1982 ( MCMLXXXII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link displays the 1982 Gregorian calendar) Events 241 BC - First Punic War: Battle of the Aegates Islands - The Romans sink the Carthaginian fleet bringing Year 1987 ( MCMLXXXVII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link displays 1987 Gregorian calendar) Richard "Dick" Spring (born 29 August 1950 in Tralee, County Kerry) is a businessman and former senior Irish politician The Minister for Foreign Affairs (Aire Gnóthaí Eachtracha is the senior minister at the Department of Foreign Affairs in the Government of Ireland. Events 1489 - The Queen of Cyprus, Catherine Cornaro, sells her kingdom to Venice. Year 1973 ( MCMLXXIII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar of the 1973 Gregorian calendar. Events 1295 - Scotland and France form an alliance the beginnings of the Auld Alliance, against England. Also 1977 (album by Ash. Year 1977 ( MCMLXXVII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays Brian Patrick Lenihan (Brian Ó Luineacháin 17 November 1930 – 1 November 1995 was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician Michael O'Kennedy (Micheál Ó Cinnéide born 21 February 1936 was a senior Irish Fianna Fáil politician A Teachta Dála (ˈtʲaxtə ˈdɑːlə is a member of Dáil Éireann, the lower chamber of the Oireachtas (Parliament of the Republic of Ireland. Dublin South East is a Constituency represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas. Events 618 - Coronation of the Chinese governor Li Yuan as Emperor Gaozu of Tang, the new Emperor of China, initiating three centuries Year 1969 ( MCMLXIX) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1034 - Máel Coluim mac Cináeda, King of Scots dies Donnchad, the Year 1992 ( MCMXCII) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar) Events 474 - Zeno crowned as co-emperor of the Byzantine Empire. Year 1926 ( MCMXXVI) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the 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. Ireland (pronounced /ˈaɾlənd/ Éire) is the third largest island in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world Fine Gael – The United Ireland Party, shortened to Fine Gael (ˌfina gail meaning Family of the Irish or Tribe of the Irish, is the second largest Irish (ga ''Gaeilge'' is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish. Events 474 - Zeno crowned as co-emperor of the Byzantine Empire. Year 1926 ( MCMXXVI) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Taoiseach (ˈtiːʃəx in English t̪ˠiːʃʲəx (plural Taoisigh ( or) in Irish) also referred to as An Taoiseach ( t̪ˠiːʃʲəx is the the Ireland ( Irish: Éire, ˈeːrʲə is a country in north-western Europe. FitzGerald was elected to Seanad Éireann in 1965 and was subsequently elected to Dáil Éireann as a Fine Gael TD in 1969. Seanad Éireann (ɕan̪ˠad̪ˠ erʲan̪ˠ English Senate of Ireland) also known unofficially as the Senate, is the Upper house of the Oireachtas ga '''Dáil Éireann''' ( English House of Representatives of Ireland) is the principal chamber of the Oireachtas (Irish parliament Fine Gael – The United Ireland Party, shortened to Fine Gael (ˌfina gail meaning Family of the Irish or Tribe of the Irish, is the second largest A Teachta Dála (ˈtʲaxtə ˈdɑːlə is a member of Dáil Éireann, the lower chamber of the Oireachtas (Parliament of the Republic of Ireland. He served as Foreign Affairs Minister from 1973 to 1977. FitzGerald was the leader of Fine Gael between 1977 and 1987. He is the son of Desmond FitzGerald, the first Minister for External Affairs of the nascent Irish state following independence from the United Kingdom in 1922. Desmond FitzGerald (13 February 1888 &ndash 9 April 1947 was an Irish revolutionary Poet and Cumann na nGaedhael politician The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located At present, FitzGerald is the Chancellor of the National University of Ireland and President of the Institute of European Affairs. The National University of Ireland ( NUI) (Ollscoil na hÉireann is a federal University system of constituent universities, previously called He is widely considered to have been the most successful leader of the modern Fine Gael party.

Contents 1 Early life 2 Early political life 3 Minister for Foreign Affairs 4 Leader of Fine Gael 5 Taoiseach 1981–1982 6 Taoiseach 1982–1987 6.1 Constitutional reform 6.2 Northern Ireland 7 Post-Taoiseach period 8 FitzGerald and his finances 9 Governments 10 Footnotes 11 Political career

Early life

Garret FitzGerald was born in Dublin in 1926 into a very politically active family. Dublin (ˈdʌblɨn/ /ˈdʊblɨn or /ˈdʊbəlɪn/, bˠalʲə aːha klʲiəh or cliə(ɸ is both the largest city and capital of Ireland. His father was the London-born and raised Desmond FitzGerald, the Minister for External Affairs at the time of his son's birth. Fitzgerald senior had been active in Sinn Féin during the Irish War of Independence, and had been one of the founders of Cumann na nGaedhael, the party formed to support the Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1921, which created the Irish Free State. Sinn Féin () is a political party in Ireland. The current party led by Gerry Adams was formed following a split in January 1970 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 Cumann na nGaedhael (ˈkʊmən nə ˈŋɰeːɫ "Society of the Gaels" sometimes spelt Cumann na nGaedheal, was an Irish language name given 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 Free State (Saorstát Éireann (1922&ndash1937 was the state established as a Dominion on 6 December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty, signed by

Although a senior figure on the 'pro-treaty' side of Ireland's political divide, Desmond FitzGerald had remained friendly with anti-Treaty republicans such as Belfast man Seán MacEntee, a minister in Éamon de Valera's government, and father-in-law of Conor Cruise O'Brien. Desmond FitzGerald or Fitzgerald may refer to Desmond FitzGerald (politician (1888&ndash1947 Irish politician and Government minister Irish republicanism (Poblachtánachas is an ideology based on the Irish nationalist belief that all of Ireland should be a single independent Republic Seán MacEntee (Seán Mac an tSaoi 22 August 1889 &ndash 10 January 1984 was a senior Irish politician 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 Conor Cruise O'Brien (Conchubhar Crús Ó Briain (also colloquially known as 'The Cruiser' born 3 November 1917 is an Irish politician writer and academic The families of Patrick McGilligan and Ernest Blythe were also frequent visitors to the FitzGerald household. Patrick McGilligan (12 April 1889 &ndash 15 November 1979 was an Irish lawyer and Cumann na nGaedhael / Fine Gael politician Ernest Blythe (Earnán de Blaghd 13 April 1889 &ndash 23 February 1975 was an Irish politician FitzGerald's mother, the former Mabel Washington McConnell, who, although an ardent nationalist and republican herself, was of Ulster Protestant descent, although some sources indicate that she became a Catholic on her marriage. Irish nationalism (Náisiúnachas Éireannach refers to political and sociological movements and sentiment that embodies a love for Irish ancestry, culture and language and Protestantism refers to the forms of Christian faith and practice that originated in the 16th century Protestant Reformation. Her son would later describe his political objective as the creation of a pluralist Ireland where the northern Protestants of his mother’s family tradition and the southern Catholics of his father’s could feel equally at home.

FitzGerald was educated at the Jesuit Belvedere College and University College Dublin, from which he graduated with a B.A. degree in 1946, later returning to complete a Ph.D. which he obtained in 1968. The Society of Jesus ( Latin: Societas Iesu, SJ and SI or SJ, SI) is a Catholic religious order Belvedere College SJ is a private Secondary school for boys located on Great Denmark Street Dublin, Ireland. University College Dublin (UCD (An Coláiste Ollscoile Baile Átha Cliath - formally known as University College Dublin - National University of Ireland Dublin (An "PhD" redirects here for other uses see PhD (disambiguation. He was deeply interested in the politics of the Spanish Civil War and World War II. The Spanish Civil War was a major conflict in Spain that started after an attempted Coup d'état committed by parts of the army against the government of World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including A bright student who counted among his contemporaries in UCD his future political rival, Charles Haughey, who also knew Joan O'Farrell (a Liverpool-born daughter of a British army officer, Richard O'Farrell) a fellow student, whom Garret Fitzgerald would go on to marry in 1947.

Following his university education he found employment with Aer Lingus, the state airline of Ireland, in 1947 and became an authority on the strategic economic planning of transport. Aer Lingus is the Flag carrier airline of Ireland. Based at Dublin Airport, it operates 41 Airbus aircraft serving Europe Africa and North During this time he wrote many newspaper articles and was encouraged to write on National Accounts and economics by the Features Editor in The Irish Times. The Irish Times is an Irish daily broadsheet news paper launched in the late 1850s. He remained in Aer Lingus until 1959, when after undertaking a study of the economics of Irish Industry in Trinity College Dublin, he became a lecturer in economics at UCD. Trinity College Dublin ( TCD; Irish Coláiste na Tríonóide Baile Átha Cliath; Latin: Collegium Sacrosanctae et Individuae Trinitatis Reginae University College Dublin (UCD (An Coláiste Ollscoile Baile Átha Cliath - formally known as University College Dublin - National University of Ireland Dublin (An

Early political life

Garret FitzGerald was eager to enter politics, and suggested to several members of Fianna Fáil, including Michael Yeats, that he should join that party. Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party (Fianna Fáil – An Páirtí Poblachtánach shortened to Fianna Fáil ( is currently the largest Political party in the William Michael Yeats (22 August 1921 &ndash 3 January 2007 was an Irish barrister and Fianna Fáil politician Those whom he approached felt that FitzGerald's talents would be best suited elsewhere, and ultimately FitzGerald made his entry into party politics under the banner of Fine Gael. He attached himself to the liberal wing of Fine Gael, which rallied around the Just Society programme written by Declan Costello. Declan Costello (born 1 August 1926 is an Irish Jurist and former politician from the Fine Gael Party who served as a Teachta Dála (TD for FitzGerald was elected to Seanad Éireann in 1965 and soon built up his political profile. FitzGerald was elected to Dáil Éireann in the 1969 general election, for the Dublin South East constituency, the same year he obtained his PhD for a thesis later published under the title "Planning in Ireland". The Irish general election of 1969 was held on 18 June 1969 just over four years after its predecessor Dublin South East is a Constituency represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas. "PhD" redirects here for other uses see PhD (disambiguation. He became an important figure almost immediately in the parliamentary party and his liberal ideas were seen as a counterweight to the conservative leader, Liam Cosgrave. 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 Difference in political outlook, and FitzGerald's ambitions for the Fine Gael leadership resulted in profound tensions between the two men. In one speech to Fine Gael members, Cosgrave referred to the 'mongrel foxes' who should be rooted out of the party, a reference seen by many as an attack on FitzGerald's efforts to unseat him as leader.

Minister for Foreign Affairs

After the 1973 general election Fine Gael came to power in a coalition government with the Labour Party with Liam Cosgrave as Taoiseach. The Irish general election of 1973 was held on 28 February 1973 The Labour Party (Páirtí an Lucht Oibre is a Democratic socialist and Social democratic Political party in the Republic of Ireland. FitzGerald hoped that he would take over as Minister for Finance, particularly after a good performance in a pre-election debate with the actual Minister for Finance, George Colley. For the British soldier see George Pomeroy Colley George Colley (Seoirse Ó Colla 18 October 1925 &ndash 17 September 1983 was an Irish However the position went to Richie Ryan, with FitzGerald becoming Minister for Foreign Affairs. Richie Ryan (Risteárd Ó Riain born 27 February 1929 is a former 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. It was a case of history repeating itself as FitzGerald's father had held that post in a government led by Liam Cosgrave's father W. T. Cosgrave fifty years earlier. William Thomas Cosgrave (Liam Tomás Mac Cosgair 6 June 1880 &ndash 16 November 1965 known generally as W His appointment to Iveagh House (the home of the Department of Foreign Affairs) would have a huge effect on FitzGerald's own career and the future of Fine Gael. Iveagh House is both the headquarters of and a common nickname for the Department of Foreign Affairs in Dublin. The Department of Foreign Affairs (An Roinn Gnóthaí Eachtracha is a department of the Government of Ireland that is responsible for promoting the interests of Ireland Cosgrave was suspicious of FitzGerald's liberal ideas and believed that he had designs on the leadership. By appointing him as Foreign Minister, Cosgrave hoped that FitzGerald would be out of the country and would lose touch with the party. The exact opposite is what happened.

FitzGerald is, by general consensus, regarded as one of Ireland's best Foreign Ministers. The minister's role had changed substantially since his father's day. Ireland was no longer a member of the Commonwealth of Nations but had in 1973 joined the European Economic Community (EEC), now known as the European Union (EU). The European Community (EC is one of the Three pillars of the European Union (EU created under the Maastricht Treaty (1992 The European Union ( EU) is a political and economic union of twenty-seven member states, located primarily in FitzGerald, firmly ensconced as Foreign Minister, was free from any blame due to other Ministers mishandling of the economy. If anything his tenure at the Department of Foreign Affairs helped him to achieve the leadership of the party. His innovative views, energy and fluency in French won him — and through him, Ireland — a status in European affairs far exceeding the country’s size and ensured that the first Irish Presidency of the European Council in 1975 was a noted success. His reputation abroad, and that of Ireland, increased his popularity and his affable style helped change the traditional, stereotypical European view of Ireland.

Leader of Fine Gael

In 1977 the National Coalition of Fine Gael and Labour suffered a disastrous electoral defeat in the general election. 14th Government of Ireland The 14th Government of Ireland (14 March 1973 &ndash 5 July 1977 - or more commonly the National Coalition - was the name given to the The Irish general election of 1977 was held on 16 June 1977 and is regarded as a pivotal point in 20th century Irish politics Liam Cosgrave resigned as party leader and FitzGerald was chosen by acclamation to succeed him. In his new role as Leader of the Opposition and party leader he set about modernising and revitalising 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 He immediately appointed a General-Secretary to oversee all of this, a tactic copied from Fianna Fáil. FitzGerald took a personal tour of every constituency in Ireland in an effort to breathe new life into a demoralised Fine Gael.

Under FitzGerald, Fine Gael experienced a rapid rise in support and popularity. By the November 1982 election, it held only five seats fewer than Fianna Fáil (their closest ever margin; at times Fianna Fáil was nearly twice as large), with Fine Gael in the Oireachtas bigger than Fianna Fáil, an unprecedented achievement. The Oireachtas (ɛrʲaxt̪ˠasˠ is the "national parliament" or Legislature of Ireland, sometimes referred to as Oireachtas Éireann. Much of the success was FitzGerald's; he brought in a new generation of brilliant young politicians, including future Taoiseach John Bruton, future party leaders Alan Dukes and Michael Noonan, and other exceptional figures such as Jim Mitchell, Ivan Yates and Gemma Hussey. John Gerard Bruton (Seán de Briotún born 18 May 1947 served as the ninth Taoiseach of Ireland. 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 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 Jim Mitchell (19 October 1946 &ndash 2 December 2002 was a senior Irish Politician who served in the cabinets of Taoiseach Garret FitzGerald Ivan Yates (born 23 October 1959 is a former senior Irish politician. Gemma Hussey (née Moran (born 11 November 1938 is a former senior Irish Fine Gael politician But Fine Gael's rise was in part a reaction to the controversial nature and unpopularity of his old college rival and now Fianna Fáil leader, Charles Haughey. The epic battles between Haughey and FitzGerald (or 'Charlie' and 'Garret' as it was personalised) dominated Irish politics in the 1980s.

Taoiseach 1981–1982

By the time of the 1981 general election Fine Gael had a party machine that could easily match Fianna Fáil's. The Irish general election of 1981 was held on 11 June 1981 three weeks after the dissolution of the Dáil on 21 May The party won 65 seats and formed a minority coalition government with the Labour Party and the support of a number of Independent TDs. FitzGerald was elected Taoiseach on 30 June 1981. Events 350 - Roman usurper Nepotianus, of the Constantinian dynasty, is defeated and killed by troops of the Usurper Year 1981 ( MCMLXXXI) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link displays the 1981

FitzGerald showed an unsuspected toughness in naming a young and innovative Cabinet. Richie Ryan, Richard Burke and Tom O'Donnell, former Fine Gael stalwarts, were all excluded. Richard (Dick Burke (born 29 March 1932 was a senior Irish Fine Gael politician and a European Commissioner Dick Burke was born in New York Thomas G (Tom O'Donnell (born 30 August 1926 is a former Irish Fine Gael politician Two fundamental problems faced FitzGerald during his first period, Northern Ireland and the worsening economic situation. Northern Ireland (Tuaisceart Éireann Ulster Scots: Norlin Airlann) is a Country within the United Kingdom, lying in the northeast of A protest march in support of the H-Block hunger strikers in July 1981 was dealt with by FitzGerald through a combination of firmness and restraint. Her Majesty's Prison Maze (known colloquially as The H Blocks, Long Kesh, or The Maze) was a Prison used to house Paramilitary prisoners The 1981 Irish hunger strike was the culmination of a five-year protest during The Troubles by Irish republican prisoners in Northern Ireland.

The economic crisis was also a lot worse than FitzGerald had feared. Fine Gael had to jettison its plans for tax-cuts in the run-up to the election and a draconian mid-year budget was introduced almost immediately. The July Budget seemed exceptionally austere for a government dependent on Independent TDs support. However, the second budget introduced by John Bruton led to the Government's shock defeat in Dáil Éireann on the evening of 27 January 1982. Events 98 - Trajan becomes Roman Emperor after the death of Nerva. Year 1982 ( MCMLXXXII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link displays the 1982 Gregorian calendar)

Viewing his defeat as a Loss of Supply FitzGerald headed to Áras an Uachtaráin to request an immediate Dáil dissolution from the President, Patrick Hillery. Loss of supply occurs where a government in a Parliamentary democracy using the Westminster System or a system derived from it is denied a supply of treasury or exchequer Áras an Uachtaráin, formerly the Viceregal Lodge, is the official residence of the President of Ireland. Patrick John "Paddy" Hillery (Pádraig Seán Ó hIrighile 2 May 1923 &ndash 12 April 2008 was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician and the sixth President of Ireland When he got there, he was informed that a series of telephone calls had been made by senior opposition figures (and some independent TDs), including Fianna Fáil leader (and ex-Taoiseach) Charles Haughey, Brian Lenihan and Sylvester Barret demanding that the President, as he could constitutionally do where a Taoiseach had 'ceased to retain the support of a majority in Dáil Éireann', refuse FitzGerald a parliamentary dissolution, forcing his resignation as Taoiseach and enabling the Dáil to nominate someone else for the post. Brian Patrick Lenihan (Brian Ó Luineacháin 17 November 1930 – 1 November 1995 was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician Sylvester A Barrett (Salbhastar Bairéad 18 May 1926 &ndash 8 May 2002 was a senior Irish Fianna Fáil politician The President is said to have angrily rejected such pressure, regarding it as gross misconduct, and granted the dissolution. ^[1]

In the subsequent general election in February 1982, Fine Gael lost only two seats and were out of power. The Irish general election of February 1982 was held on 18 February 1982 three weeks after the dissolution of the Dáil on 27 January However, a third general election within eighteen months in November 1982 resulted in FitzGerald being returned as Taoiseach for a second time, heading a Fine Gael-Labour coalition with a working majority. The Irish general election of November 1982 was held on 24 November 1982 three weeks after the dissolution of the Dáil on 4 November

Taoiseach 1982–1987

Deep economic recession dominated FitzGerald's second term as well as his first. The pursuit of ‘fiscal rectitude’ in order to reduce a high national debt required a firmer control of public spending than Labour found easy to accept. The harmonious relationship the Taoiseach developed with Tánaiste, Dick Spring, successfully avoided a collapse of the coalition for more than four years, despite tensions between other ministers, and enabled the Government to survive. The Tánaiste (ˈtɑːnəʃtʲə plural Tánaistí) or more formally An Tánaiste, is the deputy prime minister of Ireland. Richard "Dick" Spring (born 29 August 1950 in Tralee, County Kerry) is a businessman and former senior Irish politician Fine Gael wanted to revive the economy by controlling public spending and imposing cutbacks in order to reduce the public budget deficit. The measures proposed by FitzGerald's Minister for Finance, Alan Dukes, were completely unacceptable to the Labour Party which was under enormous pressure from its support base to maintain public services. The two parties in Government found themselves in a stalemate position. They stopped the financial crisis from worsening but could not take the decisive action that would generate economic growth. With negligible economic growth and large scale unemployment, the FitzGerald Government was deeply unpopular with the public. The Fianna Fáil opposition added to the woes of the Government by taking a decidedly opportunistic and populist line in opposing every suggested reform and cutback.

Constitutional reform

As Taoiseach for a second time FitzGerald advocated a liberalisation of Irish society, to create what he called the non-sectarian nation of 'Tone and Davis'. Theobald Wolfe Tone, commonly known as Wolfe Tone ( 20 June, 1763 – 19 November, 1798) was a leading figure in the United Thomas Osborne Davis ( October 14, 1814 - September 16, 1845) was a revolutionary Irish writer who was the chief organizer His attempt to introduce divorce was defeated in a referendum, though he did liberalise Ireland's contraception laws. A controversial 'Pro-Life Amendment' (anti-abortion clause), which was stated to recognise the 'Right to Life of the Unborn, with due regard to the Equal Right to Life of the Mother' was added to the Irish constitution, against FitzGerald's advice, in a national referendum. The Eighth Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland introduced a constitutional ban on Abortion. The Constitution of Ireland (Bunreacht na hÉireann came into force on 29 December 1937 after having been passed by a national plebiscite the previous July

Northern Ireland

FitzGerald set up The New Ireland Forum in 1983, which brought together representatives of the constitutional political parties in the Republic and the nationalist SDLP from the North. The New Ireland Forum was established in Ireland in May 1983 by then Taoiseach Garret FitzGerald to discuss ways of bringing peace and stability to the The Social Democratic and Labour Party ( SDLP; Páirtí Sóisialta Daonlathach an Lucht Oibre is one of the two major nationalist parties in Northern Ireland Although the Unionist parties spurned his invitation to join, and the Forum’s conclusions proposing various forms of association between Northern Ireland and the Republic were rejected outright by British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, the Forum provided the impetus for the resumption of serious negotiations between the Irish and British governments, which culminated in the Anglo-Irish Agreement of November 1985. Margaret Hilda Thatcher Baroness Thatcher LG, OM, PC, FRS (born 13 October 1925 Her Majesty's Government, or when the monarch is male His Majesty's Government, is the title used by the Government of the United Kingdom, based at 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 This agreement provided for a mechanism by which the Republic of Ireland could be consulted by the British Government under Margaret Thatcher regarding the governance of Northern Ireland, and was bitterly opposed by Unionists in Northern Ireland, whose MPs all resigned their seats in the British Parliament in protest. The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom and British overseas territories New elections were required to be held, and the unionists lost one seat (Newry and Armagh) to Seamus Mallon of the SDLP. Newry and Armagh is a Parliamentary Constituency in the United Kingdom House of Commons. Seamus Mallon MP first Deputy First Minister of Northern

While the Agreement was repudiated and condemned by Unionists, it became the basis for developing trust and common action between the governments, which in time would ultimately bring about the Downing Street Declaration of 1993, and the subsequent republican and loyalist cease-fires. Ulster loyalism is a militant unionist ideology held mostly by Protestants in Northern Ireland.

In 1986, FitzGerald attempted to reshuffle his cabinet but certain ministers, including notably Barry Desmond refused to move from his Health and Social Welfare portfolio. Barry Desmond (Barra Deasún born 15 May 1935 in Cork) is a former Irish Labour Party politician and government minister The eventual outcome of the cabinet changes further undermined FitzGerald's authority. The new Progressive Democrats party was launched at the same time by Desmond O'Malley out of the divisions within Fianna Fáil. The Progressive Democrats (An Páirtí Daonlathach lit The Democratic Party) commonly called The PDs, are a Free market liberal party in Ironically, it struck an immediate chord with many disenchanted Fine Gael supporters who had tired of the failure to fully address the economic crisis and who yearned for a coherent rightwing policy from FitzGerald. Seeing its support base under attack from the right only strengthened the resolve of FitzGerald's Fine Gael colleagues to break with the Labour Party approach, despite their leader's close empathy with that party.

Stymied by economic crisis, FitzGerald tried to rescue some of his ambitions to reform the State and he proposed, in the summer of 1986, a referendum to change the Constitution to allow for divorce. The proposed amendment was mired in controversy and the many accompanying legal changes needed were not clearly presented. Haughey skilfully opposed the referendum along with the Roman Catholic Church and landed interests worried about property rights. The defeat of the referendum sealed the fate of the Government.

In January 1987, the Labour Party members of the government withdrew from the government over disagreements due to budget proposals. FitzGerald continued as Taoiseach heading a minority Fine Gael government and proposed the stringent budgetary cutbacks that Labour had blocked for some four years. The Progressive Democrats won some 14 seats and prevented Haughey achieving his overall majority once more. Fianna Fáil returned to power in March 1987, after Fine Gael were heavily defeated in the 1987 general election. The Irish general election of 1987 was held on 17 February 1987 four weeks after the dissolution of the Dáil on 20 January

Post-Taoiseach period

FitzGerald retired as leader of Fine Gael immediately after the election by the Dáil of Charles Haughey as Taoiseach, to be replaced by Alan Dukes. 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 His autobiography, "All in a Life," appeared in 1991, immediately becoming a best-seller. He retired completely from politics at the 1992 general election. The Irish general election of 1992 was held on Wednesday 25 November 1992 almost three weeks after the dissolution of the Dáil on 5 November His wife, Joan, died in 1999 after many years of a crippling illness. Since then he has written a popular weekly column every Saturday in The Irish Times, and lectures widely at home and abroad on public affairs. He came out of retirement to campaign for a yes vote in the second Nice referendum, held in 2002. The Nice Treaty was signed by European leaders on 26 February, 2001 and came into force on 1 February 2003. He also holds the post of Chancellor of the National University of Ireland. The National University of Ireland ( NUI) (Ollscoil na hÉireann is a federal University system of constituent universities, previously called

FitzGerald and his finances

In early 1999 it was revealed that some six years earlier, AIB and Ansbacher banks wrote off debts of almost IR£200,000 owed by FitzGerald following the collapse of the aircraft leasing company, Guinness Peat Aviation, in which he was a shareholder. Guinness Peat Aviation (GPA was a Commercial Aircraft Sales and Leasing company set up in 1975 by Aer Lingus, the Guinness Peat Group (a London ^[2] Chairman of AIB at the time, Peter Sutherland, was also a former director of GPA and had served as Attorney General under FitzGerald, prior to FitzGerald appointing him as Ireland's member of the European Commission. Peter Denis Sutherland, KCMG (born 25 April 1946) is an Irish businessman and former politician associated with the Fine Gael The Attorney General (An tArd-Aighne is a constitutional officer who is the official adviser to the Government of Ireland in matters of law The European Commission (formally the Commission of the European Communities) is the executive branch of the European Union.

The Moriarity Tribunal investigated this matter, and compared the treatment by AIB of FitzGerald with their treatment of Charles Haughey. They found no evidence of any wrongdoing, indeed the Tribunal heard evidence as to the considerable hardship that FitzGerald went to - to the extent of selling of his family home - to repay the debt to the best of his ability.

The Tribunal concluded in their report:

In summary it would appear that in compromising his indebtedness with the Bank, Dr. Fitzgerald disposed of his only substantial asset, namely, his family home at Palmerston Road, a property which would now be worth a considerable sum of money. As in Mr. Haughey’s case, there was a substantial discounting or forbearance shown in Dr. Fitzgerald’s case. However in contrast with Mr. Haughey’s case, Dr. Fitzgerald’s case involved the effective exhaustion of his assets in order to achieve a settlement whereas Mr. Haughey’s assets were retained virtually intact.

Governments

The following governments were led by FitzGerald:

• 17th Government of Ireland (June 1981–March 1982)
• 19th Government of Ireland (December 1982–March 1987)

Footnotes

Political career

Oireachtas
Preceded by John A. Costello (Fine Gael)	Fine Gael Teachta Dála for Dublin South East 1969–1992	Succeeded by Frances Fitzgerald (Fine Gael)
Political offices
Preceded by Brian Lenihan	Minister for Foreign Affairs 1973–1977	Succeeded by Michael O'Kennedy
Preceded by Liam Cosgrave	Leader of the Fine Gael Party 1977–1987	Succeeded by Alan Dukes
Preceded by Jack Lynch	Leader of the Opposition 1977–1981	Succeeded by Charles Haughey
Preceded by Charles Haughey	Taoiseach 1981–1982	Succeeded by Charles Haughey
	Leader of the Opposition March 1982–December 1982
	Taoiseach 1982–1987
Preceded by T. K. Whitaker	Chancellor of the National University of Ireland 1997 – present	Incumbent

The Oireachtas (ɛrʲaxt̪ˠasˠ is the "national parliament" or Legislature of Ireland, sometimes referred to as Oireachtas Éireann. For other persons named John Costello see John Costello John Aloysius Costello (Seán A Fine Gael – The United Ireland Party, shortened to Fine Gael (ˌfina gail meaning Family of the Irish or Tribe of the Irish, is the second largest Fine Gael – The United Ireland Party, shortened to Fine Gael (ˌfina gail meaning Family of the Irish or Tribe of the Irish, is the second largest A Teachta Dála (ˈtʲaxtə ˈdɑːlə is a member of Dáil Éireann, the lower chamber of the Oireachtas (Parliament of the Republic of Ireland. Dublin South East is a Constituency represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas. Frances Fitzgerald (born 1 August 1950 is an Irish Fine Gael politician and is currently a member of the 23rd Seanad Éireann on the Labour Panel Fine Gael – The United Ireland Party, shortened to Fine Gael (ˌfina gail meaning Family of the Irish or Tribe of the Irish, is the second largest Brian Patrick Lenihan (Brian Ó Luineacháin 17 November 1930 – 1 November 1995 was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician The Minister for Foreign Affairs (Aire Gnóthaí Eachtracha is the senior minister at the Department of Foreign Affairs in the Government of Ireland. Michael O'Kennedy (Micheál Ó Cinnéide born 21 February 1936 was a senior Irish Fianna Fáil politician 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 Fine Gael – The United Ireland Party, shortened to Fine Gael (ˌfina gail meaning Family of the Irish or Tribe of the Irish, is the second largest 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 John Mary "Jack" Lynch ( Irish: Seán Ó Loinsigh; 15 August 1917 &ndash 20 October 1999 was the fourth Taoiseach of Ireland, 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 The Taoiseach (ˈtiːʃəx in English t̪ˠiːʃʲəx (plural Taoisigh ( or) in Irish) also referred to as An Taoiseach ( t̪ˠiːʃʲəx is the the 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 The Taoiseach (ˈtiːʃəx in English t̪ˠiːʃʲəx (plural Taoisigh ( or) in Irish) also referred to as An Taoiseach ( t̪ˠiːʃʲəx is the the TK "Ken" Whitaker (born December 1916 is a former Irish Economist and public servant, credited with a pivotal role in the economic development The National University of Ireland ( NUI) (Ollscoil na hÉireann is a federal University system of constituent universities, previously called

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