List of presidential appointees to the Irish Council of State
Encyclopedia
The President of Ireland
has the right to appoint a maximum of seven members of the Council of State
, which advises the President in exercising certain reserve power
s. As well as the seven (or fewer) appointees, the Council has nine ex officio members and a variable number of life members by right of former office. An appointed member's term ends when the President's term ends, although a new or re-elected President may re-appoint members. If an appointed member accedes to one of the positions conferring ex officio membership of the Council, this creates a vacancy which the President may fill via another appointment.
, who took office in 1938, did not nominate members till the Council first met in January 1940; all six nominees were Oireachtas members, and not members of the Fianna Fáil government
party.
For long, Presidents included senior serving politicians on the Council. Éamon de Valera
said during the 1937 debate on the proposed Constitution, "this Council of State ... will ordinarily contain the leaders of the big Parties in the Dáil." Fine Gael
objected in 1991 when Mary Robinson
became the first President not to have the Leader of the Opposition
in the Council. Robinson had promised to appoint two representatives of the Opposition, but the practice of including the Leader was not a fixed rule. In early 1995, after the Fianna Fáil-led government was replaced by a Fine Gael-led government without a general election, Mary Robinson asked Monica Barnes
of Fine Gael to resign from the council of state to allow Mary O'Rourke
of Fianna Fáil to be appointed instead to increase the Opposition voice. The Oireachtas
Committee on the Constitution issued a 1998 report dealing with the Presidency, which recommended that the President be "empowered to nominate two members of the Dáil who belong to parties other than the party or parties that form the government for the life of that government".
Early Presidents included one or two representatives of minorities; there were several of Anglo-Irish
, Protestant
, or ex-Unionist backgrounds, and the Jewish Bob Briscoe. In campaigning in the 1990 presidential election
, Mary Robinson
promised to reform the Council of State. She criticised it for consisting "mainly of senior or retired politicians" and promised to make it "truly representative of the community as a whole". Prior to 1990, Presidents generally reappointed members from the previous term; new members were appointed only when a vacancy arose by a previous appointee's death or accession to ex-officio membership. Robinson abandoned this practice by appointing seven new members; Mary McAleese
did likewise at both her first and second terms.
During the 2011 presidential election campaign, candidate Mary Davis, best known for her Special Olympics
activism, pledged to nominate a person with intellectual disability
to the Council. This proposal attracted some criticism as tokenism
, but was endorsed by Fergus Finlay
. During a debate on The Late Late Show
, candidates were later asked whether they thought Denis O'Brien
would be "a suitable person to be on the Council of State". After the victory of Labour Party
candidate Michael D. Higgins
, the party denied that its leader Eamon Gilmore
had suggested nominees to Higgins.
President of Ireland
The President of Ireland is the head of state of Ireland. The President is usually directly elected by the people for seven years, and can be elected for a maximum of two terms. The presidency is largely a ceremonial office, but the President does exercise certain limited powers with absolute...
has the right to appoint a maximum of seven members of the Council of State
Council of State (Ireland)
The Council of State is a body established by the Constitution of Ireland to advise the President of Ireland in the exercise of many of his or her discretionary, reserve powers...
, which advises the President in exercising certain reserve power
Reserve power
In a parliamentary or semi-presidential system of government, a reserve power is a power that may be exercised by the head of state without the approval of another branch of the government. Unlike a presidential system of government, the head of state is generally constrained by the cabinet or the...
s. As well as the seven (or fewer) appointees, the Council has nine ex officio members and a variable number of life members by right of former office. An appointed member's term ends when the President's term ends, although a new or re-elected President may re-appoint members. If an appointed member accedes to one of the positions conferring ex officio membership of the Council, this creates a vacancy which the President may fill via another appointment.
History
The first President, Douglas HydeDouglas Hyde
Douglas Hyde , known as An Craoibhín Aoibhinn , was an Irish scholar of the Irish language who served as the first President of Ireland from 1938 to 1945...
, who took office in 1938, did not nominate members till the Council first met in January 1940; all six nominees were Oireachtas members, and not members of the Fianna Fáil government
Government of the 10th Dáil
The 10th Dáil was elected at the 1938 general election on 17 June 1938 and first met on 30 June when the 2nd Government of Ireland was appointed. The 10th Dáil lasted for 1,832 days.-2nd Government of Ireland:...
party.
For long, Presidents included senior serving politicians on the Council. Éamon de Valera
Éamon de Valera
Éamon de Valera was one of the dominant political figures in twentieth century Ireland, serving as head of government of the Irish Free State and head of government and head of state of Ireland...
said during the 1937 debate on the proposed Constitution, "this Council of State ... will ordinarily contain the leaders of the big Parties in the Dáil." Fine Gael
Fine Gael
Fine Gael is a centre-right to centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland. It is the single largest party in Ireland in the Oireachtas, in local government, and in terms of Members of the European Parliament. The party has a membership of over 35,000...
objected in 1991 when Mary Robinson
Mary Robinson
Mary Therese Winifred Robinson served as the seventh, and first female, President of Ireland from 1990 to 1997, and the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, from 1997 to 2002. She first rose to prominence as an academic, barrister, campaigner and member of the Irish Senate...
became the first President not to have the Leader of the Opposition
Leader of the Opposition (Ireland)
The Leader of the Opposition in the Republic of Ireland is the politician who, de facto, leads the Parliamentary Opposition in the lower house of the Irish Parliament, Dáil Éireann. The current incumbent is Micheál Martin TD of the Fianna Fáil party....
in the Council. Robinson had promised to appoint two representatives of the Opposition, but the practice of including the Leader was not a fixed rule. In early 1995, after the Fianna Fáil-led government was replaced by a Fine Gael-led government without a general election, Mary Robinson asked Monica Barnes
Monica Barnes
Monica Barnes is a former Irish Fine Gael politician. She was a Teachta Dála for the constituency of Dún Laoghaire....
of Fine Gael to resign from the council of state to allow Mary O'Rourke
Mary O'Rourke
Mary O'Rourke is a former Irish Fianna Fáil politician. She is a former Teachta Dála for the Longford–Westmeath and Westmeath constituencies. She served as Minister for Education , Minister for Health and Minister for Public Enterprise...
of Fianna Fáil to be appointed instead to increase the Opposition voice. The Oireachtas
Oireachtas
The Oireachtas , sometimes referred to as Oireachtas Éireann, is the "national parliament" or legislature of Ireland. The Oireachtas consists of:*The President of Ireland*The two Houses of the Oireachtas :**Dáil Éireann...
Committee on the Constitution issued a 1998 report dealing with the Presidency, which recommended that the President be "empowered to nominate two members of the Dáil who belong to parties other than the party or parties that form the government for the life of that government".
Early Presidents included one or two representatives of minorities; there were several of Anglo-Irish
Anglo-Irish
Anglo-Irish was a term used primarily in the 19th and early 20th centuries to identify a privileged social class in Ireland, whose members were the descendants and successors of the Protestant Ascendancy, mostly belonging to the Church of Ireland, which was the established church of Ireland until...
, Protestant
Protestantism in Ireland
Protestantism in Ireland- 20th Century decline and other developments:In 1991, the population of the Republic of Ireland was approximately 3% Protestant, but the figure was over 10% in 1891, indicating a fall of 70% in the relative Protestant population over the past century.The effect of...
, or ex-Unionist backgrounds, and the Jewish Bob Briscoe. In campaigning in the 1990 presidential election
Irish presidential election, 1990
-Aftermath:While the role of the presidency in day to day politics is a very limited one the Robinson presidency is regarded by many observers as a watershed in Irish society symbolising the shift away from the conservative ultracatholic male-dominated Ireland which existed up until the end of the...
, Mary Robinson
Mary Robinson
Mary Therese Winifred Robinson served as the seventh, and first female, President of Ireland from 1990 to 1997, and the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, from 1997 to 2002. She first rose to prominence as an academic, barrister, campaigner and member of the Irish Senate...
promised to reform the Council of State. She criticised it for consisting "mainly of senior or retired politicians" and promised to make it "truly representative of the community as a whole". Prior to 1990, Presidents generally reappointed members from the previous term; new members were appointed only when a vacancy arose by a previous appointee's death or accession to ex-officio membership. Robinson abandoned this practice by appointing seven new members; Mary McAleese
Mary McAleese
Mary Patricia McAleese served as the eighth President of Ireland from 1997 to 2011. She was the second female president and was first elected in 1997 succeeding Mary Robinson, making McAleese the world's first woman to succeed another as president. She was re-elected unopposed for a second term in...
did likewise at both her first and second terms.
During the 2011 presidential election campaign, candidate Mary Davis, best known for her Special Olympics
Special Olympics
Special Olympics is the world's largest sports organization for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, providing year-round training and competitions to more than 3.1 million athletes in 175 countries....
activism, pledged to nominate a person with intellectual disability
Intellectual disability
Intellectual disability is a broad concept encompassing various intellectual deficits, including mental retardation , deficits too mild to properly qualify as MR, various specific conditions , and problems acquired later in life through acquired brain injuries or neurodegenerative diseases like...
to the Council. This proposal attracted some criticism as tokenism
Tokenism
In the arts, employment, and politics, tokenism is a policy or practice of limited inclusion or artistic and/or political representation of members of a traditionally marginalized group, usually creating a false appearance of inclusive practices rather than discrimination, intentional or not...
, but was endorsed by Fergus Finlay
Fergus Finlay
Fergus Finlay was for some years the chef de cabinet of the Irish Labour Party, and is the chief executive of the charity Barnardo's in Ireland. He is also a weekly columnist with the Irish Examiner and the author of a number of books....
. During a debate on The Late Late Show
The Late Late Show
The Late Late Show, sometimes referred to as The Late Late, or in some cases by the acronym LLS, is the world's longest-running chat show by the same broadcaster and the official flagship television programme of Irish broadcasting company RTÉ...
, candidates were later asked whether they thought Denis O'Brien
Denis O'Brien
Denis O'Brien is an Irish businessman with international connections. An Arts graduate of University College Dublin, O'Brien has received a MBA in corporate finance from Boston College in 1982, and was later given an honorary doctorate by University College Dublin.O'Brien has involvement with...
would be "a suitable person to be on the Council of State". After the victory of Labour Party
Labour Party (Ireland)
The Labour Party is a social-democratic political party in the Republic of Ireland. The Labour Party was founded in 1912 in Clonmel, County Tipperary, by James Connolly, James Larkin and William X. O'Brien as the political wing of the Irish Trade Union Congress. Unlike the other main Irish...
candidate Michael D. Higgins
Michael D. Higgins
Michael Daniel Higgins is the ninth and current President of Ireland, having taken office on 11 November 2011 following victory in the 2011 Irish presidential election. Higgins is an Irish politician, poet, sociologist, author and broadcaster. Higgins was President of the Labour Party until his...
, the party denied that its leader Eamon Gilmore
Eamon Gilmore
Eamon Gilmore is an Irish Labour Party politician and the current Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade. He has been the Leader of the Labour Party since September 2007, and a Teachta Dála for the Dún Laoghaire constituency since 1989, first with the Workers' Party of Ireland, and...
had suggested nominees to Higgins.
List
| Appointee | Time | President appointing | Date appointed | Date ceased | Role on appointment; notes | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ? | TD Teachta Dála A Teachta Dála , usually abbreviated as TD in English, is a member of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas . It is the equivalent of terms such as "Member of Parliament" or "deputy" used in other states. The official translation of the term is "Deputy to the Dáil", though a more literal... , initially for Fine Gael Fine Gael Fine Gael is a centre-right to centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland. It is the single largest party in Ireland in the Oireachtas, in local government, and in terms of Members of the European Parliament. The party has a membership of over 35,000... , later Independent |
||||
| 1 | ? | Senator nominated by the Taoiseach | ||||
| 1 | ? | Independent Senator. Anglo-Irish Anglo-Irish Anglo-Irish was a term used primarily in the 19th and early 20th centuries to identify a privileged social class in Ireland, whose members were the descendants and successors of the Protestant Ascendancy, mostly belonging to the Church of Ireland, which was the established church of Ireland until... Baronet Baronet A baronet or the rare female equivalent, a baronetess , is the holder of a hereditary baronetcy awarded by the British Crown... . |
||||
| 1 | ? | Fine Gael TD | ||||
| 1 | ? | Labour Party Labour Party (Ireland) The Labour Party is a social-democratic political party in the Republic of Ireland. The Labour Party was founded in 1912 in Clonmel, County Tipperary, by James Connolly, James Larkin and William X. O'Brien as the political wing of the Irish Trade Union Congress. Unlike the other main Irish... leader |
||||
| 1 | Independent Senator and University College Dublin University College Dublin University College Dublin ) - formally known as University College Dublin - National University of Ireland, Dublin is the Republic of Ireland's largest, and Ireland's second largest, university, with over 1,300 faculty and 17,000 students... professor of Greek |
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| 1 | ? | Clann na Talmhan Clann na Talmhan Clann na Talmhan , abbreviated CnaT, was an Irish agrarian political party active between 1939 and 1965.- Formation and Growth :Clann na Talmhan was founded on 29 June 1939 in Athenry, County Galway, in the wake of the breakdown of unification talks between the Irish Farmers Federation and... leader |
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| 1 | Anglo-Irish, 8th Earl of Granard Earl of Granard Earl of Granard is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1684 for Arthur Forbes, 1st Viscount Granard. He was a Lieutenant-General in the army and served as Marshal of the Army in Ireland after The Restoration and was later Lord Justice of Ireland... . Died in office. |
|||||
| 2 | ? | Leader of the Opposition | ||||
| 2 | ? | |||||
| 1 | Senator nominated by the Taoiseach. Died in office. | |||||
| 2 | ? | |||||
| 2 | Tánaiste Tánaiste The Tánaiste is the deputy prime minister of Ireland. The current Tánaiste is Eamon Gilmore, TD who was appointed on 9 March 2011.- Origins and etymology :... , and ex officio member of the Council, after the 1948 general election Irish general election, 1948 The Irish general election of 1948 was held on 4 February 1948. The 147 newly elected members of the 13th Dáil assembled on 18 February when the First Inter-Party government in the history of the Irish state was appointed.... . |
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| 1 | ? | Fianna Fáil Fianna Fáil Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party , more commonly known as Fianna Fáil is a centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland, founded on 23 March 1926. Fianna Fáil's name is traditionally translated into English as Soldiers of Destiny, although a more accurate rendition would be Warriors of Fál... minister. |
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| 3 | ||||||
| 3 | Died in office. | |||||
| 2 | Made Tánaiste, and ex officio member of the Council, the day before O'Kelly's term expired | |||||
| 3 | ||||||
| 3 | Tánaiste, and ex officio member of the Council, in the 1954–57 government Government of the 15th Dáil The 15th Dáil was elected at the 1954 general election on 18 May 1954 and first met on 2 June when the 7th Government of Ireland was appointed. The 15th Dáil lasted for 1,022 days.-7th Government of Ireland:... . |
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| 1 | ? | Anglo-Irish, son of Edward Robert King-Harman Edward Robert King-Harman Edward Robert King-Harman was an Irish landlord and Irish Nationalist and later Unionist politician who sat in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom from 1877 to 1888.-Early life:... |
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| 4 | Tánaiste, and ex officio member of the Council, till after the 1957 general election Irish general election, 1957 The Irish general election of 1957 was held on 5 March 1957, just over three weeks after the dissolution of the Dáil on 4 February. The newly elected members of the 16th Dáil assembled at Leinster House on 20 March when the new Taoiseach and government were appointed.The general election took place... . |
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| 1 | Fianna Fáil TD | |||||
| 1 | ? | Anglo-Irish Fine Gael TD | ||||
| 2 | ? | |||||
| 4 | Died in office. | |||||
| 2 | Died in office. | |||||
| 4 | ? | |||||
| 5 | Died in office. | |||||
| 1 | Former mayor of Limerick. Died in office. | |||||
| 1 | Former Governor-General of the Irish Free State Governor-General of the Irish Free State The Governor-General was the representative of the King in the 1922–1937 Irish Free State. Until 1927 he was also the agent of the British government in the Irish state. By convention the office of Governor-General was largely ceremonial... . Died in office. |
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| 2 | ? | Fine Gael Leader of the Opposition. Replaced Stephen O'Mara. | ||||
| 1 | ? | Jewish Fianna Fáil TD. Replaced Robert Farnan. | ||||
| 1 | ? | Labour Party leader. Replaced William Norton. | ||||
| 1 | ? | Fianna Fáil TD | ||||
| 1 | ? | Fianna Fáil former Senator and Lord Mayor of Cork Lord Mayor of Cork The Lord Mayor of Cork is the honorific title of the Chairman of Cork City Council which is the local government body for the city of Cork in Ireland. The incumbent is Terry Shannon of Fianna Fáil. The office holder is elected annually by the members of the Council.-History of office:In 1199 there... |
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| 2 | Died in office. | |||||
| 2 | Became Tánaiste, and ex-officio member of the Council, after the 1973 general election Irish general election, 1973 The Irish general election of 1973 was held on 28 February 1973. The newly elected 144 members of the 20th Dáil assembled at Leinster House on 4 March when the new Taoiseach and government were appointed.... . |
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| 3 | ? | |||||
| 3 | ? | |||||
| 2 | ? | |||||
| 5 | Died in office. | |||||
| 3 | ? | |||||
| 1 | ? | Fianna Fáil TD. Tánaiste, and ex officio member of the Council, till after the 1969 general election Irish general election, 1969 The Irish general election of 1969 was held on 18 June 1969. The newly elected members of the 19th Dáil assembled at Leinster House on 2 July when the new Taoiseach and government were appointed... . Replaced Bob Briscoe. |
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| 1 | ? | Provost of Trinity College, Dublin. Replaced Richard Mulcahy. | ||||
| 1 | Labour Party minister. Replaced Brendan Corish. | |||||
| 2 | ||||||
| 2 | ||||||
| 4 | ||||||
| 4 | ||||||
| 3 | Died on 12 December 1974, before the newly elected President Cearbhall Ó Dálaigh had appointed nominees to the Council. | |||||
| 4 | ||||||
| 2 | ||||||
| 3 | ||||||
| 3 | ||||||
| 5 | ||||||
| 5 | ||||||
| 5 | ||||||
| 3 | ||||||
| 1 | Actress. Replaced Jane Dowdall. | |||||
| 4 | Died in office. | |||||
| 4 | ||||||
| 6 | ||||||
| 6 | ||||||
| 6 | ||||||
| 4 | ||||||
| 2 | ||||||
| 1 | Widow of President Cearbhall Ó Dálaigh Cearbhall Ó Dálaigh Cearbhall Ó Dálaigh served as the fifth President of Ireland, from 1974 to 1976. He resigned in 1976 after a clash with the government. He also had a notable legal career, including serving as Chief Justice of Ireland.- Early life :Cearbhall Ó Dálaigh, one of four children, was born on 12 February... . Replaced Frank Aiken. |
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| 5 | ||||||
| 7 | Died in office. | |||||
| 7 | Died in office. | |||||
| 7 | Died in office. | |||||
| 5 | ||||||
| 3 | Died in office. | |||||
| 2 | ||||||
| 1 | Former Fianna Fáil minister and Ceann Comhairle Ceann Comhairle The Ceann Comhairle is the chairman of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas of Ireland. The person who holds the position is elected by members of the Dáil from among their number in the first session after each general election... . Replaced Seán MacEntee. |
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| 1 | Fine Gael leader of the Opposition | |||||
| 1 | Barrister and former Independent Senator | |||||
| 1 | Fine Gael TD | |||||
| 1 | Fine Gael TD. Resigned to make way for Mary O'Rourke. | |||||
| 1 | An Taisce An Taisce An Taisce , also known as the National Trust for Ireland, was established in 1948 with a similar mission to that of the National Trust in England, Wales and Northern Ireland... |
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| 1 | Trade union barrister | |||||
| 1 | Director of the Northern Ireland Council for Voluntary Action Northern Ireland Council for Voluntary Action Northern Ireland Council for Voluntary Action is the national infrastructure body for the voluntary and community sector in Northern Ireland. NICVA also hosts and manages several websites for Northern Ireland's voluntary and community sector online.-History:... |
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| 1 | Irish Farmers' Association Irish Farmers' Association The Irish Farmers' Association is a national organisation to represent the interests of all sectors of farming in the Republic of Ireland... official |
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| 1 | Disabled journalist | |||||
| 1 | Former civil servant and Senator | |||||
| 1 | Fianna Fáil TD. Replaced Monica Barnes. | |||||
| 1 | Psychologist | |||||
| 1 | Fianna Fáil MEP | |||||
| 1 | Irish Municipal, Public and Civil Trade Union Irish Municipal, Public and Civil Trade Union The Irish Municipal, Public and Civil Trade Union is a trade union in the Republic of Ireland. It primarily organises workers in education, health, local government and the civil service... official |
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| 1 | NUI Galway National University of Ireland, Galway The National University of Ireland, Galway is a constituent university of the National University of Ireland... psychology professor |
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| 1 | Nun, Focus Ireland Focus Ireland Focus Ireland is a nonprofit organization based in Dublin, Republic of Ireland that provides services for homeless people.Focus Ireland was founded by Sister Stanislaus Kennedy and Rachel Collier in 1985. Its stated mission is "to advance the right of people-out-of-home to live in a place they call... campaigner |
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| 1 | Businessman | |||||
| 1 | Belfast accountant | |||||
| 1 | Former British Army colonel and Ulster Unionist Party Ulster Unionist Party The Ulster Unionist Party – sometimes referred to as the Official Unionist Party or, in a historic sense, simply the Unionist Party – is the more moderate of the two main unionist political parties in Northern Ireland... councillor |
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| 1 | Chair of the National Consultative Committee on Racism and Interculturalism | |||||
| 1 | Special Olympics Special Olympics Special Olympics is the world's largest sports organization for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, providing year-round training and competitions to more than 3.1 million athletes in 175 countries.... activist |
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| 1 | Fianna Fáil Senator | |||||
| 1 | Fine Gael activist | |||||
| 1 | Northern Irish lawyer | |||||
| 1 | Meningitis survivor |