Who's who in the new Cabinet?
Service Government Picture: In Cabinet Buildings Ministers Newly Announced Information Government Today
The full line-up of Leo Varakdar's Cabinet has been confirmed, bringing with it little change.
While Mr Varadkar steps up to the Taoiseach's office, Simon Coveney will take over the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment with outgoing Taoiseach Micheál Martin taking on the role of Minister for Foreign Affairs and Defence.
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A medical doctor, served as Taoiseach previously between 2017 and 2020. First elected to the Dáil in 2007, he has also served in the departments of Enterprise, Transport, Health, Social Protection and Defence. Ireland’s first openly gay leader, he was also Ireland’s first leader of foreign heritage.
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A qualified teacher, first elected to the Dáil in 1989, Martin served in Government for 14 years under Bertie Ahern and Brian Cowen between 1997 and 2011. He served in the departments of Education, Health, Enterprise and Foreign Affairs, Elected leader of Fianna Fáil following the resignation of Brian Cowen in early 2011.
Married to Mary, he is father to Micheál Áodh, Cillian and Aoibhe. They tragically lost two children Leana in 2010 and Ruairi in 2000.
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The Gonzaga-educated son of a banker, Ryan was first elected to the Dáil in 2002 in the Dublin South constituency. Re-elected in 2007 and entered government with Fianna Fáil. Appointed Minister for Communications by Bertie Ahern. Lost his seat in 2011 amid party’s wipe-out, but took over as Green Party leader from John Gormley. Re-elected to Dáil in 2016 alongside Catherine Martin and party re-entered Government in 2020 having won 12 seats.
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First elected to the Dáil in 2007, McGrath, a trained accountant has famously shared a constituency with Micheál Martin, often very competitively. Survived the 2011 cull of Fianna Fáil TDs and succeeded the late Brian Lenihan as the party’s finance spokesman in the years of opposition. Appointed Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform in 2020. He is the father of seven children.
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Recently re-elected as President of the Eurogroup of Finance Ministers, Donohoe was first elected to the Dáil in 2011. A former member of the Dáil’s Public Accounts Committee, he has served as a minister since 2013 and in Cabinet since 2014. He has held the portfolios of European Affairs, Transport, Public Expenditure and Finance.
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Nicknamed the ‘Merchant Prince’ of Cork, Coveney was first elected to the Dáil in 1998 after he stood in the by-election to fill the seat caused by the tragic death of his father. He served in the Dáil between 1998 and 2004 before he was elected to the European Parliament where he stayed until 2007 when he returned to the Dáil.
Has been in Cabinet since 2011 having served in the departments of Agriculture, Defence, Housing, Foreign Affairs. Contested the Fine Gael leadership and was subsequently appointed Tánaiste following the resignation of Frances Fitzgerald.
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Deputy leader of the Green Party since 2011 and first elected to the Dáil in 2016 along with Eamon Ryan. Elected the first chair of The Irish Women's Parliamentary Caucus in November 2017, an organisation she spearheaded the creation of.
Initially opposed the Green Party’s entry into Government in 2020 and lost in her challenge to oust Ryan as party leader in the wake of the 2020 General Election. Appointed Minister for Arts, Culture and Media on June 27.
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First elected in 2011 at the age of just 24, making him the youngest member of the Dáil and nominated Enda Kenny for Taoiseach on his first day. Singled out for preferment quickly by Kenny, he was appointed junior finance minister in 2014, before his elevation to the full Cabinet after the 2016 General Election.
Appointed to the difficult Health portfolio, he was re-appointed by Leo Varadkar in 2017 and a tabling of a motion of no confidence in him triggered the 2020 General Election.
He served with distinction during the first months of the Covid-19 pandemic and was moved to the newly created Higher and Further Education portfolio on June 27, 2020.
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A Harvard-educated management consultant, Donnelly blazed a trail as a new Independent TD first elected in 2011. Joined forces with Catherine Murphy and Roisin Shortall to establish the Social Democrats only to leave the party to join Fianna Fáil, where he was named Brexit spokesman.
Transferred to the Health portfolio, his inclusion in Micheál Martin’s 2020 Cabinet as Health Minister surprised many but confirmed suspicions of a deal with his party leader.
Had been linked with demotion in recent months, but successfully defended his position.
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A teacher by trade in her native Tralee, Norma Foley becomes Minister for Education just five months after taking her seat in Dáil Éireann. A surprise pick in 2020, Ms Foley took office at a time of particular tumult in education and early issues challenged her position.
Since then, she has become a solid member of Cabinet and scored a big win in the Budget by making primary school books free. However, the crisis in teacher retention will be a major challenge.
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A former credit union manager, Ms Humphreys was once seen as a liability by some in the previous Government. Now, she is its most dependable performer. Guiding a €21 billion department through Covid supports gave her the bona fides as a major player, but her deft control of the Community and Rural Development brief has been a major boon for Fine Gael. Such is her standing in government, she has been twice chosen to take the Justice brief on a temporary basis.
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That he had survived longer than his two predecessors combined within four months is an indication of how Mr McConalogue came to the job, but he has been a solid, steady minister. He has worked to modernize aspects of farming - he is a farmer himself - particularly around the issues of climate change and was successful in arguing against a higher emissions cut for the sector.
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A first-time TD who took on a major department in a coalition government, Mr O'Gorman has been in the spotlight around much of the Government's work. An initial plan to abolish Direct Provision by 2024 looks unlikely to come to pass and his handling of the Mother and Baby Homes Commission report has been criticised by survivors. He has since been handed the job of overseeing Ireland's Ukraine response where he provides a compassionate face for the Government.
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The party's former spokesperson on the issue set about trying to solve the crisis most plaguing the Government. His flagship Housing for All plan already looks like it will need major revisions to targets amid concerns that they are not high enough. At the same time, homelessness figures have hit record highs.
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Ms McEntee is now a mother of two, having given birth to a second son last week. She broke barriers by becoming the first minister ever to take maternity leave and is hugely regarded for her work in the Department of Justice. Her reforming work and focus on women's issues has seen her tipped as a successor to Mr Varadkar.
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A classically trained soprano, the Galway woman was seen to have hit a bum note when operations at Dublin Airport ground to near standstill during the summer. However, she has been given a promotion to Chief Whip.
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Young, ambitious and previously in a high-profile role, Mr Chambers will have fancied his chances of being the next in line should a senior ministry have arisen. Instead, he will remain a Super-Junior minister and will lose the sports portfolio in which he has thrived.
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An Offaly farmer, she is well-placed to speak on the issue of rural land use. She has been loyal to Eamon Ryan and is generally well-liked.