President of of Ireland | |
---|---|
Style | President (Uachtarán) or Your Excellency (A Shoilse) |
Residence | Áras an Uachtaráin |
Term length | Seven years, renewable once |
Inaugural holder | Douglas Hyde |
Formation | 25 June 1938 |
Salary | €250,000 per annum [1] |
Website | www |
The President of Ireland (Irish: Uachtarán na hÉireann OOk-te-rawn na HAir-un ) is the head of state of Ireland. It is mostly ceremonial and elections are held every seven years, a person can be elected for up to two terms. The current President of Ireland is Michael D. Higgins.
The functions of the President were exercised by the Presidential Commission from the coming into force of the Constitution on 29 December 1937 until the election of Douglas Hyde in 1938, and during the vacancies of 1974, 1976, and 1997.
No. | Name (Birth–Death) |
Portrait | Previous service | Term of office | Nominated by | Election | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Douglas Hyde (1860–1949) |
Senator (1925, 1938) |
25 June 1938 | 24 June 1945 | All-party nomination | 1938 | |
2 | Séan T. O'Kelly (1882–1966) |
Tánaiste (1932–1945) |
25 June 1945 | 24 June 1959 | Fianna Fáil | 1945 | |
Himself[n 1] | 1952 | ||||||
3 | Éamon de Valera (1882–1975) |
Taoiseach (1932–1948, 1951–1954, 1957–1959) |
25 June 1959 | 24 June 1973 | Fianna Fáil | 1959 | |
Fianna Fáil[n 2] | 1966 | ||||||
4 | Erskine H. Childers (1905–1974) |
Tánaiste (1969–1973) |
25 June 1973 | 17 November 1974 | Fianna Fáil | 1973 | |
5 | Cearbhall Ó Dálaigh[5] (1911–1978) |
Chief Justice of Ireland (1961–1973) |
19 December 1974 | 22 October 1976 | All-party nomination | 1974 | |
6 | Patrick Hillery (1923–2008) |
European Commissioner for Social Affairs (1973–1976) |
3 December 1976 | 2 December 1990 | Fianna Fáil | 1976 | |
Fianna Fáil | 1983 | ||||||
7 | Mary Robinson (1944–) |
Senator (1969–1989) |
3 December 1990 | 12 September 1997 | Labour Party | 1990 | |
Workers' Party | |||||||
Independent | |||||||
8 | Mary McAleese (1951–) |
Reid Professor of Criminal law, Criminology and Penology at Trinity College, Dublin |
11 November 1997 | 10 November 2011 | Fianna Fáil | 1997 | |
Herself | 2004 | ||||||
9 | Michael D. Higgins (1941–) |
Minister for Arts, Culture and Gaeltacht (1993–1997) |
11 November 2011 | Incumbent | Labour Party | 2011 |