Garret FitzGerald (Irish: Gearóid Mac Gearailt; born February 9, 1926) was the seventh Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland, serving two terms in office; July 1981 to February 1982, and December 1982 to March 1987. FitzGerald was elected to Seanad Éireann in 1965 and was subsequently elected to Dáil Éireann as a Fine Gael TD in 1969. He served as Foreign Affairs Minister from 1973 to 1977. FitzGerald was the leader of Fine Gael between 1977 and 1987. He is also the son of Desmond FitzGerald who was the first Minister for External Affairs of the nascent Irish state, following independence from the United Kingdom in 1922. At present FitzGerald is the Chancellor of the National University of Ireland, and President of the Institute of European Affairs. He is widely considered to have been the most successful leader of the modern Fine Gael party. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... The Taoiseach ( or [1]) — plural: Taoisigh ( or [1]) — or, more formally, An Taoiseach[2], is the head of government of the Republic of Ireland and the leader of the Irish cabinet, the rough equivalent of a prime minister under the Westminster System. ... June 30 is the 181st day of the year (182nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 184 days remaining. ... 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... March 9 is the 68th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (69th in leap years). ... 1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... December 14 is the 348th day of the year (349th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... March 10 is the 69th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (70th in leap years). ... 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Michael OLeary (8 May 1936 – 11 May 2006) was an Irish senior politician and barrister. ... Richard Spring (born August 29, 1950 in Tralee County Kerry), is a businessman and former senior Irish politician. ... Peter Barry (Irish: ; born August 10, 1928) is a retired Irish Fine Gael politician and businessman. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... February 9 is the 40th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1926 (MCMXXVI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar). ... WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 53. ... Fine Gael (IPA: , though often anglicized to (approximate English translation: Family of the Irish) and officially, Fine Gael - The United Ireland Party, is the second largest political party in Ireland, presently forming the largest opposition party in the Oireachtas (Irish Parliament), and claims a membership of over 34,000. ... Alan Greenspan, former chairman, United States Federal Reserve. ... February 9 is the 40th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1926 (MCMXXVI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar). ... The Taoiseach ( or [1]) — plural: Taoisigh ( or [1]) — or, more formally, An Taoiseach[2], is the head of government of the Republic of Ireland and the leader of the Irish cabinet, the rough equivalent of a prime minister under the Westminster System. ... The Seanad Chamber The Seanad meets in the former picture gallery in Leinster House. ... The Dáil Chamber Dáil Éireann (pronounced ) is the lower house of the Oireachtas (parliament) of the Republic of Ireland. ... Fine Gael (IPA: , though often anglicized to (approximate English translation: Family of the Irish) and officially, Fine Gael - The United Ireland Party, is the second largest political party in Ireland, presently forming the largest opposition party in the Oireachtas (Irish Parliament), and claims a membership of over 34,000. ... A Teachta Dála (Irish for Dáil Deputy, pronounced chock-ta dawla) is a member of Dáil Éireann, the lower chamber of the Irish Oireachtas or National Parliament. ... Desmond FitzGerald (1888-1947), Irish revolutionary, poet and Cumann na nGaedhael politician. ... The National University of Ireland (NUI) is a federal university system of constituent universities, previously called constituent colleges, and recognised colleges set up under the Irish Universities Act, 1908, and significantly amended by the Universities Act, 1997. ... Logo of the Institute of European Affairs The Institute of European Affairs website is a policy research think-tank and forum based in Dublin (with a branch in Brussels). ...

Early life

Garret FitzGerald was born in Dublin in 1926 into a very politically active family. His father was the London-born and reared 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. Though 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. The families of Patrick McGilligan and Ernest Blythe were also frequent visitors to the FitzGerald household. FitzGerald's mother, the former Mabel Washington McConnell, who, although an ardent nationalist and republican herself, came of Ulster unionist Protestant stock and left a lasting effect on her son's political philosophy. He 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. WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 53. ... Sinn Féin (pronounced in English, in Irish) is a name used by a series of Irish political movements of the 20th century, each of which claimed sole descent from the original party established by Arthur Griffith in 1905. ... Combatants Irish Republic United Kingdom Commanders Michael Collins Richard Mulcahy Cathal Brugha Important local IRA leaders Henry Hugh Tudor Strength Irish Republican Army c. ... Cumann na nGaedhael (IPA: ; Society of the Gaels), sometimes spelt Cumann na nGaedheal,[1] was an Irish language name given to two Irish political parties, the second of which had the greater impact. ... Signature page of the Anglo-Irish Treaty The Anglo-Irish Treaty, officially called the Articles of Agreement for a Treaty Between Great Britain and Ireland, was a treaty between the Government of the United Kingdom and representatives of the extra-judicial Irish Republic that concluded the Irish War of Independence. ... Territory of the Irish Free State Capital Dublin Language(s) Irish, English Government Constitutional monarchy Monarch  - 1922–1936 George V  - 1936–1936 George VI President of the Executive Council  - 1922–1932 W.T. Cosgrave  - 1932–1937 Eamon de Valera Legislature Oireachtas  - Upper house Seanad Éireann  - Lower house Dáil Éireann... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Seán MacEntee (1889 – 1984) was a senior Irish politician. ... Éamon de Valera (born with the name Edward George de Valera,IPA: [1][2]) (14 October 1882 – 29 August 1975) was one of the dominant political figures in 20th century Ireland. ... Conor Cruise OBrien (born 3 November 1917) is an Irish politician, writer and academic. ... Patrick McGilligan (1889-1979), Irish politician and lawyer. ... Ernest Blythe (Ir: Earnán de Blaghd) (April 13, 1889–February 23, 1975), Irish politician. ... Irish nationalism refers to political movements that desire greater autonomy or the independence of Ireland from Great Britain. ... Statistics Area: 24,481 km² Population (2006 estimate) 1,993,918 Ulster (Irish: Cúige Uladh, IPA: ) forms one of the four traditional provinces of Ireland. ... Unionism, in Ireland, is a belief in the desirability of a full constitutional and institutional relationship between Ireland and Great Britain based on the terms and order of government of the Act of Union 1800 which had merged both countries in 1801 to form the United Kingdom. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ...

FitzGerald was educated at the Jesuit Belvedere College and University College Dublin (UCD). He was deeply interested in the politics of the Spanish Civil War and World War II. An intellectually brilliant 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. Seal of the Society of Jesus. ... Belvedere College SJ is a private secondary school for boys located on Great Denmark Street, Dublin, Ireland. ... University College Dublin - National University of Ireland, Dublin - more commonly University College Dublin (UCD) - is the Republic of Irelands largest university, with over 20,000 students. ... Combatants Spanish Republic With the support of: Soviet Union[1] Nationalist Spain With the support of: Italy Germany Commanders Manuel Azaña Francisco Largo Caballero Juan Negrín Francisco Franco Gonzalo Queipo de Llano Emilio Mola José Sanjurjo Casualties 500,000[2] The Spanish Civil War was a major conflict... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ...

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. 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. 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. Aer Lingus is the national airline of Ireland. ... It has been suggested that Irish Times Trust be merged into this article or section. ... Trinity College, Dublin TCD,corporately designated as the Provost, Fellows and Scholars of the College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, was founded in 1592 by Elizabeth I, and is the only constituent college of the University of Dublin, Irelands oldest university. ...

Early political life

Garret FitzGerald was eager to enter politics, and suggested^{[citation needed]} to several members of Fianna Fáil, including Michael Yeats, that he should join that party. 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. An adept self publicist,^{[citation needed]} 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, the same year he obtained his PhD for a thesis later published under the title "Planning in Ireland". 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. Difference in political outlook, and FitzGerald's ambitions for the Fine Gael leadership resulted in profound tensions^{[citation needed]} between the two men. In one speech^{[citation needed]} 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. Fianna Fáil - The Republican Party (IPA ; traditionally translated by the party into English as Soldiers of Destiny, though the actual meaning is Soldiers [Fianna] of Ireland[1]), is currently the largest political party in the Republic of Ireland with 55,000 members. ... Michael Yeats (22 August 1921) is a former Irish Fianna Fáil politician. ... Declan Costello (born August 1, 1926) was an Irish politician from the Fine Gael Party, who served as a Teachta Dála (TD) for twenty years as as Attoney-General for four. ... Jack Lynch becomes Taoiseach after winning his first election as leader of Fianna Fáil The Irish general election of 1969 was held on June 18, 1969, just over four years after its predecessor. ... Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated Ph. ... Liam Cosgrave (Irish name Liam Mac Cosgair) (born 13 April 1920), served as the fifth Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland between 1973 and 1977. ...

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. FitzGerald hoped^{[citation needed]} that he would take over as Minister for Finance, particularly after a stunning performance in a pre-election debate with the actual Minister for Finance, George Colley. However the position went to Richie Ryan, with FitzGerald becoming Minister for Foreign Affairs. 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. 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. Cosgrave was suspicious of FitzGerald's liberal ideas and believed^{[citation needed]} that he had designs on the leadership. By appointing him as Foreign Minister, Cosgrave hoped^{[citation needed]} that FitzGerald would be out of the country and would lose touch with the party. The exact opposite is what happened. The Irish general election of 1973 was held on February 28, 1973. ... The Labour Party (Irish: Páirtí an Lucht Oibre) is a social democratic political party in the Republic of Ireland. ... George Colley (18 October 1925 - 17 September 1983), was a senior Irish politician. ... Richie Ryan (born November, 1929) is a former Irish Fine Gael politician. ... The Minister for Foreign Affairs is the senior minister at the Department of Foreign Affairs (An Roinn Gnóthaí Eachtracha) in the Irish Government. ... William Thomas Cosgrave (Irish name Liam Tomás Mac Cosgair; 6 June 1880 – 16 November 1965), known generally as W.T. Cosgrave, was an Irish politician who succeeded Michael Collins as Chairman of the Irish Provisional Government from August to December 1922. ... Iveagh House is now the Department of Foreign Affairs as it was donated to the Irish State by the Guinness family in 1939. ... The Department of Foreign Affairs (An Roinn Gnóthaí Eachtracha) is the government department of the Irish government that is responsible for promoting the interests of Ireland in the European Union and the wider world. ...

FitzGerald is, by general consensus, regarded^{[citation needed]} 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). FitzGerald, firmly ensconced as Foreign Minister, was free from any blame^{[citation needed]} 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^{[citation needed]} 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. The Commonwealth of Nations as of 2006 Headquarters Marlborough House, London Leaders  -  Queen Elizabeth II  -  Secretary-General Don McKinnon (since 1999)  -  Ransford Smith Establishment  -  as British Commonwealth 1926   -  as the Commonwealth 1949  Membership 53 sovereign states Website thecommonwealth. ... The European Community (EC), more important of two European Communities, was originally founded on March 25, 1957 by the signing of the Treaty of Rome under the name of European Economic Community. ...

Leader of Fine Gael

In 1977 the National Coalition of Fine Gael and Labour suffered a disastrous electoral defeat in the general election. 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. 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. For the album by Ash, see 1977 (album). ... The 20th Dáil was elected on February 28, 1973 and first met on March 14 when the 14th Government of Ireland was appointed. ... The Irish general election of 1977 was held on June 16, 1977. ... The Leader of the Opposition (Ir Ceannaire an Fhreasúra) in the Republic of Ireland is the politician who, at least in theory, leads the Parliamentary Opposition bloc in the lower house of the Irish Parliament, Dáil Éireann. ...

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. 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. 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. The Oireachtas is the National Parliament of the Republic of Ireland. ... John Gerard Bruton (born May 18, 1947) was the ninth Taoiseach (Prime Minister) of the Republic of Ireland. ... Alan Dukes (born April 20, 1945) is an Irish politician, a former leader of the Fine Gael political party and former TD for Kildare South. ... Michael Noonan (born 21 May 1943) is an Irish politician and was Leader of the Opposition and Leader of Fine Gael from February 2001 to June 2002. ... Jim Mitchell (19 October 1946 - 2 December 2002) was a senior Irish politician who served in the cabinets of Taoiseach Garret FitzGerald (1981-82; 1982-87). ... Ivan Yates (born October 23, 1959), was a senior Irish politician. ... Gemma Hussey (born 11th November, 1938), was a senior Irish Fine Gael politician. ... The 1980s refers to the years from 1980 to 1989. ...

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 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. The Irish general election of 1981 was held on June 11, 1981, three weeks after the dissolution of the Dáil on May 21. ... June 30 is the 181st day of the year (182nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 184 days remaining. ... 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

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. Two fundamental problems faced FitzGerald during his first period, Northern Ireland and the worsening economic situation. 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. Richard (Dick) Burke (born March 28, 1932) was a senior Irish Fine Gael politician and a European Commissioner. ... Thomas G. (Tom) ODonnell (born August, 1926) is a former Irish Fine Gael politician. ... Northern Ireland is a part of the United Kingdom lying in the northeast of the island of Ireland, covering 5,459 square miles (14,139 km², about a sixth of the islands total area). ... Her Majestys Prison (HMP) Maze (known colloqually as The Maze) is a disused prison sited at the former RAF station at Long Kesh (it is still called Long Kesh by many Irish Republicans) near Lisburn, nine miles outside Belfast, in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. ... A mural in Derrys Bogside, commemorating Irish hunger strikers. ...

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. January 27 is the 27th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday of the 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. 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. The President is said to have angrily rejected such pressure, regarding it as gross misconduct, and granted the dissolution.^[1] Loss of Supply occurs where a government in a parliamentary democracy is denied a supply of treasury or exchequer funds, by whichever house or houses of parliament or head of state is constitutionally entitled to grant and deny supply. ... Áras an Uachtaráin (formerly the Viceregal Lodge) is the official residence of the President of Ireland, located in the Phoenix Park on the Northside of Dublin1. ... Dr. Patrick John Hillery (born May 2, 1923) is an Irish Fianna Fáil politician and the sixth President of Ireland from 1976 until 1990. ... Brian Lenihan (17 November 1930 - 1 November 1995) was a Irish Fianna Fáil politician. ... Sylvester Barret (1926-2002) was a senior Irish politician. ...

In the subsequent general election in February 1982, Fine Gael lost only two seats and were out of power. 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 February 1982 was held on February 18, 1982, three weeks after the dissolution of the Dáil on January 27. ... The Irish general election of November 1982 was held on November 24, 1982, three weeks after the dissolution of the Dáil on November 4. ...

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. 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. The Tánaiste[1] (plural: Tánaistithe), or, more formally, An Tánaiste, is the deputy prime minister of the Republic of Ireland. ... Richard Spring (born August 29, 1950 in Tralee County Kerry), is a businessman and former senior Irish politician. ...

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'. 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. Theobald Wolfe Tone - United Irish leader. ... Thomas Osborne Davis (October 14, 1814 - September 16, 1845) was an Irish writer and politician who was the chief organizer and poet of the Young Ireland movement. ... The Eighth Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland, the founding legal document of the Republic of Ireland, introduced the controversial constitutional ban on abortion. ... The Constitution of Ireland is the founding legal document of the state known today as the Republic of Ireland. ...

Northern Ireland

Perhaps FitzGerald’s most dramatic achievement as Taoiseach was in regard to Northern Ireland. The New Ireland Forum which he set up in 1983 brought together representatives of the constitutional political parties in the Republic and the nationalist SDLP from the North. 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. 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. New elections were required to be held, and the unionists lost one seat (Newry and Armagh) to Seamus Mallon of the SDLP. Northern Ireland is a part of the United Kingdom lying in the northeast of the island of Ireland, covering 5,459 square miles (14,139 km², about a sixth of the islands total area). ... The New Ireland Forum was established in Ireland in 1983 by then Taoiseach Garret FitzGerald to discuss ways of bringing peace and stability to the whole of Ireland, and the structures and processes through which this might be achieved. ... The Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP — Irish: Páirtí Sóisialta Daonlathach an Lucht Oibre) is the smaller of the two major nationalist parties in Northern Ireland. ... Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, LG, OM, PC (born October 13, 1925), former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, in office from 1979 to 1990. ... Her Majestys Government, or when the Sovereign is male, His Majestys Government, abbreviated HMG or HM Government, is the formal title used by the Government of the United Kingdom. ... The Anglo-Irish Agreement was an agreement between the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland which aimed to bring an end to the Troubles in Northern Ireland. ... The Houses of Parliament, as seen over Westminster Bridge 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. ... Newry and Armagh is a Parliamentary Constituency in the House of Commons and also an Assembly constituency in the Northern Ireland Assembly. ... Seamus Mallon, MP Seamus Mallon (born on 17 August 1936) is a Northern Irish politician and former Deputy Leader of the nationalist Social Democratic and Labour Party. ...

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. This article does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

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. 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. 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. Barry Desmond was born in Cork in 1935. ... The Progressive Democrats (in Irish An Páirtí Daonlathach, literal back-translation: The Democratic Party) is a free market liberal party in the Republic of Ireland founded in 1985. ...

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, despite hypocrisy over his own personal life, 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. Fianna Fáil was to implement the very policies it had decried from the Opposition benches and to get support from FitzGerald's successor for doing so. 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Irish general election of 1987 was held on February 17, 1987, four weeks after the dissolution of the Dáil on January 20. ...

Post-Taoiseach period

Garret FitzGerald (centre) speaking with Peter Sutherland (left) and Will Hutton (right), at the Institute of European Affairs in Dublin in 2006.

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. His autobiography, "All in a Life," appeared in 1991, immediately becoming a best-seller. He retired completely from politics at the 1992 general election. His wife, Joan, died in the 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. Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ... Peter Denis Sutherland (born April 25, 1946) is an Irish businessman and former politician, associated with the Fine Gael party. ... Will Hutton is a British writer, weekly columnist (and formerly editor-in-chief) for The Observer in London and currently Chief Executive of The Work Foundation (formerly the Industrial Society). ... Logo of the Institute of European Affairs The Institute of European Affairs website is a policy research think-tank and forum based in Dublin (with a branch in Brussels). ... Alan Dukes (born April 20, 1945) is an Irish politician, a former leader of the Fine Gael political party and former TD for Kildare South. ... The Irish general election of 1992 was held on Wednesday, November 25, 1992, almost three weeks after the dissolution of the Dáil on November 5. ... Treaty of Nice The Treaty of Nice is a treaty adopted in Nice by the European Council to amend the two founding treaties of the European Union: the Treaty on European Union, or Maastricht Treaty, which introduced the Euro and the 3-pillar structure of the EU; the Treaty of...

Assessment

Though a highly successful Minister for Foreign Affairs, FitzGerald was judged a relatively poor Taoiseach; his notoriously long cabinet meetings were dreaded by ministers, while differences in policy between Fine Gael and Labour prevented the Government from agreeing an approach to deal with the Irish economic crisis and spiralling government debt.

However, FitzGerald was one of the Republic of Ireland's most popular politicians, known to all sides simply as 'Garret'. His gregarious nature, his notorious ability to talk faster than many thought humanly possible, his genuine ecumenism and his 'absent minded professor' image, made him a major political force from his entry into Irish politics in the mid-1960s until his retirement in 1992. Garret FitzGerald was very much in the mode of a left-leaning Christian Democrat, typically found in Fine Gael's sister parties in Italy, Germany or the Netherlands. He was most definitely not from the right wing of Fine Gael despite his familial associations with the earlier Fine Gael. His party has never reclaimed the electoral heights of November, 1982, since his retirement. Fine Gael has gradually reverted to its traditional roots and lost the social democratic component that was distinctive of the FitzGerald era. The word ecumenism (also oecumenism, Å“cumenism) is derived from Greek (oikoumene), which means the inhabited world, and was historically used with specific reference to the Roman Empire. ...

FitzGerald has returned to journalism and has also dedicated much of his retirement to the promotion of European integration. Since 2004 he has also been a Board Member of the Irish chapter of Transparency International, Transparency International Ireland Transparency International (TI) is an international organisation addressing corruption, including, but not limited to, political corruption. ...

Governments

The following governments were led by FitzGerald:

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

The 22nd Dáil was elected on June 11, 1981 and first met on June 30 when the 18th Government of Ireland was appointed. ... The 24th Dáil was elected on November 24, 1982 and first met on December 14 when the 19th Government of Ireland was appointed. ...

Footnotes

In the Irish presidential election in 1990 the Irish Labour Party let it be known that it would for the first time run a candidate. ...

Political career