The legacies left behind by Taoiseach Leo Varadkar’s predecessors

Leo Varadkar became Ireland’s 14th different head of government earlier this month. Here, Ryle Dwyer assesses the legacies left behind by the Taoiseach’s predecessors.

Leo Varadkar is the 14th different head of government since independence, but he is actually the 13th taoiseach. Some of those served interrupted terms, such as Éamon de Valera and Charles Haughey, who were each elected on three separate occasions.

The Irish term, An Taoiseach, which translates as The Leader in English, Der Führer in German, or Il Duce in Italian, was introduced with the new Irish Constitution on December 29, 1937. The 14 different heads of government were: